Customer Reviews

Adam Bede

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

It is just too bad that they condensed this fantastic story into so short a film. What they have done is done well, but there are so many layers to the characters that are just left out. I think if I had not read the book some of the character's choices and actions would have seemed too sudden or unjustified, due to the lack of character development.
I really enjoyed the portrayal of the characters and the acting itself with one exception. Patsy Kensit, though a fine actress, is too old to be playing Hetty. She also plays her as too worldly wise. Hetty is passionate and selfish, yes, but in spite of her desire to be worldly wise she is still very naive. She is described in the book as being like a soft downy peach with the stone hidden inside. I think the vain ignorance of her own naivitee is sadly lacking in this portrayal and makes you wonder what Adam ever saw in her at all.
Again, the rest of the movie is wonderful. Dinah and Adam and the other characters are spot on, but there needs to be more--especially if you have not read the book.

I disagree a bit with the other reviewers here (at the time of my writing, there are three). I thought the movie was extremely well-done and I enjoyed every bit of it.

I have not read the book, so I do not have that added perspective. I do think Adam Bede, the main character, is an upstanding moral fellow. I do not think he is so black and white as the editorial review suggests, that he cannot see shades of gray. He is concerned not only for his own well-being, but is also concerned for those he loves, as well. I did not take him to be so stuck in his moral absolutes, that he judged others unfairly.

Adam loves Hetty. Hetty is beautiful and aspires for something more than working in the village. On the back of the box and maybe in the book, she comes across as selfish and vain. In this movie, she comes across as wanting more than she has, but not out of selfishness or vanity, out of mild ambition and desire-- the same way most of us would want something more if our prospects were bleak. However, this is Victorian England and the class system make this almost an absolute impossibility. Hetty foolishly ignores the probability that an affair with an aristocrat will go nowhere, and she falls in love with the kind and handsome landowner. She has an affair with him and gets pregnant, despite the fact that she's led Adam to believe she is interested in him and despite the fact that he loves her and intends to marry her.

This is a heartbreaking and suspenseful film. All the characters are likeable and the "villain" isn't really one person, it's a whole culture-- the class system and the obstacles one faces if he or she doesn't have a title and money behind him or her.

Although there is no happy ending for Hetty, it's not as bad as it could have been (no spoilers here), and the end result seems fitting and bittersweet.

Definitely recommended.

The story charts Adam Bedes development as he deals with two personal tragedies the death by drowning of his drunken father, the betrayal by his first love Hetty Sorrell and his best friend Arthur Donnithorne. The book is full of graphic descriptions of life in bygone times in a small rural community which contrasts strongly with life of today. Adam learns many hard lessons before he finds a new and richer love and the description of this love is beautifully drawn.

I've read the book, and seen this DVD. Of course, the book is more detailed with more development of characters and storylines. That is to be expected. However, this production is true to the book. I think people who have not read the book will enjoy this story, and who knows, may feel inspired to read the book. I've certainly read many a book after seeing the TV program or movie.

This is the story of Adam Bede, a salt of the earth working man in late 18th century England. He is a hard worker, who tends to be intolerant of others faults, such as his father's drinking. He fancies himself in love with Hetty, a dairymaid, but he doesn't know Hetty's true self. Hetty dreams of fancy clothes and houses, but it's not possible to change your station in life in England in 1799. Hetty's beauty also catches the eye of Arthur, the grandson of a nobleman. He knows he could never marry her. He struggles to resist temptation, but soon enough seduces Hetty, who is all too willing because he is handsome, wealthy, very charming and she is unrealistic. Arthur truly loves Hetty, but of course, this cannot work out well for them. Also, Dinah is visiting the village. She is a sweet young woman who is too pious for her own good, as she believes anything she does to make herself happy is wrong in the eyes of God.

This is a typically terrific BBC production. Almost all of the parts are well cast. I thought Susannah Harker played pious Dinah perfectly, and James Wilby did very well portraying the struggles and pain Arthur felt. They were supported by an outstanding cast of character actors who really made the story come alive. The minister and Hetty's aunt were particularly memorable characters. The one miscast character was Hetty, played by Patsy Kensit. Not that Patsy Kensit didn't do a good job of acting. She was miscast. First, she doesn't look like an 18th century farm girl. They used too much eye makeup and lipstick, and something about the way she holds her mouth partly open says Debbie Does Dallas more than it does Masterpiece Theater. I considered dropping my rating to four stars because of this miscasting, but everything else about it was so top notch that I went with five stars.

If you like English movies and novels, then you will probably like this movie. It was a little dark at times but I still liked it.

