Mr Selfridge

"Mr Selfridge: The Man Behind The Retail Empire" comes at a time where department stores, and their creative teams, are the new rock stars of the screen. Since chefs, sports stars and gypsies are not hot this season department stores will have to suffice. With heightened creative juices, big and soaring personalities and the makings of a great kingdom Selfridges, as much as Bergdorf Goodman (with their "Scatter My Ashes At Bergdorf Goodman" out this month), deserve a huge amount of respect.

This three-disc extravaganza, starring the superb Jeremy Piven (from Ari Gold, Entourage fame), presents the story of the "American Dream" big dreamer Harry Gordon Selfridge. The time is the beginning of the previous century and no wars have yet to ruin the country's mood. And so the thrills lies in Selfridge's wild personality, his astute business sense, with some not so astute ideas, and the Masterpiece mini series created by Andrew Davies (Bleak House) so captures a little part of the soul of London's most exciting department store. The dozens of counters, the beautiful perfumes, the lively characters (with a bunch of special guests stars that surprise and dazzle) and all the action is what gives the series a neat bird's eye view of a London icon.

The special features include a behind the scenes at Selfridges and gives us a tiny peek into how the series all came together. Unlike Downton Abbey, this 10 part series thrills with less crazy soap opera and more humor and a lot more glamor.

"Mr Selfridge: The Man Behind The Retail Empire "
Blu-ray 3 Disc Set
$40.21
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/programs/series/mr-selfridge/