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Premieres Sunday on "Masterpiece Contemporary" from 9-10:30 PM on most PBS stations.  Sam Davies and Mari Ann Bull, two Welsh child actors, have the key roles in PBS' "Framed" about kids who break into a secret government mine where national art treasures have been stored. |
Popular children's book
becomes a TV special
of TheColumnists.com
During World War II, England moved all the great art masterpieces from its National Gallery in London to a secret vault inside a slate mine in a small town in Wales. That monumental transfer of art probably saved the nation's art heritage from being destroyed by Nazi bombs during the Blitz.
That moment in history inspired author Frank Cottrell Boyce to come up with a similar rescue for the National Gallery's collection as the central plot notion of his novel for children called "Framed." The menace this time isn't bombs, but water seepage from old and failing plumbing at the gallery.
Boyce has now adapted his novel for television and "Framed" comes to PBS' "Masterpiece Contemporary" Sunday (Dec. 26) at 9-1O:30 PM on most PBS stations. (Check your local channel guide for the exact airdate, times and station numbers in your area.)
This is a very engaging program that children should enjoy, but adults will appreciate even more. It stars Trevor Eve ("Heat of the Sun") as Quentin Lester, who's put in charge of moving the paintings to the village of Manod in Wales and keeping the location a secret even from the local residents.
When it comes to security, though, the government is no match for the local kids, who quickly figure out what's being trucked into the local mine. In no time, they tell their schoolteacher about it and she cajoles the surprised Quentin into letting her class tour the collection, even though the paintings are all locked in sealed boxes.
Our attention is mostly on two youngsters--Dylan and Minnie Hughes--who are trying to find some way to help their dad, who runs a local gas station, save his failing business. They reason that nobody would miss one of the paintings, which they might be able to sell somewhere.
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How these plucky youngsters figure out how to sucker the security people and get into the sealed mine vault is quite entertaining. Meanwhile, the stuffy Quentin finds himself falling in love with their comely teacher, Angharad Stannard, who's played by the delightful Eve Myles. She recognizes the goodness in Quentin and helps him alter his rather rigid notions about art and how it should be handled.
A combination caper comedy and romance, "Framed" also poses a serious issue or two for viewers, who may be exposed to some new ideas about how many restrictions really ought to be placed on the public's ability to view a nation's artistic heritage.
Sam Davies and Mari Ann Bull, who play the Hughes children, are real charmers and they make you want to go visit Wales just to find out if regular kids can be that appealing without having been sent to charm school.
"Framed" is a big relief from the heavier dramas that often turn up on "Masterpiece Theatre" in its various thematic identities these days. And, as usual, this British-made program looks absolutely gorgeous, scene after scene.
©2010 by Ron Miller. The photos are courtesy of PBS and WGBH-TV in Boston. This column first posted Dec. 20, 2010.
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