Search - To Be the Best on DVD

Movie Release: 1992 DVD Release: 04/16/2002 Format: DVD Edition: Television Audio Tracks: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 3 hrs 7 mins Studio: Acorn Media Members Wishing: 2 Genres: Drama, Family Drama

Lindsay Wagner stars as Paula O'Neill in this made-for-TV miniseries based on the best-selling novel by Barbara Taylor Bradford. Paula's grandmother, Emma Harte, took a failing department store and turned it into the powerful Harte Industries retail empire, and now that Paula has inherited the family business, she is determined to expand their international success by launching a new store in Hong Kong. However, Paula's cousins Jonathan (Christopher Cazenove) and Sarah (Claire Oberman) are determined to wrest control of the company away from Paula, and begin running interference in her plans for global expansion. Paula soon learns that Harte Industries is on financially shaky ground, and her personal life begins to crumble under the strain of keeping Hart Enterprises afloat. As Jonathan uses the firm's financial woes to his advantage, Paula finds that Jack Figg (Anthony Hopkins), the company's head of security, may be her last line of defense against her devious relatives. Originally broadcast in August 1992, To Be the Best was a follow-up to 1983's A Woman of Substance, another miniseries based on a Barbara Taylor Bradford novel, which covered Paula's life before she took over the family business; Diane Baker played Paula in the earlier series. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Lindsay Wagner - Paula O'Neill
David Robb - Shane
Thomas Ewbank - Patrick
Christopher Cazenove - Jonathan Ainsley
Anthony Hopkins - Jack Figg

Tony Wharmby's miniseries To Be the Best, written by Barbara Taylor Bradford, was a sequel to Hold the Dream, which was a sequel to A Woman of Substance. To Be the Best comes to DVD with a standard full-frame transfer that preserves the original broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Stereo. There are neither subtitles nor closed captions on this release. Supplemental materials include an interview with Barbara Taylor Bradford and filmographies for the cast. This is a decent release from Acorn Media. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide