Love in a Cold Climate – a mini-series in two parts – is a British historical drama which premiered on British television (BBC) in 2001.
It is about the lives of three young women during the years between World War One and World War Two.
Here is some basic information about this drama:
*** Director: Tom Hooper
*** Producer: Kate Harwood
*** Musical score composed by Rob Lane
*** Screenplay written by Deborah Moggach
*** Based on two books by Nancy Mitford
*** Released on DVD in 2008
*** Run time: 2 x 75 minutes = 150 minutes
The cast includes the following:
** Rosamund Pike as Fanny (who is also the narrator)
** Elisabeth Dermoth Walsh as Linda
** Megan Dodds as Polly
** Alan Bates as Uncle Matthew Radlett
** Celia Imrie as Aunt Sadie
** Jemina Rooper as Jassy
** Anthony Andrews as “Boy” Dougdale
** John Light as Christian Talbot – a communist
** Samuel Labarthe as Fabrice de Sauveterre – a French duke
** Tom Ward as Alfred
Nancy Mitford (1904-1973) was a British author, who grew up in an aristocratic family. Her book The Pursuit of Love was first published in 1945. Her book Love in a Cold Climate was first published in 1949.
The mini-series is based on these two books, which are heavily auto-biographical.
I do not wish to spoil the viewing for anyone. This is why I am not going to say much about what happens in this drama. I will merely offer some information, so you can understand the structure of the drama.
The three main characters Fanny, Linda, and Polly were born around 1910. In 1920, they were about 10 years old. In this drama we follow their lives for two decades, from 1920 to 1940.
The three characters are childhood friends, who grow up in aristocratic families. Polly is in India with her family for ca. ten years, from 1920 to 1930. This means that Fanny and Linda are closer to each other.
When Linda returns to England around 1930, the three friends meet again, but Polly is somewhat distant from the other two.
Fanny is also used as a narrator, who fills in the gap when we jump from one scene to the next. But the narrator does not say much. Sometimes her introduction to a new scene is very brief.
As the three characters grow up, they have mostly two things on their mind: fashion and men.
In this drama, we see what happens when a man pursues one of them or when one of them pursues a man. We also see how the surrounding family members respond to the situation.
As stated above, the story is set during the years between World War One and World War Two, but in the beginning of the drama it is not quite clear where we are in time.
However, when the Spanish Civil War is mentioned, we know we are in 1936. And when the war breaks out in Europe, we know we are in 1939. When we get to 1940, the drama comes to an end.
Since there are three main characters, and since each of them is surrounded by several secondary characters – family as well as friends – the large gallery of characters may seem a bit confusing at first.
It takes a while to find out who is who and how they are related to each other. But once you know who is who, things begin to fall into place.
Having presented the general outline of the drama, I am not going to offer any further details. If you want to know what happens to Fanny, Linda, and Polly as well as the people around them, you will have to watch the drama (or read the books) all the way to the end.
The mini-series from 2001 is the second television adaption of Nancy Mitford’s books.
The first television adaption of the books is a mini-series in eight parts that was shown on British television (Thames Television) in 1980.
Obviously, the first version from 1980 has more time to develop the numerous characters of the drama, since it runs for ca. 400 minutes, while the second version from 2001 runs for only 150 minutes.
What do reviewers say about the second version from 2001?
On IMDb it has a rating of 70 per cent, which corresponds to 3.5 stars on Amazon.
On Amazon there are more than 300 ratings of this product, including more than 200 reviews. The average rating is 3.5 stars.
In my opinion, these ratings are too high. Why? Because the story always seems to be in a hurry. Too many scenes are too short. We jump from one situation to the next. There is not enough time to develop the characters.
There are many characters and many situations in Nancy Mitford’s books. Apparently, the director and the writer wanted to include as many as possible in the drama, and the only way to do this was to shorten each scene. The result is not quite good.
I wanted to like this historical drama. I wanted to give it a good rating, but I have to remove two stars because of this flaw. This is why this drama deserves a rating of three stars (60 percent).
PS # 1. In 1932, Nancy Mitford’s younger sister Diana (1910-2003) caused a social scandal when she left her first husband and began an affair with Sir Oswald Mosley, leader of the British Union of Fascists, even though he was still married.
In 1933 Mosley’s wife died, and three years later, Oswald and Diana were married. The marriage took place in Nazi Germany. In the living room of Joseph Goebbels. Adolf Hitler was a special guest of honour.
Nancy did not like Oswald Mosley and did not agree with his political beliefs.
PS # 2. For more information about Nancy and her family, see the following items:
The Six: The Lives of the Mitford Sisters
By Laura Thompson
(2015)
Outrageous
This television series about the Mitford sisters premiered in 2025
*****
The Pursuit of Love
By Nancy Mitford
First published in 1945
*****
Love in a Cold Climate
By Nancy Mitford
First published in 1949
*****
The Mitford sisters
Six women who lived unusual lives
*****
The Sisters:
The Saga of the Mitford Family
By Mary S. Lowell
(2002 = hardcover)
(2003 = paperback)
*****
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