The Way We Live Now
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Movie Reviews of The Way We Live Now
Movie Review: The Way We Live Now, As In Now November 2005!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Yes, absolutely, the strong theme of this classic Victorian ntale by Anthony Trollope published in the 1870's rings true in our present day. The BBC first released it and then it was broadcast on ExxonMobile Masterpiece Theater on PBS/KCET in America in 2001. On DVD, it's a treasure to own if you liked it the first time around. Four, 75 minute episodes comprise this grand and moving story. The cast includes David Suchet as the power-hungry and corrupt Melmotte, whose shadow looms big in both novel and film. Shirley Henderson, an adorable dimunitive woman plays his rebellious and spirited daughter Marie, Cheryl Campbell as the social-climbing writer Lady Cardbury, Matthew MacFadyen as the two-faced, insensitive gambler Felix, Baeza as Paul Montague, who is on a more noble path of marrying for love instead of money or societal benefit, to the equally sincere and idealistic Hedda, Lady Cardbury's oldest daughter. The mood of this story, with authentic Victorian costumes, mostly dark clothing, is what made me love this film. Throughout the film there is an air of inevitable despair and gloom, as if the world is losing its soul to the capitalistic venom of industrialism and in man's pursuit of power. However, it is a film balanced in contrast by humor (mostly with the courtship of Lady Cardbury and her suitor) and by characters who are optimistic and turn their backs on the pursuit of money. It is perhaps the greatest novel to satirize Victorian mores and fastidiousness and pokes fun at the imperalism of Queen Victoria's day. Surely Queen Victoria disliked this novel if she read too much into it. But the Queen never had time to read such novels, which were probably considered modern or even offensive. It is straightforward and it packs a cynical bite. There is one scene in which Malmotte and his colleagues eat a lavish dinner and gorge themselves like pigs. This is who they really are, power-hungry and piggish, far from the conventional image of elegant, conservative and restrained English folk.
The characters in this movie, and moreover the actors portraying them, carry the film. Sushet's Malmotte is not so much an example of the Anti-Semitic sentiment in Victorian literature but a symbolic figure who stands for the totally corrupt and soulless man. An Austrian-Jew he may be, but even Trollope meant to imply that British men of upper classes were like this. Malmotte is insensitive, cruel and ambiitous. His dream of a railroad across North and South America costs more than money, it costs people's lives. Felix, though of a lower station than Melmotte, is equally as wicked in his own way. He is in constant pursuit of pleasures- be they gambling houses or whores- and has no real love for the rich Marie Melmotte, whom he courts. When Marie realizes what a cad he really is, she despairs and believes that all men are like him. Her notion of marrying for love is never realized but Hetta and Paul do triumph in the end. Their story is markedly different than Melmotte's. Melmotte is brought down by his own greed and loses respect from his peers at the House of Common and literally has a downfall. Paul's relationship with a fiery American woman from the South is a nice touch but I thought she was too much a figure of stereotypical American women in the 19th century. Like a heroine in Henry James, she is a liberated woman and not the more conservative and traditionalist women of Europe. Nevertheless, she is not seen as a kind of heroine. It is Hedda we are rooting for. The music is moving, and the acting is really powerful. Enjoy this classic costume drama with a message that rings true today. Aren't we a society that is constantly in search of capitalist ventures ? I am not a Communist but I do realize that we are driven by a need to market all the time. We are a commercial society. In the process, we often lose our souls and we forget people's basic needs of love and family. Terrific film.
Movie Review: David Suchet gives a great performance as Melmotte.
Summary: 5 Stars
Augustus Melmotte is the heart and soul of Anthony Trollope's classic 19th Century novel, The Way We Live Now and David Suchet's magnificent performance as Melmotte, the financial wonder of the age, in the film adaptation of the novel is worthy of a best actor Academy Award. Suchet shows us the richness and complexity of this swindler and thief who constructs a Ponzi Scheme that would have made Bernie Madoff proud. Melmotte is the black hole that draws most of the characters in the novel and film into a downward spiral of moral and financial destruction. Suchet's Melmotte is by turns friendly and cajoling, threatening and pugnacious, thoughtful and reflective. He is Machiavelli's financial prince of thieves who uses his power to build great wealth for himself as he destroys others with a smile on his face and a pat on their back.
Another outstanding performance is delivered by Shirley Henderson, who plays Melmotte's daughter Marie. This is a difficult role. Marie starts off the film as confused and vulnerable, yet in the end she shows that she is brave and resilient with steel in her backbone. We watch her transformation from jilted lover to a determined woman of the world ready to protect herself by her will and wits. Henderson is a capable actress who shows us the complexity of this important foil to Melmotte's plans to save himself and his business empire.
