Bleak House
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Movie Reviews of Bleak House
Movie Review: The Verdict on Bleak House
Summary: 5 Stars
My fiancée had recently finished Dickens' novel when I saw this adaptation for rent, so I picked it up for her, not really intending to watch it myself. She is quite the fan of Dickens, having discovered him not long ago and is impressively working her way through his catalog. As for myself, I've enjoyed the few novels of his that I've read, but as far as the adaptation goes, when I see the words 'BBC' and 'Classic Literature', my eyes start to glaze over.
No worries though as I was caught up in the series almost immediately. Dickens always was a bit keen on melodrama, considering most of his output was serialized in the papers first, and 'Bleak House' might even outdo some of his other works in that regard, but that's a minor distraction if at all. What makes the adaptation stand out so well, in my mind, are both the casting and the editing.
'Bleak House' is a sprawling novel, filled with rich characters that can be difficult to keep track of if you don't pay attention - at least at first. As an 8 1/2 hour miniseries though, the director had time to explore these people's idiosyncrasies and help the viewer differentiate between them. But what faces the casting director found! Several times throughout the series, both my fiancée and I commented on the actors and how they very nearly carried their roles on their face alone. I'm sure the magic of makeup had a lot to do with this also, and the actors themselves did excellent work, but still I was amazed at the variety. Perhaps I'm a victim of Hollywood's generic casting, where, if you aren't the star, then the goal is to find the most non-descript faces around so there isn't any doubt as to who is the leading lady or leading man.
Not only is 'Bleak House' filled with dozens of important characters, it is also a complex story - mostly written as a condemnation of the British court system at the time. The directors chose, wisely I think, to concentrate more on the story of Esther Summerson, an orphan with a mysterious past. Keeping these storylines from helplessly tangling with one another was a major success, one that I think you can point to the film editor for. I won't say it was perfect (the crashing sounds accompanying the jerky transitional establishing shots got to be a distraction by film's end), but each brief segment of the story served its purpose by advancing the plot and keeping up interest. I thought it struck a fine balance between catering to those with no attention span and those who are patient enough to let a film unfold at its own pace.
My fiancée and I rarely find much to watch on TV to begin with, and if we do, it's about 50/50 as to whether we'd both enjoy it. As a period drama and romance fan, she heartily endorsed 'Bleak House', while even a Texas Chainsaw Massacre fan like myself found it engaging and fun. Highly recommended.
Movie Review: The "Rudder" and the "Ruthless"
Summary: 5 Stars
The one I viewed was a 3-disk set, with multiple segments per disk, as it was a series made for television. Adapted from the Charles Dickens novel, and formed around the internal furor of a long-drawn out inheritance court case bogged down with legalese and Jarndyces & Jarndyces, this is the tumultuous tale of a good man (a Jarndyce himself but of an entirely different sort) struggling to be the rudder to a family full of dysfunctional individuals whom he does his best to assist, protect and guide with his experience, his money and his natural wisdom. He suffers from his own past and his own set of personal demons: his brother committed suicide over a matter of the finances which haunts him and will forever haunt him. He has become benefactor to an "orphan" girl of whom little is known by anyone except himself; he recognizes in this girl the same intelligence, solid character that he himself possesses; the age difference is vast, however, and being the man he is inside, knows that it can never be and that a twist of time has prevented him from a true happiness with a like-minded woman.
Beyond this is the interwoven secret of the fading but still elegantly beautiful "Lady Dedlock", splendidly cast with Gillian Anderson; possessed of a secret that will have an impact on many of their lives. Married to a kind, older man who adores her, and whom she cannot bear to hurt, her very countenance gives us the listlessness of her compromised marital situation. But the secret she internalizes can no longer be contained when the lady recognizes by chance familiar handwriting as she reads a document that was written in a lovely, scripted hand by a "law writer" in the Jarndyce case. This "page from her past" we immediately discern is emotionally disturbing to her because she faints away, allowing another, less romantically inclined lawyer a glimpse into her psyche which would be better obscured from his sharp intuition. We see the person who performed the service of the "copier" - obviously of good breeding and character gone awry, he is a broken individual, irreparably damaged by the drug of choice of that day, Opium - who has succumbed to disappointment in his life and lost everything of importance to him, including his soul.
This is a nutshell review, and I have either omitted or failed to immediately recognize for what they were some of the subtleties in the film; this was the first time I had viewed it, and it is one that should be watched again to obtain full benefit, which I intend to do. I found this film totally captivating in all areas; casting, storyline and adaptation from a timeless novel of Charles Dickens.
Movie Review: Deadlock. Debtor's Prison. Dickens!
Summary: 5 Stars
A simply magnificent production of Dickens. Read the Amazon editorial review above, I agree with all of it.
Dickens can be difficult to translate to film. His cartoonish drawings of his characters, both literal and literary, are the stuff of political lampoon. And he IS interested in politics; the politics of class, culture, the legal system, and how his characters are trapped in them, by situation, and by their own human choices. His characters and story lines are so intricate that they must have been manna for the readers of his (no tv, no film) time period, but they can sometimes be dry and dull for a modern audience.
Enter the skillfull writing of THE MASTER ADAPTOR Andrew Davies, and a production that careens and slams prison doors from one story to another, and we are briskly carried along... in this story of secrets, blackmail, and the endless wait for the legal system to do... something... anything.
