Bleak House
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Movie Reviews of Bleak House
Movie Review: An absolute masterpiece!
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw a bit of this show when it aired on Masterpiece Theater on PBS, but then decided to wait for the DVD because the series had already begun and I wanted to see all of it. This is based on the Charles Dickens classic, which was first published as a serialized novel and is now available in one rather large volume, and has been adapted by the brilliant Andrew Davies. Bleak House is the typical Dickensian offering featuring a Victorian gothic atmosphere and a plot with mystery, intrigue, romance and tragedy with quite a few eccentric characters thrown into the mix. Lady Dedlock (Gillian Anderson) hides a terrible secret that could ruin her reputation and make her husband a laughingstock among his peers, and she'd do just about anything to obtain some rather incriminating letters. But the ruthless Mr. Tulkinghorn (Charles Dance) tries to get his hands on them first to gain power over the condescending lady. Meanwhile, Esther Summerson (Anna Maxwell Martin) is the maid of two young cousins hoping to sort out an old will dispute and obtain their estates. Esther hopes to get some answers from Mr. John Jarndyce (Denis Lawson) regarding her parentage, but discovers something quite unexpected from different sources. The Jarndyce and Jarndyce estate case is prolonged and often postponed by the courts, where greedy lawyers take advantage of the situation. The lives of all of the characters are connected somehow and what we get is a dark, compelling story centered on secrets and a corrupt legal system that literally dries up the hopes of getting justice.
The above synopsis is kind of sketchy, but that is because I don't want to give away any important plot points or twists and turns. I know how frustrating it is to read a review of a product with detailed spoilers and I don't want to do that to the potential viewer. Anyway, Bleak House is one of the best BBC productions I have seen. I've seen quite a few and have yet to find one that bombs. This one almost takes the place of North and South and Pride and Prejudice as my absolute favorites. This one comes to a close third. It's got fifteen half-hour episodes that keep you glued to the television. The production quality is top notch -- excellent cinematography (which was shown in high-definition), great dark sets that create the perfect tone, gorgeous Victorian wardrobe and beautiful scenery of the countryside. The cast couldn't be better. Gillian Anderson is brilliant as Lady Dedlock. I know Anderson is most famous for her role in The X-Files, but she has shown her range as an actress with this role and her portrayal of Lily Bart in The House of Mirth, which I watched some days ago. She has a very expressive face and can transmit many emotions with her eyes. Anna Maxwell Martin (who played Bessy Higgins in North and South) is another marvel as Miss Summerson. She plays a rather complex character with a heart of gold and a sense of loyalty for her friends. She is a very compelling heroine. Denis Lawson is wonderful as Mr. Jarndyce and Charles Dance is flawless as the villainous Mr. Tulkinghorn. I was also impressed with the actors who played the eccentric characters, like Burn Gorman as the infatuated Guppy, Philip Davies as the irritating Mr. Smallweed (I cracked up whenever he asked his granddaughter to "shake him up") and Pauline Collins as Miss Flite, the one with several birds waiting to be freed. This is a rather dark miniseries, there is some tragedy and various rather poignant scenes here, and the backdrop of the Victorian justice system is very insightful. All in all, as said earlier, this is a true masterpiece and I cannot recommend it enough. However, I do recommend that you read the novel first, for you may become lost keeping track of the plot lines and characters.
Movie Review: Very Enjoyable Film Series
Summary: 5 Stars
I really enjoyed watching this film. I thought both the acting and scriptwriting were marvelous. If I wrote the script, I do not believe I could have written a better one than Andrew Davies'.
Now, many people have written positive reviews explaining why they found this adaptation very entertaining or otherwise worthy of 5 starts. Therefore, I do not want to repeat.
Instead, I will point out a few characteristics/particulars that stood out to me in this adaptation:
Positive characteristics:
1.
This adaptation really narrates Dickens' massive novel well. In other words, it is really difficult for a film adaptation to effectively show how the many subplots (and characters) interact. This film is brilliant in showing the interaction.
2.
The acting was wonderful in this film. While I think the 1985 adaptation was very intelligent and contained above-average acting, the acting in this 2005 adaptation was even better. (I think this is especially true with Gillian Anderson in comparison to Diana Rigg.)
3.
This adaptation is very thorough. Many minor characters are included, which are entirely left out in the 1985 adaptation. Additionally, more screen-time is given to minor actors like Mr. Guppy and Inspector Bucket.
4.
This adaptation does not spend nearly as much time showing Inspector Buckett searching for Lady Dedlock after her secret was exposed. (I always found that part of the 1985 adaptation to be boring.)
5.
This adaptation really reminded me of Andrew Davies' adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. While this may appear irrelevant, I think it is worth noting that action in this 2005 adaptation is generally ENACTED/SHOWN rather than TOLD. Also, like in Pride & Prejudice, the major houses seem to appear (in Bleak House with music/noise) at the beginning of nearly every locality shift.
Negative characteristics:
1.
