Capital City: The Complete First Series [1989] [DVD]

Rated by lynetter, UK on 24th June 2006

This series was shown in Australia during my first year of work, post university. Even though I haven't ever worked in finance, it really struck a chord in capturing the essence of what corporate life was like. I've wanted to see it again for a long time, so I'm thrilled they finally released it on DVD. In an odd way, for me Capital Cities is in the same league as the Breakfast Club... the latter is the ultimate movie for bringing back memories of my teens; Capital Cities, even now, is something I remember scenes from and it vividly reminds me of that first year trying to adjust to work. My husband remembers it similarly, to such an extent that even now when we see the actors popping up in other shows we still refer to them as Declan and Max! The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is that I'm sure it's going to feel a little dated watching with fresh eyes, but give it a try if you didn't see it first time round and have ever worked in a team in a big bank/consultancy/law firm/etc.

Rated by m smith on 22nd May 2006

Capital City had a good strong cast many of the actors went onto better well known things after the show finished. The series addressed issues such as Marriage breakdowns, alcholism, friendships, mental breakdown etc. To dismiss it as a drama about just working in a city bank is wrong. The workplace was just the setting for how the characters met and knew each other and each episode isn't spent talking about interest rates and just about dealing on world stockmarkets. Yeah true the main characters are Yuppies, but it is good quality drama from Euston Films the makers of The sweeney and Minder to name a few.

Rated by R. W. Galland, London on 29th August 2006

I'd waited so long for this to come out on DVD, I thought that the original films had been lost or destroyed. I'm pleased that I'm not alone in feeling nostalgic for this terrific series. So great was its influence on my young mind that I moved to London, where I met my first serious girlfriend - a futures dealer who despaired of my rose-tinted misconceptions about life in International banking. My dreams of a flashy career in finance slowly faded away... Oh well, reality always lets you down. That's why we need good escapist entertainment like Capital City!

Rated by Gary Sereno on 19th July 2009

While the technology and monetary values may date this series, it still works very well. The series is based around the 2nd desk on a trading floor and the stories around the main characters. As a whole the episodes work well and work well with the present climate (showing technology may have moved on, but many of the financial problems are still the same). If there's one thing that does not work, it's the soap stories around the characters. I've scored this 3, partly to compensate for my memories (if you remember it then add another star) and for the fact the soap side can be really bad at times.

Rated by David Morgan, Sydney, NSW, Australia on 30th November 2006

I was living in London at the time Capital City was first shown in 1989-90. I even worked briefly in the City (at least I think I did - it was on the eastern side of Chancery Lane). Although set in London's equivalent of Wall Street, there's more to it than just 80s yuppie excess - it's more like LA Law, in that it's about a group of people working together, each with their own ambitions, abilities and foibles. Some are hard-driving types (Jimmy, Leonard), while others are wondering what they're doing with their lives in this job (Hudson, Sirkka, Chas). And then there's Max, who's just plain weird, but then he seems to be motivated more by the power and influence money provide, than by money as such. Seeing it again has unfortunately exposed some of the soap-opera elements (like ending a scene with one character glaring at another) but I remain hooked, and can't wait for series 2 - sadly there were no more after that.

Rated by marlys walburger on 20th May 2008

I was so excited to see that, when I checked (without much hope) to see if this series had been released, to see that it actually had been! After all, I've only been waiting more than a decade...I loved these charactors, loved the series & look forward to seeing it again.

Rated by Naomi, Florida, USA on 2nd February 2008

After hours of searching, finally found in DVD format! Am excited to see again after 17 years! Both my husband and I loved this series.

Rated by NEO, orpington kent on 25th September 2006

This is a series that you either love or hate and I fall into the latter !. I do remember seeing some of this series when it first aired and I wasn't impressed then. It's all about the high powered lives of the yuppie generation in a city stock exchange bank. The characters now seem quite passe and as per the form of the 80's eg, shallow and greedy. It's hard to feel involved with people who have more throw away cash than most can earn in a year. I suppose it's because i was a lowley Filing clerk during this era and not a part of the 'in crowd'. But as a piece of 80's nostalgia this is a very good series , but not my type of show.

Rated by K. Li, United Kingdom on 17th May 2006

Capital City was first aired in the late 80s in an attempt to cash in on the success of the film Wall Street. This was the period where greed was good, Filofaxes were cool and London property went up 10 percent in value each month. The series followed a bunch of Euro Flash guys and gals who worked for a major London City institution. If the sight of attractive young things talking about Interest Rate Swaps or quoting Sun Tzu gets you going then this is the series for you. The success of Captital City was short lived because its theme appealed to the mood of the moment. People like myself have moved on. As for today's generation, they aspire to be footballers or Reality Show winners and not City slickers. It is hard to see who this series will appeal to in 2006.