All Rise...

Judge David Johnson rode by a horseman and got kicked in the face.

The Charge

From the vault, a late-'70s British miniseries, stacked with period production design, heartfelt romance and think, warm mustaches.

The Case

Based on the novels of R.F. Delderfield, A Horseman Riding By features thirteen fifty-minute episodes, spanning fifteen years during one of the most tumultuous historical periods in European history. Starting at 1902 and ending in 1919, the series focuses on one man: Paul Craddock (Nigel Havers).

Craddock got himself wounded in the Boer War and decided to buy the stately estate Shallowford. Thanks to an influx of cash from some lucrative scrapyard investments, he's living large on some gorgeous, bucolic acreage.

As the miniseries unspools, we Craddock grow into his life as a major player in town politics and economy (he's far more benevolent to the farmers on his property than his predecessor). Matters of the heart soon follow and life gets even sweeter. But then: the rumbles of war echo again and this one is going to be big. Everyone in the town will be affected: the men, the women and, particularly, Craddock himself.

Havers's Craddock is the fulcrum on which this entire series pivots and he is, thankfully, a compelling character. It's his decency that compels; there's not a lot of gray the man's integrity as he carries himself with scruples and moral strength from the get-go all the way to the finale.

That might sound one-note but Havers handles the character so well it's easy to buy him as a Boy Scout. Plus, enough bad stuff happens to him, and in proximity of him, that it prevents the series from becoming just a non-stop syrup-fest; quite the opposite, actually, which makes Craddock's nobility that much more endearing.

Parallel to the top-tier acting and characterization is the interesting setting. BBC knows its period drama and this turn-of-the-century/run-up-to-WWI venue provides a unique backdrop to the human interactions. Add it all up (and deduct whatever points you'd like for its age) and A Horseman Riding By offers a premium package for fans of this brand of TV melodrama.

Acorn's set is all feature, no frills. The full frame transfer and stereo mix are about as good as you're going to get (read: passable) for a show this old. No extras.

The Verdict

If you fancy the old-school brand of BBC period storytelling, don't let this Horseman pass you by.

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