The Collection (2016) User Reviews

Allow this to "flow over you" and you may like the effect

[jrarichards · 8/10 · 11 January 2021]

Oliver Goldstick's "The Collection" is about a Paris fashion house resurfacing in the immediate aftermath of World War II. That gives it enough of two key dimensions to make a bid for a broader audience, and though middle-aged and male I count myself as one who came under its spell quite effectively ... as the episodes passed.

With chunks actually filmed in France; with an international ensemble of acting talent (not much actually French but plenty from different corners of Europe - including of all people that amazing big-screen protege of Kieslowski Irene Jacob!); and with some tremendous clothing on show against a mixed elegant- and-shabby background, "The Collection" makes a very good attempt at authenticity. The fact that American characters are also present here is a major further bonus, which allows at least some to stand back and rise above the inevitable French-on-French intrigues.

Enjoy the backstabbing - figurative and even literal (!), family splits and within- and between-firm conflicts; be both captivated and a little disgusted by the haute couture; and savour a post-War atmosphere in which a country getting back on its feet is only just beginning to paper over some pretty big cracks, and you might at some point begin to feel you are actually a fly on the wall enjoying a story unfold in very atmospheric circumstances.

While "The Collection" is not quite the exquisite and magnificent period French delight that is the Rowan Atkinson "Maigret", there is a touch of that here nonetheless, and of course quite a few aspects that the Maigret context did not reach. Most of us (Brits and Americans) find France a bit fascinating even as it is distinct, and it would be hard to leave 8 episodes of this show without coming to see - and even feel - why that might be so.

Excellent plot that fell off a cliff

[raleone-36286 · 6/10 · 5 March 2021]

Fascinating story lines are being developed, but then it abruptly ends with no resolution. It had so much further to go and then it was gone.

entertaining,unique

[rrbgoku · 7/10 · 12 September 2016]

(very mild spoilers - nothing that would effect your viewing i believe)

if you keep nit picking there is perhaps not even a single good piece of entertainment.

feels a bit like Downton Abbey but that's just me. it irritated me a bit that they stereotyped Tom Riley as an eccentric artist but Richard Coyle is a treat. the chemistry between characters feels natural and the optimistic photographer feels fresh. unlike the above reviewer i feel the lighting makes me feel like i have travelled to Paris 1950s the exploration of artistic,culture and business situation is done well but like i said the relationships feel like Downton Abbey.

Glad I stuck with it.

[mariamatthews-32949 · 10/10 · 5 November 2016]

Although I found the first episode a little heavy going I was glad I stuck with it and found with each episode, I became more and more entranced with this intriguing tale. It was beautifully filmed and sensitively acted by a first rate cast. The costumes were exquisite and the period styling a sheer joy to observe. It had an upstairs downstairs quality similar to that of Downton Abbey, with story lines being developed in both camps. Each episode drove the story forward nicely adding layers of intrigue as as the plot thickened so the characters gradually became increasingly more interesting as the season progressed. By the end of Episode 8 I was completely hooked and left longing to learn more. I can't wait for season 2.

It Finnally Got Going

[cabcomp · 7/10 · 29 March 2017]

I am a designer, I was immediately drawn to it, because of the Couture story. Any movie or TV show about design I pick apart the sewing and design room stuff....The Collection got some of that right and some wrong, but for next season, I hope, they get even closer in detail. Some of the critics here pointed out the darkness of filming and the slow developing story...they are right. It took a bit of getting used to this style of story telling. It almost looked like Blade Runner, always cloudy and rainy. Paris might be dingy sometimes, but there were sunny days during the mid 1930's. I stuck with it, I can't say I found it gripping, but good enough that I want to see more. There were some sub story lines I thought were interesting, but some characters like Nina....Imma need her to be a little less fragile, it became frustrating that she would fall apart so often, but be so insightful in a following scene. However, her struggles as a woman forced to give up the most important thing in her life, would make anyone delicate, I get that too. Looooooved Juliette, I understood how sad it must have been for her to be stuck in a position that would never change. Although I am sure racism could be one reason she could not rise, I am interested in seeing what else is on the list. I hope that next season we see more of this character's rise....or fail, due to her circumstances...PS her hand movements and use of sewing tools, she gets it right. Billy Oh Billy....Imma need him to be less like he dropped out of a 1935 film. That New York/Bronx accent is waaaaaay tooo much. Golly geeeeeze wiz boys, tone it down a bit... Overall I liked this series and looking forward to the Treason component, Nina and Marianne, Juliette and more...Hope to see a Season 2, if not hey you went out on a high note.