The 2005 adaptation did not show the poverty of the lower classes as effectively and prolongedly as the 1985 adaptation (for example: fog and pollution - present in every city scene in the 1985 adaptation - are not shown in this adaptation). While I am not criticizing this, I think it is a detail worth noting.
2.
The court scenes in this 2005 adaptation were not as prolonged or interesting (from the standpoint of criticism of Chancery and lawyers) as the 1985 adaptation. [However, I disagree with the two reviewers who gave this adaptation 1 star because of this one detail.]
Neutral characteristics:
1.
The mood of the 2005 adaptation is simply not as "bleak" as the mood in the 1985 adaptation. In other words, the 1985 adaptation appears to do a better job criticizing the culture and legal system of Britain, where the 2005 adaptation focus more on characters and plot - making certain the plot and subplots are well-explored.
2.
The 2005 adaptation is very easy to follow. Some might call it slightly boring because it is so predictable for those who have read the novel. In contrast, the 1985 adaptation is sequenced more like a film adaptation of a mystery novel with its fog, mist, poverty, and overall eccentric Dicksonian characters. Part of this is because the 1985 adaptation does not show the character interactions and subplots as well as the 2005 adaptation. However, I think the 1985 adaptation did strive to maintain some suspense under the pretext of a mystery.
In conclusion, I think both adaptation are very interesting. However, in my opinion, the 2005 adaptation is better than the 1985, especially from a plot accuracy standpoint.
Movie Review: A brilliant adaptation of a mammoth Dickens novel
Summary: 5 Stars
Running just under eight hours, in 30 minute doses, the BBC's television adaptation of Charles Dickens' mammoth novel BLEAK HOUSE is a stupendous success. Though it has been cast to perfection and is gloriously crafted, its chief asset is a brilliant teleplay by Andrew Davies that makes a 1000 page novel exciting, engrossing, and fully understandable. And co-directors Justin Chadwick and Susanna White make the action move furiously fast. This is television at its finest, and Dickens would be enthralled.
At the center of BLEAK HOUSE is the court case of Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce, which has been dragging on for decades. Three very sympathetic young people are potential heirs to a vast estate: Ada Claire (Carey Mulligan), Richard Carstone (Patrick Kennedy), and Esther Summerstone (Anna Maxwell Martin). Esther has mysterious parentage, hence a need for a true and up-to-date family will. The young heroines are staying with likeable and wealthy John Jarndyce (Denis Lawson). Family lawyer Tulkinghorn (magnificent Charles Dance) deals with an unpleasant money lender named Smallweed (Phil Davis), who may or may not have the original will in his possession that could hold the key to the whole case. Tulkinghorn sets about comparing handwriting in all the documents he can lay his hands on, while Smallweed berates his timid clerk Mr. Guppy. Lady Dedlock (the fabulous Gillian Armstrong) is also a key figure in the action. Is she guilty or not guilty of a major murder that takes place 2/3 of the way through? And what is her relationship to Esther?
The audience knows more than the characters, so we have a lot of suspense. But even the audience is caught off-guard when the mysterious past of Lady Dedlock is finally revealed. Writer Davies is also superb at focusing major attention on the important characters and keeping the lesser characters in the background. These include the timid law clerk Mr. Guppy, a nasty French maid who is a key murder suspect, police inspector Bucket (Alun Armstrong), and bird lover Miss Flite (Pauline Collins). Warren Clarke (A CLOCKWORK ORANGE a long time ago) has a small role. The cast is mostly unknown to me, except for the never-better Charles Dance and Gillian Armstrong. The ending is a very ironic, yet also happy one.
As stated above, this is the 15 part British television version of BLEAK HOUSE, in convenient 30 minute segments in case you want to do one a night after work and dinner. I got caught up in the exhilarating and atmospheric story fast and did the whole thing in three nights. It comes in three equally convenient parts in the DVD boxed set--175 minutes, 145 minutes, and 145 minutes. You can even hit "Play All" and do all three hours or two-and-a-half hours without moving from your chair or bed, except for a bathroom or food break as an episode break. For "Masterpiece Theatre" on American public television, I believe it was in 60 minute doses with recaps at the beginning of each episode. Those recaps are not on the DVD, seemingly were not shown on the BBC presentation, and could be helpful. But watch this whole supremely watchable and glorious Dickens adaptation in three consecutive nights, as I did on DVD, and you should have no problem in following the intricate story. It is all an irresistible invitation to tackle the huge novel. Don't let the eight hour length scare you off. This is as exciting and gripping as mystery television gets. And the entire cast is fabulous.
Movie Review: Actually better than the earlier version
Summary: 5 Stars
For once, I am happy to find a remake of a fine old Masterpiece Theatre offering that is as good as the original. "Bleak House" is currently available on an DVD with Diana Rigg as the most familiar name; and except for some incomprehensible line readings by a young character named Joe, it is a very good account of the Dickens novel. Having already appeared on Public Television, the remake has Gillian Anderson (yes, the one from "X-Files") as Lady Dedlock, and a cast of 80 speaking roles, many of which are played by actors that will send you searching the cast listings that go by too quickly at the end of each episode.
