The series also details his personal life, focusing on his 33-year marriage to the considerably older Mary Anne Lewis (Mary Peach), the widow of Disraeli's former patron and a seemingly frivolous chatterbox whom he admittedly married for her money ("I never intend to marry for love," he said. "It's a guarantee of unhappiness"), only to end up completely devoted to her. Along the way, Disraeli and his fellow politicians also deal with issues ranging from India and the Suez Canal to Ireland and the looming threat posed by Germany's "Iron Chancellor," Otto von Bismarck. All of this is accomplished primarily with words (including Disraeli's own, as well as those of scriptwriter David Butler), and there are lots of them. Disraeli isn't exactly action-packed--indeed, this is a genteel, stately, and occasionally rather tedious undertaking--but those willing to stick with it for its four-plus hours will find no shortage of rewards. --Sam Graham

Disraeli

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Really enjoyed this show. Ian McShane does a great impression of both an early and then more experienced Disraeli. Period dress was very impressive.

This movie felt more like a play you have to give it a chance to really enjoy the story. Ian Mcshane is the best thing in the movie except every time I see him I cannot help but see him as a dirty mouthed mustached saloon owner in deadwood.

I felt that this portrayal was the very best account of the life and times of this great british prime minister.without his guidance lord knows what Queen Victoria would have done as she depended entirely on the advice of her Ministers. Ian McShane played this part to the hilt.sometimes a little tongue in cheek.sometimes extremley seriously but I feel that this was also the escence of the man.loyal to both royalty and to the people of Britain during those challenging and growing years when Britian was like the U.S.A.leading the way and getting into everybody's business and trying to take over. The casting was terrific and even the smallest players played their parts very well. I am currently replacing all my VHS with DVD'S so when I saw this DVD version of Disraeli listed on amazon I jumped on it.I will be not viewing this immediately as I am a very busy person.but I have a few really good, often historical, VHS tapes still that I am waiting for an opportunity to change over. Let us hope that history does not repeat itself. The costumes were right on and the colors fantastic.any Anglophile would truly enjoy this and any lover of Ian McShane would get a kick out of him playing somebody so amazingly different from anything else he has played.

Should the director and script writer attempted a less ambitious project. He apparently perceived himself as an Anglican, almost Anglo-Saxon member of the British establishment. He also had every intention of dragging British conservatives into the latter half of the 19th Century. He apparently treated her as a mature and intelligent adult. You might also want to view the 1929 movie "Disraeli" starring George Arliss.

Much is made of Disreali's Jewish ethnicity. In many respects, Disraeli was ahead of his time. Disraeli was a favorite of Queen Victoria. Whatever, there's enough here if one finds Bejamin Disraeli of interest. We follow his career from the age of about 32 to his death some 50 years later.

This TV series suggest the latter explanation as the most accurate. Was he a self hating Jew-or merely someone who considered an individual's DNA as a minor aspect of their life.

Benjamin Disraeli was a Jew, a fact that would normally have precluded him from ever rising in the British government. However, he was no ordinary man and this retelling of his story is utterly absorbing. His relationship with Queen Victoria and her consort, Albert, and then with the Queen alone after Albert's death is worth the price of admission (though maybe not the resale price) alone. In a bravura performance, Ian McShane (of Deadwood fame currently and, I think, a very underrated actor) brings to fascinating life one of the most intriguing, multi-dimensional figures of English (or any) history. Filled with the usual outstanding (in British productions)secondary performances, this is a series to be treasured. From his start as a romantic novelist and outrageous fop, we follow his rise to the leadership of his country, admiring his skill in learning his way around English society (one of the most effective ways into English politics), charming all the right women, intriguing and outwitting the men, and developing into a genuine statesman along the way. Victoria, herself often misunderstood and underestimated, found a trusted advisor, brilliant political tactician, and real kindred spirit in Disraeli and this film captures it to perfection.