Where is season 2???

[dcb-27 · 10/10 · 28 March 2020]

Brilliant. Deserves to be continued for a couple more seasons at least. Take the plunge Amazon. We need this right now.

Ignore the ridiculous amount of negative reviews here

[michaeldonnelly-05202 · 7/10 · 24 October 2021]

It's Masterpiece hitting another solid triple. I know nothing about fashion, or France, or the post WWII world. Great story and great acting. I, actually, found most of the characters to be interesting. Just enjoy it, as I did.

Loved it!! My favorite new show.

[lizkg · 9/10 · 13 March 2017]

To say that I cannot wait for Season 2 would be an understatement. I NEED to know what happens to these characters. I want to see the beautifully shot scenes with gorgeous costumes and Paris in the background.

Where is Season 2? The complexity of characters and the way the story weaves in and around them is addictive. #Amazon what are you waiting for? I love historical drama/fiction. This is so wonderfully done and nuanced that I felt that I had to write this review. I want more people to see it and I want to see more of it!

Why no French actors?

[scvj-06911 · 7/10 · 5 August 2017]

The series is wonderful on so many levels: well written, splendid acting, gorgeous costume design, intrigue and drama... I just find it disconcerting to hear all the clipped, beautifully elegant, veddy British voices in a show set in post WWII Paris. About Paris fashion, French couture, France recovering from German occupancy. Really, the only thing that seems French is the frequent use of "Monsieur," which gives me a jolt now and then. I'll bet there are plenty of English speaking French actors who would have been great, and they would have made the series more credible.

My other reason for giving the show a so-so 7 is that Monsieur Sabine has the dumbest henchman in history. Possible Spoiler: He buries a body in a shallow grave in the garden of the house Sabine bought for his mother! And clubbing the viewer over the head with the frequent foreshadowing shots of clinking tin cans? That is just irritating.

Talented cast saddled with terrible scripts.

[jsheed · 4/10 · 1 June 2017]

This series is an example of what happens when the producers spend too much money on acting talent and not enough money on writers. The characters are stereotypes -- we've seen them all before -- the manipulative matriarch, the tortured artist, the ugly ducking seamstress blossoming into a swan, the unhappy wife of the driven executive, and so it goes. The dialogue is atrocious -- the characters don't actually have conversations, they hurl sound-bites at one another. Watch "The Tunnel" to experience what well-written and believable dialogue sounds like. This show is painful to watch.

So Sad No Season 2

[deniseodum · 10/10 · 24 April 2021]

I did not pay attention to the date or there was only one season, very disappointed it was not renewed.

pretty good but....

[a_marciniak · 7/10 · 14 June 2017]

I started watching this because I saw a promo for it and thought it was beautifully shot. I've only just finished the first episode, but these are my thoughts.

The show is, assuredly, beautifully shot. The characters, as written, are definitely archetypes that we've all seen before; it is true. Their personifications by the cast are nonetheless quite compelling, save for Billy who needs to just disappear. Watching him is like taking the orange zest side of a cheese grater against your skin. Awful. Or perhaps that's the point? To show how annoying, presumptuous, and unlearned we Americans are in the City of Lights? TDB...

My chief complaint, aside from the fact that the entire Sabine staff seems completely fluent in English as if it were their first language, is that the ruling family of this couture house are played by British actors, and their delivery is quintessentially British. Yes, they nod to their supposed Frenchness by saying "maman" instead of "mum", but their classic British cold calculated restraint on display is a different animal than the typical French sangfroid. This cultural disconnect between the British actors trying (not trying) to act French is a bit jarring. Compare these three to how Nina and her mother are played to truly see the difference.

Otherwise, i'm intrigued and will ride out the season. Beautiful costumes.

Overcrowded, Overdressed, under-lit and muddled

[vicstevinson · 3/10 · 3 September 2016]

This production reeks of effort: it tries too hard, lacks elegance -- which is ironic for a drama centered around haute couture. Several main stories are crowded by secondary characters with their own stories. It defies the main rule of sophisticated attire: a strong statement with judicious embellishment.

Much of the pilot is shot in dark rooms, hallways and streets. Whomever designed the sets and lighting fail to highlight and direct the eye. Moving and static shots are lost in the shadows, when such atmospheres are opportunities for the best methods perfected in the film noir era. If the cinematography in this production was translated to black-and-white, much of it would be ink blots.

Unfortunately much of the dialogue is expository because there are so many stories being told the characters have to think aloud in order to be followed.

In the end, choices weren't made, EVERYTHING was piled on. The result is a pilot that can barely move under the weight.

