The Way We Live Now
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Movie Reviews of The Way We Live Now
Movie Review: Brilliant production!
Summary: 5 Stars
Everything about this BBC production was perfect. In particular, David Suchet shows that he can be much more than Poirot ;-). My wife and I recommend it highly.Movie Review: A Treasure
Summary: 5 Stars
Matthew Macfadyen and David Suchet are great in this series! They are over-the-top in a wonderful, engrossing way. Definitely NOT a boring, period piece.Movie Review: As good as the book
Summary: 5 Stars
A well done production. Highly recommended. It's worth watching just for fun, even if you have never read the book!Movie Review: A well-acted, albeit condensed version of Anthony Trollope's work.
Summary: 4 Stars
The Way We Live Now is a 2001 BBC production that is an adaptation of Anthony Trollope's novel of the same name. The story has at its center the story of Augustus Melmotte [a magnificent David Suchet], a European financier who comes to London to set up shop, accompanied by a docile wife and daughter, Marie [Shirley Henderson]. Melmotte is actually a swindler, but does such a good job of cloaking his true designs that it is not till much later that his chicanery is exposed.
Though Melmotte's story is the center of the story, there are numerous other sub-plots that keep the story fresh and intriguing - Matthew McFadyen [Mr Darcy of Pride and Prejudice 2005] plays Sir Felix Carbury, an impoverished baronet with a gambling addiction who tries to woo Marie Melmotte to get her inheritance, his sister Hetta Carbury [Paloma Baeza] plays a sensible girl who finds herself rejecting the advances of her cousin in favour of the attentions of a young engineer and railroad builder, Paul Montague [Cillian Murphy], Georgiana Longstaffe [Anne-Marie Duff] a young lady of noble birth who finds herself yearning to be married, yet lacking suitable suitors, and Mrs Hurtle [Miranda Otto] an American who comes to London hoping to rekindle her affair and regain the affections of Paul Montague.
It is indeed hard to compress Anthony Trollope's work into a 6 hour mini-series, and the series doesn't do the book justice in this aspect. But, it is nevertheless an entertaining, well-acted adaptation with a stellar cast that paints a vivid portrayal of London society in the late 19th century - characterised by greed, corruption, ambition, love, and human frailty. The attention to period detail adds a lot to one's enjoyment of the series and truly evokes the atmosphere of the times. Though I felt some of the characters lacked sufficient development -case in point being Marie Melmotte who goes from being a love-struck swooning damsel to a woman of resolve all too quickly, the story is well-told in general.
This is a series worth watching if you are an Anglophile, a fan of period dramas, or just interested in a well-told story. David Suchet's performance as the overly ambitious Melmotte alone makes it a compelling watch.
Movie Review: A Compliment... with a Caveat-
Summary: 4 Stars
The amazing David Suchet! I have read this novel twice, and never dreamed that anyone could fully, authentically play Melmotte, but after seeing a clip, I purchased this video. The actors are so perfectly cast, it is a delight to novel lovers and an inspiration to other filmmakers. It is a cast willing to open as wide as Trollope's vision. While admiring the spectacularly beautiful and talented Mr. Cillian Murphy, I must mention Shirley Henderson, who, next to Suchet, creates a character as difficult, wide-ranging, individual and authentic as one could imagine.There are a few differences in the spirit of the book and the TV show: the book is satire, while the show is drama. Melmotte's decline, as written, is gradual, is more dramatic and less melodramatic than on screen, beginning with the Emperor's dinner party, which is a filmed as a truimph, but written as a disaster and the beginning of his fall.
I want to mention two important "compromises" to TV culture. I don't think these are "Spoilers", but use your judgement. First of all, Paul Montague did not sleep with Mrs. Hurtle. A man of his character would never have done such a thing. Secondly, Ruby Ruggles was not sleeping with Felix Carbury. It's very clear in the novel that she is naive and a "good girl".
Another "Spoiler"? I don't think so. I hope you'll read the novel, as in the book, many more people pair off and get married than are shown on screen.
I'm amazed at how many of the reviews here say "I've read the book twice". Not a compliment often extended to modern novels! If you can't face a read this long, rent it (unabridged!) on audio tape; it's a great experience. Trollope has created a world, and the BBC, given only four hours, has done a fantastic job in illuminating this often overlooked classic.