Wives and Daughters
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Bill Paterson, Francesca Annis, Justine Waddell, Keeley Hawes, Tom HollanderDVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Unknown
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 300 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-04-24
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: BBC Warner
Movie Reviews of Wives and Daughters
Movie Review: Wonderful adatation of a mediocre book...
Summary: 5 Stars
I put off seeing the adaptation of WIVES AND DAUGHTERS on tv and buying the DVD because I figured it was a feeble attempt by the BBC to cash in on the popularity of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Literary critics do not consider Mrs. Gaskell's writing to be as accomplished as Jane Austen's. Gaskell wrote "best sellers" during her day (19th Century approximately 50 years after Austen), but unlike her counterparts of the 19th Century - Austen, the Bronte Sisters, and George Eliot, Gaskell's books did not stand the test of time. It is a credit to Andrew Davies that he has been able to take the wide range of material he has and transform it into perfection. The BBC adaptation of WIVES AND DAUGHTERS IS PERFECTION. First, the DVD itself is clear and beautifully articulated. The sound and color are precise. This is a first class work of art comparable to adaptations of classics such as JEWEL IN THE CROWN and ROOM WITH A VIEW. Second, the lush settings, costumes, and other aspects of scenery and background are extremely realistic and accurate. This is not a tinsel-town sound stage rip-off, this is the real thing. WIVES is comparable to the Merchant-Ivory films. Third, the actors are superb. There isn't a dud in the bunch. As a BBC junkie, I am familiar with most of the actors, and was bowled over by the star power. The casting of Ian Carmichael (Lord Peter Wimsey) and Barbara Leigh-Hunt (Darby's Aunt in 'Pride and Prejudice') as Lord and Lady Cunmore is a fine example of the thought that went into choosing who should play whom. Francesca Annis is fabulous as Molly's very proper new step-mother. The Browning sisters are marvelous (Mystery fans will recognize both of them). And, last but not least, Justine Waddell is a great actress whom I must liken to the young Wendy Hiller. Waddell has one of the most expressive faces around and she plays it well. This young woman is destined to be a Dame of the British Empire. WIVES - as adapted by Davies - is tight, coherent, and flows logically (unlike Mrs. Gaskell's book). Characters behave in predictable but interesting ways. There are no "bad guys" or "good guys" everyone is very human. Even the wonderful Molly is not perfect and I for one would find her unbelievable if she were. Neither Molly's stepmother Hyacinth, nor her stepsister Cynthia are "bad" -- they are beautiful, charming, and self obsessed. Mrs Gaskell was clear and Davies keeps this bit in ... poverty does not make people nice. Molly is a better person because she has always had a loving father on hand to admonish her when she misbehaved whereas Cynthia was forced to fend for herself as her mother tended other people's children. Cynthia has learned some not so gentle survival techniques. I love this story because the people and the events depicted in it are based on real events. Molly is a fictional character but many of the episodes about her life are drawn from Mrs. Gaskell's own experiences and knowledge of other's lives. And, although she may not have used her as a role model, there was a young woman named Eleanor Omerod who became one of Britain's leading agricultural entemologists during the time when WIVES takes place. Eleanor began studing insects casually in 1852 when she observed an unusual locust which she wrote about in her diary. Later, she discovered a rare beetle on her father's estate in Gloucestershire which brought her to the attention of Professor C.G.B. Daubeny at Oxford. Thus she began a life long interest and career in a field few women entered. As a member of the Royal Botanical Society, Omerod was responsible for placing entemologists in Kenya and elsewhere. Fans of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE will enjoy this DVD, but it is not like Jane Austin's tales. Mrs Gaskell was not an accomplished ironist. Much of the tongue-in-cheek humor found in Austin's books is missing. However, Austen made fun of those she deemed pretentious to an excess and as a result, some of her characters are almost two-dimensional. Mrs. Gaskell's characters are developed, even those who might fall into the category of "pretension" in an Austin book. Mrs. Gaskell was concerned with the plight of "fallen" women and their redemption by nonjugmental folks. To Davies credit, this angle of the story has been preserved.
Summary of Wives and Daughters
From the team that brought you "Pride and Prejudice." Set in a richly portrayed society well-stocked with eccentric nobles and gossipy villagers, the story centers around 17-year-old Molly Gibson, the only daughter of a respected country Doctor.Similar DVD Movies
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