Loving it

[blanche-2 · 10/10 · 23 August 2017]

Someone hated this so much he or she went through and gave everyone who liked it a "not useful." Nothing should inspire that much hate - nothing nonhuman, anyway.

"The Collection" from Amazon is a series starring Richard Coyle, Tom Riley, Mamie Gummer, and Frances de la Tour. Set in post-war Paris, Paul Sabine runs a fashion house with the goal of bringing glamour back to Paris and to bring the fashion center of the world back there as well.

His brother, Claude, is the actual designer of the fashions, and the arrangement is that to the public, Paul is the designer and his brother stays in the background. They both barely tolerate their overbearing mother, Yvette, a conniving and manipulative woman.

There are several subplots, the main one being Claude's dalliance with a sailor that leaves him badly beaten and leads to all sorts of trouble for the fashion house. There is also a reporter (Stanley Townsend) digging around for information on what Paul Sabine did during the war. A worker turned model, Nina (Jenna Thiam) has a secret, as does the right hand of the house, Charlotte (Alix Poisson). Meanwhile, Paul's wife (Mamie Gummer) attempts to hold onto her husband and mollify Claude.

For some reason, when a series involving fashion is done - The Time in Between, Velvet, as two examples - the era chosen is post-war. The clothing is dazzling in this, and there's mystery, family dynamics, and intrigue present as well. The first season ends on a real cliffhanger.

There's nothing not to love.

I do have one quibble regarding another review on the site. People who live in France and who are French are speaking French. They are not speaking English with a French accent, which is a reason why many of these actors, who are British, speak with British accents. It doesn't matter. They're speaking French.

I read this complaint that the actors don't have the proper accents time and time again about old films, where so many of the '30s and '40s films are set in other countries. In Chekov's plays, the characters are speaking Russian, but outside of Russia, the plays are performed in other languages. Should those people be speaking with Russian accents?

The acting is uniformly good in "The Collection," with Frances de la Tour a standout, though the two brothers, played by Coyle and Riley, are wonderful. Another actress, Poppy Corby-Tuech, who plays Dominique, is exquisitely beautiful. Mamie Gummer rocks her elegant outfits and is excellent as Paul's unhappy wife. And as the desperate model Nina, Jenna Thiam gives a sympathetic performance.

Highly recommended. Can't wait for season 2.

Filmed in Wales?

[raypowell · 6/10 · 14 May 2021]

Typical BBC production (aka well done), but I see nothing French about it. They all talk English, aimed at the American audience (PBS and Masterpiece Theater), and all done many times before. I would think that Paris, 1947 would still be suffering PTSD from WWII. Difference with people who stayed and those that left. Be suspect of everyone of being collaborators, and we see nothing of that.

The Best Binge Ever!

[jjbla · 10/10 · 10 February 2017]

This the most beautifully written and and magnificently shot show. I was sucked in immediately to the era and to the story of this deliciously dysfunctional family. Eye candy everywhere you look, the fashion, the actors, the sets... not to mention all the mystery, intrigue and love... you will not get up till you watch it all! Who can resist Frances de la Tour? Or Mamie Gummer. Richard Coyle's Paul Sabine is sublime, and I could watch Tom Riley endlessly. The performances here are stellar! Oliver Goldstick has created yet again another brilliant masterpiece. I can hardly wait to see what you come up with next.Bravo Amazon Prime. Probably your best show yet!

Excellent Season 1, can't wait for Season 2

[christine-walton8 · 10/10 · 10 January 2017]

Excellent Season one can't wait for Season two. Wonderful cast and brilliant acting by all of those involved. Very true to life after the Second World War when fashion houses desperately needed to make a comeback; which of course they did. The intriguing stories running alongside the fabulous new fashions portray what might have been happening at that time and how some people were trying to cope by hiding their secrets and lies. The new and glamorous styles shown were an attempt to give people something to look forward to after years of suffering.

A difficult time when people were trying to get their lives back together and put the horrors of the past behind them. I am really looking forward to the next season and hope they won't keep us waiting too long.

So-o-o-o-o-o-o slo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-w-w-w-w-w-w-w

[whatithinkis · 2/10 · 11 February 2017]

I tried really really really hard to like this.

Took immense effort to get through the pilot.

So-o-o-o-o-o-o slo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-w-w-w-w-w-w-w. It was putting me to sleep.

Everything is so obvious and it's so easy to see where they're going, but who has the patience to wait for them get there already? Not me.

Too bad. Bad writing, directing, editing. Acting spotty and uneven. At some times okay. Others not so much.

