Fingersmith
by Aisling Walsh
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Elaine Cassidy, Imelda Staunton, Polly Hemingway, Rupert Evans, Sally HawkinsDirector: Aisling Walsh
Brand: Acorn
Cinematographer: Simon Kossoff
Editor: Bryan Oates
Producer: Gareth Neame
Producer: Georgina Lowe
Producer: Sally Head
Writer: Peter Ransley
Writer: Sarah Waters
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.77:1
Running Time: 180 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-09-13
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Acorn Media
Movie Reviews of Fingersmith
Movie Review: Surprisingly Great Adaptation to the Book
Summary: 5 Stars
I admit, I was sure this BBC adaptation to Waters' wonderful novel wouldn't compare to the book. However, my assumptions couldn't be more crap as this production adapted the story wonderfully.
I fell completely in love with Susan and Maud onscreen right along with them falling for each other. Having already read the book (& thus knowing the surprising twists), I can't really comment on how well they pulled off the first act twist to viewers who hadn't read the story, but it seemed pretty solid (judging by reviewers here, it was pulled off well).
Sometimes the pacing was a little rough: too quick in spots that had a lot more depth to them, and too slow in spots that were kinda useless. Especially given the size of the book & only three hours to tell this story, you can't help but wish there had been another hour tacked on (& you should definitely read the book if you haven't).
I thought the casting was easily the best part of the miniseries. Sally Hawkins *was* Susan Trinder. She had the same feel/look/demeanor about her almost identical to the character in the book (much how I'd imagined). Elaine Cassidy as Maud was a little darker (physically) than I had pictured in the book, but she won me over within the first 5 minutes she was on screen. And of course, the chemistry between them was what really mattered, & they had it in loads. Imelda Staunton as Mrs. Sucksby was also great, and Rupert Evans as Gentlemen/Rivers was good.
I thought many of the changes the screenplay made to the book were fitting including the beginning where both characters are introduced side by side & then we move into Sue's head. And the second "sex scene" was a great addition (ha!) though both sex scenes were so erotic yet tastefully done that it goes to show how little skin is needed. The end scenes also have an addition of some key words, though as many have mentioned, both the book and the movie end with you wanting more--which can be a bit frustrating when you think about it.
However overall you will not be disappointed with this adaptation, nor the actresses bringing these two characters to life. I was very impressed.
Summary of Fingersmith
The lives of two young women collide in an engrossing Victorian thriller that alternates between the twisting back alleyways of Dickensian London and the cloistered gloom of a Gothic mansion. Raised in a den of pretty thieves, or "fingersmiths," plucky orphan Sue Trinder (Sally Hawkins) agrees to help a con man known as Gentleman (Rupert Evans) defraud and betray wealthy heiress Maud Lilly (Elaine Cassidy). But Sue's plans are turned upside down when she falls in love with Maud. Then the women are separated--each to her own hellish prison--just as they realize the strength of their passion for each other.
Fingersmith was originally broadcast on the BBC and features Oscar-nominee and BAFTA-winner Imelda Staunton and BAFTA-nominee Charles Dance.
From Sarah Waters, author of Tipping the Velvet, comes this twisting and twisted Victorian-era thriller with an L-word charge. Sally Hawkins stars as Sue, an orphan who grows up among the reprobates of Lant Street to become an accomplished "fingersmith" (thief). Elaine Cassidy costars as Maud Lilly, an heiress who, as a young girl, was plucked from the madhouse and raised by her stern, bibliophile uncle (Charles Dance). He makes her wear gloves at all times so as not to smudge the precious tomes he makes her read every night. Enter Richard Rivers (Rupert Evans, the otherwise sterling cast's weakest link), an artist hired to give her painting lessons. But he has designs on Maude's fortune, and recruits Sue for an elaborate con. That's when the gloves really come off. Originally broadcast on the BBC, this riveting three-part tale of illicit passion and betaryal is by turns harrowing and quite erotic (the tasteful sex scenes manage to generate heat without baring a lot of skin). The literate script reveals its feminist leanings ("You are a man and might do everything," Maude tells Richard during their first meeting. "I am a woman and might do nothing."). The superb cast includes Academy Award-nominee Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake) as Mrs. Sucksby, a Fagin-esque character who mentored Sue, and has a few surprises for Maud, as well. --Donald Liebenson
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