"Master of the Game" is a lavish CBS production (aired as special event "sweeps" programming during the Olympic month of February 1984), a grand 9-hour mini-series the kind of which "they don't make anymore" (7 hours without commercials, to be exact).
Based on the 1982 same-titled best-selling Sidney Sheldon novel and opening with an iconic image of an elegant black-gloved hand revealing a fist full of diamonds, it is a glossy cosmopolitan soap opera the fans of 1980s primetime sagas about rich families like "Dynasty" and "Dallas" will find satisfying. It moves briskly from Dark Harbor to South Africa to New York to Europe and back to the United States, from 1982 back to 1883 and onward.
Unlike the CBS/Paramount DVD set released in 2009 which split the series into 4 parts, "Master of the Game" originally aired on 3 consecutive nights in 3 three-hour installments (that's 2 hours and 20 minutes each w/o commercials), each part focusing on a different set of characters.
The original installment, which was actually filmed in Kenya, tells a dusty late 19th century tale of diamond-hunting adventures of James McGregor played by the excellent "Chariots of Fire" star Ian Charleson (whom we lost too soon, just 6 years after this mini-series aired) and the evil machinations of a greedy Dutchman played with gusto by Donald Pleasence at his contemptuous best; the follow-up focuses on Dyan Cannon's ruthless matriarch Kate Blackwell, who becomes the titular master at the game of business, and the complicated relationship with her fragile son Tony played by a young & handsome soon-to-be "L.A. Law" star Harry Hamlin; while the conclusion is a battle royale between good and evil embodied by Tony's daughters, twin sisters Eve & Alexandra (both played very convincingly by the beautiful Liane Langland), with an amusing Fernando Allende in the mix as a sadistic gigolo who loves to batter his clients.
With respect to the two negative reviews complaining about the series "falling apart" after the opening act, it should be noted there is indeed a jarring shift in tone between the 3 parts, especially the 1st and the 2nd. In fact, the opening 4 minutes of Kate & Tony's mid-series installment suddenly move at such a rapid pace, you'd be excused if you thought you were watching a "previously on" recap instead of fresh content. The pace eventually slows down, though the series never gets back to the stellar tone of the opening act.
What some people may not know is that each installment was helmed by a different director. The differing approaches are noticeable and may prove somewhat distracting, which is why I'm giving the series only 8 stars.
Nevertheless, it's a highly entertaining and beautiful to look at big-budget old-school mini-series and is most certainly not to be missed by the fans of the glitzy primetime soap genre.
