A Commentary : Sins

A Commentary : Sins

Mini-series or films made for TV became very popular in the nineteen eighties. 'Sins' is a particularly striking example, typifying many of the genre's concomitants. Its theme music is catchy and memorable (Hard to be Tender) and additional music is provided by Michel Legrand. The setting and locations are glamourous, particularly time spent in Venice, and the costumes of the leading ladies are flambouyant and expensive, notably those of our shining star, Joan Collins. They are provided by Valentino. The accent then is on fashion and glamour. The women are all beautiful. Catherine Mary Stewart who plays the young Helene is superceded by that paragon of fashion, Joan Collins. Capucine too, makes an appearance.

And what of plot you may ask? This tale involves Nazi terror, murder attempts, our heroine's vicissitudes in business life, her ill luck with men and her seemingly ineluctable plight of attracting enemies. The horror of evil threads its way through the storyline starting with the murder of Helene Junot's pregnant mother and then Helene's own rape at the hands of German soldiers. Mental illness is in there too. Helene's brother Edmund, played by Timothy Dalton suffers catatonia after incarceration at the castle of death. Von Ederfeld, Helene's sworn enemy, faces justice at last and is imprisoned but gets released only to be shot by the wife of one of Helene's conquests.

Far-fetched you may say, yes, but the horrors of Nazism were no fantasy and this mini series for all of its ridiculousness has its roots in history. Helene Junot's rise to prominence and success with her fashion magazine is the stuff of novels written by such as Barbara Taylor Bradford and the storylining is very novelistic. Gene Kelly plays a part as one of Helene's husbands but does not last long, having a rather spectacular demise as he crashes headlong over the landing onto the table below.

The De Ville family has a wonderful mansion and this is Helene's introduction to wealth. The son Hubert has a fancy for her, but he is continually humiliated by his father, the Count, who says he cannot satisfy a woman. The characters can be vicious and without feeling and this film exposes all that is nasty about the human character. Sending a vicious dog after Helene is a terrrifying moment for her and all credit to Joan Collins for warding off the savage animal. She acts her part with aplomb and cachet. She has natural elegance and is superbly suited to the glamourous locations and the outfits she dons. If anyone can carry this off it is our Joanie.

Giancarlo Giannini is the sort of handsome actor we expect in a mini-series like this and James Farentino offsets the female allure of Joan Collins, not to mention the character of the nun, who is love interest for Edmund. Steven Berkoff is quite sinister as Ederfeld and in the mix of goodies and baddies we know who will win through. But this is a hard fight and our heroine goes through a lot. When she is shot near the end the suspense is killing but a happy end after so much tragedy is the order of the day and we are delighted when a positive conclusion is reached.

The series has it all, a powder keg of explosive dynamics - sinister Nazis, an innocent nun, pregnant mothers brutalised, a mentally ill brother, a fashion house of repute and so much love interest for a kept woman that it is sure of success in the mini-series cannon. 'Sins' cannot fail to enthrall, shock and delight you in equal measure - a film of our time.