First I want to say that the original, "Lace 1" remains my favorite mini-series to date. It is a sprawling, romantic and decadent production that looks as though the people who created it really cared about what they were doing. At the age of 12, I remember being hypnotized by this beautiful, angry porn queen/goddess named Lily. And like many American TV viewers, both male and female, I waited breathlessly to find out which one of those impossibly glamorous women would turn out to be her mother. I recently purchased a DVD set from ebay, from a label called the "Ansgar Collection". Obviously a bootleg, burned onto disk from original videotapes, but who cares as this will most likely never have it's much-deserved DVD release. Watching Lace 1 was as thrilling as ever. In fact as an adult, i could understand it better and view it more critically as i could at age 12. Yes i know it is trashy, but it is escapism. and as escapism, it is a masterpiece. When I got to Lace 2, which was included in this set, i was pretty disgusted. The story is contrived and ridiculous. The production values seemed much lower. The whole story with Judy being held prisoner was so lame. I wanted to fast forward over those numerous and lengthy scenes of her in captivity. I think Bess Armstrong must have read the script and decided to have nothing to do with this embarrassing disaster. It really cheapens the first film, which is actually a good movie. And Lily... where to begin? Gone is the euro-trash accent, which although was badly done by Cates, was the thing that most identified who Lily was. I couldn't even connect this "new, sweet American girl next door" Lily to the evil and mysterious bitch that made the first production so great. Lily's whole appeal was that she was a bitch! I loved watching her storm through those impossibly gorgeous mansions and hotel suites, cursing "the bitch that abandoned her as a baby, leaving her to experience a life of pain and degradation." Lily was a vixen, and that made her fascinating! The big hair and the furs... and (again).. that accent!! When i saw this tame and toned-down Lily of the sequel i was so disappointed. I couldn't accept a Lily who wore jeans and was sweet to everyone. And finally, with the revealing of the identity of Lily's true father; ***SPOILER coming!*** the sweet romantic storyline between King Abdullah and Pagan is ruined. No longer does this romance between the English girl and the King of Sydon seem sweet. Not after you see Pagan's first and only true love rape her best friend, and keep it a secret all those years! Dreadful! Lastly, while the first film is so well-executed that it does not seem so dated (Expensive and classy clothing dates well. Some of the outfits worn by the women could be worn today. But the look of Lace 2 is so cheap. It really looks like 80's cheesiness. I will treasure my bootleg DVD of Lace 1. However i think I will sell Lace 2 on ebay! Watching it once was torture enough for me.
