Short description
In yet another film adaptation of R.D. Blackmore's swashbuckling romance, this excellent and lavish BBC production of 'Lorna Doone' brings the classic tale of revenge and family warfare to life with a sterling cast. Filmed in Wales, the epic family saga begins in 1675, during a turbulent time in history when insurgence against the Catholic King James II, of England and Scotland, runs rampant. The fierce Doone clan has galloped into a farming village, murdering the village's protector, the father of young John Ridd. Determined to avenge his father's death, the teenager goes into the Doone Valley where he meets the independent but vulnerable Lorna Doone - ward of the clan leader, Ensor Doone - who was kidnapped as a child. Meeting again years later, the two fall in love. Ridd is steadfast in nobility of spirit, but Lorna has been unwillingly engaged to her cousin, Ensor's evil, and sadistic heir, Carver. Carver displays a kind of sad obsession for Lorna, but at the end of the day he is as murderous as they come. As their love grows, Ridd finds a new reason to pursue his campaign against the villains that have long dominated his world, and protecting Lorna becomes equal to revenge. Lorna, however, may not be quite what she seems.
Long description
A passionate love story charting the young John Ridd's search for revenge in seventeenth century rural England. John's father is killed by the feared Doones, who weave an evil spell of murder and theft over the Devon countryside, and he determines to avenge his father's death. John falls desparately in love with Lorna, the daughter of the head of the Doone clan, and he rescues her from them when it transpires that she was stolen as a child. Lorna's true lineage is revealed to be that of a noblewoman and John's lowly status closes his mind to the possibility of marriage. Eventually John proves himself invaluable to both the King and a kinsman of Lorna's, thus removing all obstacles between them and allowing a happy ending.