I found this to be a memorable story and especially loved the ending. I wasn't sure I liked it yesterday when I finished watching it, but then the story stuck with me. Often I'll watch a movie and the next day wouldn't be able to tell you what it was about. This story is one to remember, so I came back to edit my remarks and change the 4 stars to 5.

The people in this story seemed for the most part to be good, decent, pleasant people trying to do the best they could with the resources they had. They seem to have a sense of humor, which made them more believable. You don't usually see that in novels of this time period where people are usually seen to be somber and often joyless. We might think most of the people in this novel have little to be joyful about, but they seem to think otherwise.

There were no real villains. Each person was shown as they made decisions, good and/or bad, and the consequences of those decisions. I was sad to see one scene of villagers behaving badly, but history tells us that's the way things were back then. They held almost a Village Fair, with food and games, children holding little dolls with ropes around their necks. That was the most unpleasant part of the story, but it had an unexpected ending which made this novel memorable to me.

In the beginning though, I was pretty much lost. The sound wasn't very good in the first few moments, and the accents were thick and hard to understand. Also, I wasn't sure where we were. I mistakenly thought maybe we were in a story about the Salem witchcraft trials, going by the clothing. For a moment I thought the opening courtroom scene was full of evil men, eager to condemn an innocent woman, reminding me of "The Scarlet 'A'" in fact. It was quite different than it seemed. At some point someone mentioned Methodists, which confused me further because Dinah appeared to be closer to a Quaker. I'll stop there so I don't have readers as confused as I was. I stuck with it and it all finally made sense.

Once I had the background settled a bit, the story was interesting, and I enjoyed it. I thought Hettie was a little misplaced, but possibly that was the way it was intended. Picture a flirty girl in a red dress among other villagers all dressed in drab grays or wearing black and white.

All of the characters were 'plain folk' other than the Squire and his family. Hettie was a vulnerable young beauty who went from dressing and acting like a loose woman who wanted nothing more than to wear pretty clothes and be loved, to acting like a scared, hurt child. I never really developed much sympathy for her no matter what happened to her character throughout much of the movie, but at the end I wanted the best outcome for her and wondered how it worked out. I won't reveal that part of the plot, but mention is made of an infamous historical time and place connected with her future. It appeared that much of her problem may have been two things. She was too beautiful for her own good and not very smart.

Dinah was a delight. I thoroughly enjoyed the part when Adam's mom very wisely let him in on a secret about women and then looked very proud of herself when he went rushing out the door. I wanted to cheer at that point or yell, "It's about time!" I suspect I would have cared even more about the other characters if I had read the book. I would have liked to have known more of the thinking of Adam's mom. I liked her.

I watched it in one sitting, so I must have enjoyed it. I think the book would be worth the time to read it as well, and maybe easier to understand after watching this movie as a starter.

George Eliot writes a wonderful story of one working class young man's dream for love with one, only to find true love in another. I highly recommend this one.

Though fine in its way, this film is not as good as its Middlemarch (BBC) counterpart. It is essentially Hetty's story: almost all scenes relate to her seduction and its effects. Yet the 1859 novel is a richly textured portrait of a whole community deeply affected by lack of duty (Adam's father, Thias) and irresponsibility (Arthur Donnithorne). The film simplifies the novel into a melodrama, which makes the story palatable for a wider audience but fails to capture the integrity of George Eliot's novel. Still, Iain Glen is a handsome, well-done Adam, more sensitive than Eliot's character; James Wilby, playing Arthur equally well, is however too old for the role, since Arthur is only 20 when he seduces Hetty; Mrs. Poyser's character, though nicely idiosyncratic, lacks the peppery resolve of her fictional counterpart; perhaps only Mr. Irwine is a complete success. A film twice the length of this one would have allowed viewers to see more clearly Hayslope's fascinating social hierarchy, its agrarian rhythms, and its overall cohesiveness, despite the injuries inflicted by Arthur and Hetty. By contrast, the seven-hour BBC Middlemarch is a more satisfying and authoritative adaptation, which I recommend.

Made the mistake of not checking the Region: this is Region 1 and will not play in UK.Adam Bede

I love period romances and this one has it all; although it takes the hero a little longer to discover who he really loves. It's well worth the waiting. Susannah Harker makes this movie, she's beautiful and a brilliant actress.
I give this movie at the very least 5 stars. I'm sorry I missed it all these years. Iain Glen was also supposively the bad guy in Wives and Daughters with Keely Hawes. I never really thought of him as the bad guy.

In Adam Bede, he's much younger and just as handsome. Anyone who loves 19th century romance, will love this movie.
Trust me!