Unfortunately once you've seen Pierre Thoretton's 'L'Amour Fou,' it's pretty hard to tolerate this.

Compared to that this is really pretty awful.

So, no, I cannot recommend it.

Giving it even two stars is generous.

Absolutely Extraordinary

[buckwinthrop-16041 · 10/10 · 25 May 2022]

What a surprise!

This slow burning drama set in 1947 Paris is truly a gem. Twice I stopped thinking its too slow and going no place fast. However, I am happy I went back because once the story is set it becomes a tawdry uproar. A glossy prime time soap without being over the edge. Great acting and writing. I am happy they made this a limited series instead of ruining it with endless seasons. They left it in such a way where you're imagination can go anywhere you want. Bravo.

Boring a.f.

[annmarin123 · 1/10 · 21 July 2017]

Am I losing my mind... Or are most of the "original series" being put out lately just boring as heck?

Should I be blamed for holding these series to the "Breaking Bad Season 1" benchmark? Maybe so... I guess I got spoiled.

I tried, again, tried hard to get into this. I mean, its all up my alley: Period piece. Intrigue. Clothes. Haute Couture Clothing (Imbd just scolded me for shouting, sorry). The ad alone with the gorgeous red dress photo had me at Hello. But halfway into the first episode, I had to give up the ghost. Honestly I fell asleep and I can't even tell you what was going on. A man, he's reviled by the media for some reason, he's apparently rich a.f., cobblestones, and he's a fashion designer icon. He's the designer of a gorgeous emerald green satin dress.. that much I can tell you. The rest is a fog.

I hope you have better luck with this one than I did.

That is all.

Planty of depth

[trash-41084 · 10/10 · 4 February 2017]

Fairly intelligent and with plenty of depth after a slightly shaky start. Excellent photography and costumes - a lot of fun. There are certainly a few minor plot holes and implausibilities, but they really don't matter. Acting is pretty good too on the whole.

The main thing here is the mood that is set - and it does set that well.

We have been watching this in parallel with the Halcyon - which I suppose - is supposed to have a similar feel. The latter by contrast is shallow and wooden. I'm glad that it is set in France but (apart from a few minor tokens) there is no attempt to have fake French accents - a good decision by the Directors. Overall, just what is needed to lie in bed with the wife at 11pm.

Stylish fashion thriller.

[vcyirj · 9/10 · 8 December 2021]

Having been in the fashion industry in the UK we thought the fashions stunning, so who says they are awful? Just immerse yourself in the story and enjoy.

I like to see more

[brands-58474 · 8/10 · 19 September 2016]

I'm not an expert or have has an idea about the fashion history at that era, but has to say that this series attracted me from first episode and I'm eager to see more.

There are some matters that I didn't get to understand esp. About the family history and their relation to the world war but I guess it'll show in the coming episodes...

I don't find any likeness between this series and downton Abby ..it doesn't have same spirit or environment..we don't see servants, lavish life for the family that story talking about..

I'm excited to see what the wasted brother will come to in fashion and design ..

Love it...keep on

Shot In A Studio?

[mad_man_moon · 3/10 · 19 September 2016]

I will try episode two, but this was really not that good, I'm afraid.

The setting seems off, the music is impertinent, performances shallow, and so much of it seems really ... just ... I dunno ... not up to the standards that I expect from Amazon, I'm just not that convinced, I'm afraid.

One exception to the performances was Jenna Thiam as Nina, who's depth of character was astounding. I hope that's not just because she was around players that were perhaps not at their best (although I feel actors usually up their game around better actors ... so it's weird) on screen. I obviously don't wish to be harsh on the other performances, perhaps I'm missing bits, perhaps they were marred by the poor set design and general production. It really does feel like it's completely shot in a studio.

I mentioned the music, right? Wow the music (not on radios/in clubs) is overpoweringly annoying here ... I can't help but feel like a more delicate touch (or none at all) might have helped focus on the more important things. That's not meant as a back seat director comment (I would be *awful*), but more of how it felt to be assaulted by it seemingly all the time.

Let's not forget the dream ... holy wow ... Oh(!) and Billy's line "I like to remember what made Paris so unforgettable." Man. OK ... Will try episode two, and amend this score (and possibly this) ... but I think there's a little climb here.

Fashionably Addictive

[jddmovies · 10/10 · 20 February 2017]

An enticing blend of juicy family drama, post-war European history, and high fashion. Can't wait for Season Two. Fine ensemble cast of old pros and newcomers, plus the beautiful trappings of the sets and the costumes, all of it elevated by smart, crackling dialogue. And Frances De La Tour is a dazzling matriarch.