When
my editor, Bel Hernandez, emailed me and asked if I would be interested in
doing a view and review of the upcoming BBC One, Acorn TV original comedy mini-series,
Decline and Fall, with Eva Longoria,
I immediately replied, “Absolutely.” How could I pass up the opportunity to
watch anything with Eva Longoria in it? She’s goddam gorgeous!
Since
her breakout role in Desperate
Housewives, the lovely Latina superstar and San Antonio native has become a
force to be reckoned with in Hollywood and beyond. Not only is she a successful
and sought after actress, but also a director, producer, business woman,
philanthropist and political activist. And I can’t stress this point enough;
she’s goddam gorgeous. Eva is bilingually beautiful as well. She’s been voted
“Most Beautiful” in the Spanish- and English-language versions of People magazine. I think she has almost
perfected a cure for cancer too. She does it all.
As a
proud Tex-Mex and longtime San Antonio resident, I was ready, willing and able
to view and review anything starring
Eva Longoria.
The
fact that Longoria is starring, along with talented Brits, Jack Whitehall and David Suchet in the BBC
One, Acorn TV first-time adaption of Evelyn Waugh’s satirical novel, Decline and Fall was a definite, added
plus.
Many of you, I’m sure, remember the PBS
British TV series, Brideshead Revisited,
also adapted from an Evelyn Waugh novel. But whereas Brideshead is a poignant story of forbidden love and lost
innocence, Decline and Fall is a
witty tale of a well-meaning, earnest young man, Jack Whitehall, who is
unjustly kicked out of divinity school at Oxford and finds himself taking a
position as a schoolmaster at a very dysfunctional school for boys.
Apparently,
there are no mobile home parks in the English countryside. Going by the images
presented by the many marvelous British productions of TV shows and films like Brideshead Revisited, Downton Abbey, Doc
Martin, Howard’s End, Remains of the Day and now the BBC One and Acorn TV’s
Decline and Fall, England is
landscaped in lush greenery with narrow, winding roads weaving their way past
quaint villages dotted with cute, cozy cottages and the occasional majestic, stately
manor populated and ruled by a Lord Something-or-Other. The scenery,
architecture and Old World atmosphere are important characters in these
delightful dramas and comedies of English manners, social status and a
desperate desire to cling to their long-held traditions.
And
such is the case in Waugh’s Decline and
Fall. Our hero, Paul Pennyfeather (Jack Whitehall) is teaching German and
music at one of those classic, English boys schools that appears to be all
stone, deep, dark wood and musty, poorly-lit interiors. Pennyfeather is
completely unqualified to teach either German or music, but no matter, he
ingratiates himself to the headmaster and his students. Especially his music
student, Peter (Oscar Kennedy) whose mother just happens to be the rich, flamboyant
and eccentric Margot Beste-Chetwynde (Eva
Longoria).
Pennyfeather is instantly smitten with Margo because, well, she’s
goddam gorgeous and she offers him a tutoring position at her estate during the
school holiday. Complications arise as Pennyfeather gets involved in Margot’s
Latin American Entertainment business
Decline and Fall, like many other British offerings of this genre, takes place in
England during the pivotal period between the two Great Wars. Although Britain
was on the winning side in World War I, that war marked the beginning of the
end of the once glorious British Empire. It was often said
the Sun never set on the British Empire. But after World War I,
the English, especially the nobles, landed-gentry and upper middle-class, faced
a new dawn, a new world with much uncertainty and anxiety.
The English need to steadfastly maintain their treasured
traditions in the face of impending change, is the subtext of Decline and Fall. This is a society, a
country, a people who do not want mobile home parks blighting their
countryside. It’s a country that is now second-guessing Brexit; not fully
knowing what the future holds for England. The title, Decline and Fall, is a wistful, prophetic wink at that inevitability.
Like Oscar Wilde before him and his contemporary, Noel Coward,
Evelyn Waugh is a master at exquisitely capturing that fabled British “stiff
upper lip” and aplomb with his pithy, acerbic, erudite dialog. Even without the
enhancement of the rich production values, Decline
and Fall would be a thoroughly enjoyable experience just listening to the
music of the language.
The tall, lanky Whitehall is charming and winsome as
Pennyfeather. His boyish good looks are well-suited for this part. Longoria
once again proves she is quite adept at light comedy as the perfectly arch,
Margot. The supporting cast are equally good and often outright hilarious,
particularly Douglas Hodge as the irrepressible Grimes.
Evelyn Waugh, born Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh, has a
well-deserved plane in the pantheon of great English writers. Decline and Fall is considered one of
his best works. Waugh’s Decline and Fall has style, wit, fantastic
period costumes, quirky characters, romance, humor and great scenery. Like Eva
Longoria, Decline and Fall is goddam
gorgeous and well-worth watching.
The three-part mini-series premiered on Acorn TV on May 15,
2017.
