DVD/150: WIDOWS 2 (Paul Annett, 1985, tv)

Filmed two years after WIDOWS, producer Linda Agran, writer Lynda La Plante and stars Ann Mitchell (Dolly), Fiona Hendley (Shirley) and Maureen O'Farrell (Linda) had a new director and a new 'Bella'.

Sadly WIDOWS 2 cannot escape the shadow of Eva Mottley, the original 'Bella'.  Due to repeat her role, Mottley left claiming sexual and racial abuse from the production team.  Two months before WIDOWS 2 was broadcast, she died from an overdose.  While Debby Bishop is bearable, she has none of Mottley's sharpness.

Six months after escaping to Rio after their heist, Dolly has returned to London for a facelift, Shirley is in LA, Bella is engaged to a wealthy landowner, but Linda is bored and drinking.

But Dolly's husband Eddie Rawlins is on their trail and terrorizes Linda into revealing Dolly is in London and where the money is hidden.

The Widows reunite to face their deadly nemesis...

Shelf or charity shop?  The widows are standing their ground on the shelf.  Lynda La Plante's script is at times overly-plotted and unevenly-paced, moments of high drama stranded by several slow scenes.  But while she created memorable characters in Linda, Bella and Shirley, once again Ann Mitchell brings almost a sense of Greek tragedy to the basiliske-stare of Dolly Rawlins.  Pain and anger burn inside her and she is quite magnificent.  Giving them a run for their stolen money is the wonderful Kate Williams as Shirley's mother, funny and heart-breaking sometimes in the same scene.  Maurice O'Connell is excellent as the dangerous Harry Rawlins, one of the great TV villains.  Among the gritty supporting cast, there are fine contributions from David Calder as the hospitalized but still-obssessed Detective Inspector Resnick, and Stephen Yardley as the private eye who tries to get closer to Dolly; Mike Felix, Peter Lovstrom, Richard Kane and Peter Jonfield are all given moments to shine as assorted dodgy geezers.  The drawbacks are some truly ghastly 80s frocks and a god-awful Gerard Kenny pop-rock song over the end credits."Hungry - women - crying / Now they're only crying out for more..." *boke*

 

DVD/150: WIDOWS (Ian Toynton, 1983, tv)

Accept no substitute: there's only one WIDOWS. 

A security van heist goes disasterously wrong, leaving the three robbers dead.  The ringleader was known criminal Harry Rawlins so his widow Dolly is harrassed by the vengeful Inspector Resnick and by the Fisher brothers who were her husband's rivals.

Dolly finds her husband's ledgers and decides that she will attempt the robbery again with the two other gang members' widows: headstrong Linda and insecure Shirley.  Dolly - and Resnick - realise there was a fourth gang member who obviously escaped.  Dolly recruits Linda's friend Bella, a cool-headed stripper to complete her gang. 

Can the widows keep ahead of the police, the criminals and the mysterious surviving gang member - and still trust each other?

Debut writer Lynda La Plante's idea was nurtured by producer Linda Agran and Verity Lambert of Euston Pictures and WIDOWS has the trademark gritty London realness of Euston's finest work.

Shelf or charity shop? You 'avin' a larf?  There is a reason why WIDOWS attracted audiences of 18 million viewers and it still grips like a vice thanks to Ian Toynton's spare direction, La Plante's memorable characters and the terse performances from actors of the calibre of David Calder, Kate Williams and Maurice O'Connell among others.  Fiona Hendley and Maureen O'Farrell's performances as Shirley and Linda are over-shadowed by Eva Mottley's gimlet-eyed Bella and Ann Mitchell as Dolly Rawlins - one of the great television performances of the 1980s.  Watching WIDOWS now is bittersweet as in 1985, Mottley pulled out of the filming of the WIDOWS sequel citing racial and sexual abuse from the production team and was later found dead of an overdose aged only 31, a tragic waste of a real talent.