TO THE MANOR BORN:SILVER WEDDING ANNI - DVD MovieWhat if you could go back to a favored film, TV series or fairy tale to see just what \"happily ever after\" really looked like? That\'s the delicious premise behind To the Manor Born: Silver Anniversary Special. The well-loved Brit-com, which aired from 1979-1981, ended with the marriage of the genteel but newly impoverished Audrey fforbes-Hamilton (the puckish Penelope Keith) and supermarket baron Richard DeVere, after many months of a peculiarly British off-kilter courtship. Fast-forward 25 years, when Audrey and Richard, who\'ve settled nicely into their upper-crust existence, are planning their silver wedding anniversary celebration. The bons mots and barbs fly as though the decades had never ensued, and the characters are as cluelessly endearing as ever. And the humor, perhaps not for all tastes, is decidedly British: \"You\'re a liar and a cheat!\" exclaims Audrey to a passerby at one point. \"I should have known it--you\'re from Czechoslovakia!\" On the menu for the party, there\'s much clucking over the appropriateness of the planned quail and truffle terrine. Why? \"Bird flu!\" announces Audrey. But the actors are so enmeshed in their surroundings, they bring a well-worn comfort to their portrayals that creates a cozy environment to escape into--as inviting as a bay-window seat with boiled-wool blankies. Fans of the series will love to see how the actors have aged (gently) and how the characters haven\'t. The special \"making-of\" featurette is a particular delight, with all the actors chatting about considering returning to roles they thought were long wrapped up--and relating their delight in finding their chemistry with each other was just as crisp as it was in the jolly old days. Just right.- -A.T. Hurley