As with most BBC casting, it is excellent... every single character not only LOOKS as they should, but can really act. Nice to see Gillian Anderson break through and prove that yes, american actresses really CAN run with the best of them, if they get the chance to. Anna Maxwell Martin as our lead protagonist is simply wonderful. She has the kind of looks that we do not get to see in the hollywood casting system. Her character does not rely on her appearance, because she knows she can not, but she becomes so dear to us, we care deeply about her, and her complexity and calm in the midst of chaos reveal her true inner beauty. Through her we see the souls of others as they respond to her.
Dickens is VERY interested in the devastation of the Brittish class system, and the costumes and sets bring this all darkly to life, from the filth and disease of the street urchins, the tattered foppishness of a dance instructor, the soldiers barracks and stark sleeping compartments, to the cluttered new money oppulence of Bleak House and the old dusty money feel of the house of the local aristocracy.
The beginning is slow... neccessary to introduce the whole population of characters, and just when you think the train will never take off, it speeds into overdrive, and you scream with dizzy joy like a roller coaster ride. We get all the benefits of todays cinematic language and style in telling, while losing none of the story and atmosphere. A really masterful, very modern production of an old Dicken's tale.
10 stars!
Movie Review: SO well-acted, well-written and directed with an eye towards today's audience!
Summary: 5 Stars
Lengthy adaptations of Charles Dickens novels are often entertaining, but they can be very "talky." Certainly, there is a lot to say and explain and show in a Dickens epic...his books were huge and his plots were thick.
However, this adaptation of "Bleak House"...a book I never read, having been warned it was one of his toughest to get through...is inspired. It is quite "talky" but given its low budget, there is a really effort to make it cinematic. The camera never sits still, there are abrupt scene changes, and it is lit and designed in a way that makes us understand that 150 years ago, everything was simply kinda grimy. True, the lower your "class" the more grime you lived in...but even the wealthy lived in dark, cold homes, blackened by soot and made dim by interior lighting that was perhaps not quite as advanced as what we have today. The world of this series feels a little "bleak."
But the best part of this show are the fantastic performances. Dickens always concocted the most delightfully over-the-top characters...and so often they are portrayed that way...OVER the top! It can be fun in the hands of a good actor...but often a lot of the humanity goes out of it. But in this version, everyone is firmly rooted in reality. There are some outrageous characters whose actions are perhaps a bit hard to believe...but they are lovingly acted. The leads (and Gillian Anderson...while quite important, is not the lead) are stellar. Charles Dance, always a good villian, probably turns in his best performance here...he's quite a frightening man...certainly the most evil of lawyers!
And Gillian Anderson brings a lot of shadings to her role. Anyone who only knows her from X-Files will be quite surprised. She appears to have aged a great deal, and grown gaunt. A lot of this is makeup, but a lot is her very body language. Her character, at least early on, is mostly bored...almost to the point of suicide, one thinks. And Anderson makes us feel the weight of that boredom on her character. Mrs. Dedlock is aptly named!
This is a densely plotted story, and required careful attention to keep up with. But for an audience willing to make the investment, you will be richly rewarded by a most modern BBC mini-series...one that feels very little like any that have come before. HIGHLY recommended!
Movie Review: MASTERPIECE THEATER/BBC AT ITS VERY BEST
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a WONDERFUL production of a WONDERFUL Dickens's story. Therefore, I really cannot think of any more superlatives to add to those expressed previously on this board regarding this mini-series (presented in hour segments on 3 discs) Masterpiece Theater/.BBC production of Dickens's "Bleak House. This presentation is of the highest quality that has kept me a HUGH fan of Masterpiece Theater productions for almost 40 years. I too own the older version of this with Diana Rigg (one of my very favorite actresses); however, this new presentation is certainly as good, (if not better), as the older one. Not for one minute did I become nostalgic for the older presentation. The new one really "holds its own" with, of course, the new technology of making movies being very much evident-sharp picture great sound and wonderful recreation of the era being represented.. In other words it's a really good show that kept this viewer highly entertained during all of it.
As usual with Dickens, this story is filled with many unforgettable characters-the good and bad, the rich and poor, the respectable and not so respectable, the strong and weak, etc. All of the aforesaid types are portrayed in this presentation splendidly. This production is filled with many great actors that I've seen, many times, in other BBC presentations.
The very good, patient and noble Esther Summerson is played wonderfully by Anna Maxwell Martin; Nathaniel Parker, from the Inspector Lynley Mysteries series, is great as the very shallow "dandy" Skimpole; Burn Gorman makes the character of the law clerk Guppy marvelous and at the same time very sympathetic; I loved Gillian Anderson as Lady Dedlock; the nasty lawyer Tulkinghorn is played fabulously by one of my favorite actors, Charles Dance and, most of all, it was stupendous to see one of my favorite actresses, Pauline Collins (of Shirtley Valentine, Upstairs Downstairs, Woodhouse, etc) in a leading role. I've just named a few actors/actresses; however, there are loads of the finest British thespians giving great performances.
If you want to see a marvelous Dickens's presentation with all of its mysteries and intrigues, buy this DVD; you'll love it as I did!