The Buccaneers

The Buccaneers

(BBC-WGBH, 1995) mini series

The Buccaneers promo photo
(IMDB).

This was the first BBC mini-series to be shot on American soil. Based on an unfinished novel by Newport resident Edith Wharton, the story follows five rich New York girls who travel to England in search of titled husbands. Action that took place in Saratoga Springs, New York, in the novel, was switched to Newport for the film. Shooting took place in Newport over two weeks in May 1994.

Locations that are featured prominently in the production include Château-sur-Mer (sitting room and dining room), Marble House (ballroom), The Elms (conservatory), and The Ledges, a white Victorian at 66 Ocean Drive owned by resident Fred Cushing. When the heroines descend the staircase to be introduced to society, that's Marble House. The scenes under the copper beech tree are at Château-sur-Mer. The scenes at the beginning and end of the program, with the girls on the lawn, are at Fred Cushing's. Bellevue Avenue, covered with a layer of gravel and dirt for exterior scenes with horse-drawn carriages, stood in for 1873 New York and Saratoga.

Shot on a huge (for its time) ten million dollar budget, the series was watched by approximately sixteen million potential British tourists when it first aired.

Last Edited
2022-07-05