The eight parts will be shown so that the first and last will run two hours and the four in between an hour each. I found the complex plot actually easier to follow in this version than I did in the earlier one. And while I prefer Rigg to Anderson, I think I can easily recommend this new adaptation over the other.
The story--lawyers will hate it--involves the infamous Court of Chancery in which disputes over estates can be buried for years until the lawyers' fees make further legalizing unnecessary. Against this background, the case of Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce being a major part of it, we have the story of John Jarndyce (Denis Lawson), his ward Ada (Carey Mulligan), her companion Esther (Anna Maxwell Martin), and Ada's beloved Richard (Patrick Kennedy).
The latter becomes obsessed with the case, while Esther becomes involved in the mysterious past of Lady Dedlock, who happens to recognize the handwriting on some legal documents delivered by the utterly immoral family solicitor Tulkinghorn (Charles Dance). I will not reveal any more of the plot, lest it spoil your enjoyment. You will wind up guessing much of it, but it is a lot of fun--unless you are a lawyer.
Peripheral to the plot are the usual cast of Dickens "characters": Krook the junkman (Johnny Vegas) who finds some incriminating letters (and dies the strangest death in all fiction), Smallweed the moneylender (Phil Davis) who cannot walk by himself and must be "shaken up" by his weird niece every few minutes and who gets the letters, and Miss Flite ( Pauline Collins) who looks forward to "judgment day" when her case will finally be settled and she can set her birds free.
Most interesting of all is the policeman Bucket (Alun Armstong), the first real detective in English fiction. Although he looks like a toady for the rich, he does his job and does it well, solving a murder case and being considerate to a certain lady who would suffer if her connection with the case should come out.
Of course, the arm of coincidence in Dickens is a long one; and while a good deal of the plot does strain credulity, the acting and period ambience are of the highest level. The only thing that annoyed me was the director segmenting his "establishing shots" (exterior views of buildings to let us know where we are) into two or three rapid cuts with some electronic "whoosh" for each one. Pretentious and irritating after the first dozen or so.
Movie Review: Best Mini-series in years -Beats the 1985
Summary: 5 Stars
My family and I recently rented this (2005) version of BLEAK HOUSE. We had scene some of the 1985 version and this (2005) version, is far superior. The skillful adaptation of the complex novel by Andrew Davies ( Pride and Prejudice, Wives & Daughters) allows you to follow the story quite easily. The acting is superb all around and you will recognize many familiary British Drama/ Masterpiece Theater Faces (actors & actresses from North and South, Hornblower, Foyles War).
The plot is essentially this. In England at the time BLEAK HOUSE was written the legal system was incredibly corrupt. It took years for any case to be decided, and some dragged on four generations. The story centers on the case of Jandyce versus Jandyce. An old rich man died many years ago but made so many wills that no one knows what is to become of his fortune. When the story opens two of the wards in the case a young woman named Ada and a young man named Rick are sent to live in the country at BLEAK HOUSE, the home of Mr. John Johnydice, a relative of the Jandyce about whom the case is taking place, played by Denis Lawson (Hornblower). With them goes a companion for Ada, Esther Summerson (Anna Maxwell martin, NORTH & SOUTH) one of the main characters. Esther is an orphan with no idea as to who her parents were. At BLEAK HOUSE Esther meats Mr. Skimpole (Nathaniel Parker INSPECTOR LYNLEY) a good for nothing person who lives off the kindness of mr Jarndyce.
Meanwhile we are introduced to Lady Deadlock (Gillian Anderson THE X-FILES) the wife of a very rich and old lord. Her lawyer Tulkinghorn (Charles Dance FOYLES WAR, TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH) observes that feints after recognizing some handwriting on a legal document she picks up. Now the villian Tulkinhorn resolves to find out why she was so effected and sets out to ruin her.
Later we are also introduced to Miss Flite (Pauline Collins) an eccentric old lady who lodges above Mr. Krook's shop along with a mysterious man known as Nemo, a law writer who wrote the paper Lady Deadlock was so upset about. Tulkinghorn finds that the paper was copied by Nemo and sets out to find him. He finds him dead. The doctor Mr. Woodcourt is called and testifies at the inquest. The doctor returns later in the story as Esther's love interest.
At the inquest a young sweeper named Joe testifies that Nemo was kind to him. Tulkinghorn thinks he knows more than he says and sets out to hound him as well.
I won't say more concerning the plot but you will be so caught up that you won't want to turn it off! We could barely stop after each episode! A terrific story and a great movie! Five stars.
Some of the reviewers have said that the filming was very annoying. This is true of the first two half hour episodes (although it was shown in six episodes on Masterpiece Theater it is in 14 half hour ones and 1 hour one on the DVD) but after that it stops. The costumes and sets are wonderful.