Unfortunately, some of the other actors are not up to the high standard set by Suchet and Henderson, particularly Cillian Murphy, who plays the part of Paul Montague, Melmotte's business adversary. Murphy comes across as an often confused, weak person; not at all what Trollope had in mind. Part of the blame must go to the writers who wrote the script version of the novel and the director, who did not fully understand Montague's character.
Even though I was disappointed in this important part of the film, overall I can highly recommend not only the film, but also the book, which I have reviewed for Amazon. As mentioned, David Suchet is so good that the film is worth seeing for his performance alone.
Movie Review: That Moutet woman
Summary: 5 Stars
She watches all the BBC videos in Clermont-Ferrand or Limoges or wherever... I checked out her other reviews and there is a thread of a primitive feminism, strange interest in contemporary affairs expressed as "Bush Dynasty" and a pointed remark "I am reading (or watching) all this {stuff reviewed} in France. Well, friends, I have news for Mmselle Moutet : Her compatriots don't give a damn about their own heritage, yeah, they have some DVDs of Louis de Funes, Jacques Tati etal, but where are the Cayattes, Autant-Laras, Delannoys, Clouzots, huh ?? Where are the inspired and enlightened film or DVD interpretations of Zola, Nizan, Celine and countless others. Oh, yes, Mme.Bovary rules, for obvious reasons. So she will judge "The Way We Live Now" from the benighted distance of Vichy...The closest I can come to praise the French heritage preservation is the Claude Lelouch's astounding "Les Miserables", it was a flop in France, (nobody reads Victor Hugo any more and is willing to accept an extrapolation of his novel).
The richness of Mmlle. Moutet culture is indubitable, but she fails to observe it but rather she choses to critique the Anglo-Saxon stuff. I wonder why .. This Trollop film version is as good as could be, as the requirements of a filmic interpretation are different from the original purely literary (verbal) content - and - yes, most of us read the novel at least once and can well imagine the quandaries of the transfer to an audio-visual medium. But the point is : What is bugging the French ?? You know, I am fluent in French language, and when in France, I delight in confronting all the nasty little Parisians in their very idiom. But I wouldn't go on Amazon.fr and review a vacuous piece of self professed non-fiction, which in fact is a fiction for most part. I could easily get these clues from "Neue Zuricher Zeitung", "The Economist", and even the "Christian Science Monitor" or "Der Spiegel". Trust the BBC not for their news, but for the recent renewal of their interest in the English heritage.
Movie Review: The Way We Live Now is a feast for those loving a good story beautifully acted and filmed in BBC Color!
Summary: 5 Stars
How We Live Now is the 1870s novel written by Anthony Trollope (1815-1882, While Trollope is best known for his Barchester series dealing with the clergy and the Palliser series focusing on Victorian political life this novel of business and family life is considered one of his best novels (and he wrote 47!)
Mr. Melmotte is a European schemer who fleeces several prominent men to invest in a bogus railroad company. David Suchet stars in this role (best known for his Hercule Poirot
portrayal), The stout and middle aged Suchet plays Melmotte with genius and his presence is strong and memorable.
Shirley Henderson playing his abused and lovelorn daugher Marie is very well acted. Her love affair with the cad Felix
Carbury is drawn with superb depth in fine acting.
The love affair between Hettie Carbury and the engineer Paul
Montague (who has an American girfriend Winifred Hurtle who shows up to fight for her man) is very interesting as the triangle love affair is worked out during the course of the 6 hour Masterpiece miniseries.
The BBC production is sumptuous! Beautiful period costumes
and music add to the sheer enjoyment of this series!
Americans are sometimes bored because British programming
moves at a sloweer pace than many of our tv programs. They forget that these novels fulfilled the function of a soap opera as their stories were issued in monthly parts. Trollope is not as well known as George Eliot or the inimitable Dickens but any
of his novels portrayed on the screen is well worth the time to
view it.
Congratulations to the BBC and the outstanding cast of this
fine film!
Movie Review: Haven't Read Novel & Didn't Need It
Summary: 5 Stars
I do not need to make any comparisons between novel and filmed version since I have not read the Trollope version. The series is wonderful and stands very well on its own. Maybe there are further nuances to be picked up by reading the novel but the series so satisfied me that I really don't feel the need (or have the time). These are fully fleshed out characters populating the Victorian London scene and the opportunities and risks inherent in being there and then. Some characters are utterly ruthless, such as the lead character, the financier. Others are still mired in the whole world of class, titles, gentlemen and ladies. They can barely make a move since that existence is like trying to make headway by walking in a bog or a swamp. Others are ambitious but not necessarily for titles and acceptance. They want to build railways and forge the future. The sympathy factor is greatest for those characters. This is all very engrossing and kept me front and center in front of the tv screen. The greatest conflict, however, is between the lead character/financier and his daughter. He makes many moves regarding his daughter that set into play the rest of the dramatic force of the entire piece. They are equally matched characters. Watching to see which of them will come out on top in their duel of wits is more than half of the fun of the entire series.