Customer Reviews

Bleak House

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Excellent leading portrayals by Elliott Denholm and the great Diana Rigg. The general mood and the dark, misty ambiance of the film reflect the true reality of the Victorian era, its urban plight and pollution. It is truly a cinematic and poignant film about how the different lives were entangled under the whirlpool of the Chancery court. This adaptation has a different ending regarding cousin Richard, which is more dramatic and realistic on the screen. Whether or not you read the book, the ending will be a surprise. By the way, it is a very long book. The performance of Ms. Rigg is a piece of fine art, and it really shows her metier as a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Only she could have portrayed her undeniable love for Sir Leicester with such a delicate nuance and pure sincerity. Coupled with a haunting chamber music, it is the best 6 hs. one can spend, where one can be entertained with a fine piece of art and at the same time reflect about life's vicissitudes and historical periods. The conflicts and human relations depicted in this masterpiece of Charles Dickens are as timeless as the human condition.

Diana Rigg as Lady Deadlock, and Denholm Elliot as a kindly uncle to his three wards are the stars of this Dickens saga. Rigg portrays a beautiful, intelligent woman who married for position and wealth twenty years before. She has been a faithful wife to her elderly husband, but her secret is about to be discovered, leading to blackmail, murder, and a tragic death Denholm Elliot is convincing as the avunculer benefactor who warns his wards about being consumed by the lawsuit that has been dragging on since before they were born and shows no sign of being settled. Dickens provides a savage satire of the evils of the law which grinds human dreams to dust, takes their money and lives. The scenery of Victorian England, the evils of industrialization, and the harshness of poverty are realistically and memorably depicted. Despite the young actors who appear as Esther Summerson, Ada, Rick, and the doctor it is the mature actors who give stellar performances. Wonderful adaptation of Dickens' novel!

Others here have done a good job of reviewing this excellent mini-series adaptation of Bleak House, so I will focus briefly on the DVD from BBC/Warner. Bleak House is conveniently divided into eight episodes of about 50 min. each. Four episodes appear on each side of a two-sided disc. Each episode is in turn divided into chapters that can be accessed quickly from the menu. The 4:3 (fullscreen) presentation looks pretty good for the most part, and I didn't notice any problems with dust or scratches on the source print. The picture does, however, vary somewhat in sharpness from scene to scene. Colors and contrast, for the most part, look very good. For a made-for-TV production, the overall video quality is quite watchable. The audio is also nice and clear. Though there are no subtitles, this DVD is closed-captioned, which comes in very handy when certain characters with strong accents speak. No extras of any kind are included (personally, I place little value on DVD extras anyway). This DVD will likely please those who love this nearly seven-hour Dickens feast. Highly recommended for Dickens fans and fans of period dramas in general.

It isn't easy, bringing the range of a Dickens work to any screen. Characters have to be sacrificed, and the brilliant descriptive powers of CD must be, somehow, translated to the visual.
But BLEAK HOUSE succeeds. The early scene of Lawyer Tulkinghorn in the Dedlock drawing room, the fuse to the smoldering fire of the novel's plot, is as stunningly set forth here as it is on paper. Rigg is the best Lady Dedlock I could hope for: haughty, she nonetheless conveys the anguish of her life. The other players are uniformly very fine, with special praise for the gentleman portraying Mr. Guppy.
This is gripping drama, from start to finish. Bravo to the BBC for it.

I saw this many years ago on TV and am enjoying it again. The videos do a wonderful job of portraying the lost hopes of the people who are waiting for the Jarndyce inheritance.Miss Myte, the elderly lady who is still hoping to win her case is very moving.
Also,the contrast is constantly being shown between wealth and poverty. The viewer sees the slums of London and then is shown the beautiful homes of the wealthy. Dickens makes you aware of the poverty in the background, more than many Victorian authors.
Diana Rigg is excellent in her role as Lady Deadlock. The scenes with the orphan boy,Joe,are heartbreaking but probably very realistic for those times.
This is great but it can be rather depressing also. I thought this was an excellent drama.

This earlier production of "Bleak House" is more true to the spirit of Dickens' novel than the remake, and the mood and ambiance are far more poetic. No production, no matter how ambitious, can capture every detail and character of Dickens' rich and prodigious novel, but this production should not disappoint even the most dedicated reader. There is no insertion here of contemporary attitudes, which often mars the remake. Diana Rigg and Denholm Elliot were superb, and for this viewer, Suzanne Burden was the perfect Esther. But if you think you like Dickens--read the book. It's incomparable.

There is an excellent 2006 BBC version of BLEAK HOUSE, but the 1985 production is my favorite. I won't compare the two--other than to remark that each version ignores certain plotlines, while emphasizing others. The original story is quite involved, so you really can get away with making major cuts here & there for staging. I will say this, I believe the 1985 version is truer to the spirit of Charles Dickens--that is, comic, over the top characterization...and very compassionate.

At the center of the film is a famous probate/family court case in the London House of Chancery. The case has dragged on for years and at least one party has committed suicide over it, while others have been driven to madness & ruin. It also sparks a murder investigation in which practically everyone is a suspect. Some pretty bleak things indeed--except Dickens presents it all within a funny, satirical framework loaded with melodramatic situations--a literary fashion of the time.

As is often the case in Dickens' stories, the characters bear satirical names that explain their role in the plot. In this proto-crime show there are names like Lord & Lady Deadlock; money grubbers Mr. Krook & his pernacious relative Mr. Smallweed; the evil lawyer/solicitor Mr. Talkinghorn, the solicitor wannabe Mr. Guppy (small fish in a large pond)and so forth.

Some highlights:

Diana Riggs' outstanding performance as Lady Deadlock, a noblewoman with a dark & fatal secret to conceal.

The pathetic, homeless orphan, street-sweeper Joe, constantly harassed by the law to "move on," but who has no place to move on to. In the end Joe becomes a sort of Christ figure. The (true) Christian spirit (or lack of it) is an important theme in BLEAK HOUSE. Before he succumbs to smallpox, the illiterate boy, who blames himself for exposing one of the heroines to his disease, begs that a billboard be made & with giant letters write on it the words, "I'm sorry" so she'll be sure to see it. The actor playing Joe is outstanding.

The element of forgiveness is central to BLEAK HOUSE--an element in most of his work. When the pompous Lord Deadlock rudely learns of his beloved wife's dishonor & disgrace, he suffers a severe stroke and becomes physically dependent on his housekeeper & her son (who treat him with kindness & gentle care.) Even though he is barely able to speak, he forces himself to request of them to "find my lady" and to tell her, "All is forgiven...nothing changed or altered...all is forgiven."

When Esther meets her mother for the first time, the guilt-ridden woman falls at the feet of her daughter saying, "Forgive, forgive...please forgive."

The cunning & slightly insipid Mr. Guppy also spiritually benefits from his association with the true Christian Esther. He realigns his priorities and matures from "being on the make" into a less selfish, upright man.

Another interesting thematic concept of the novel that is more evident in the 1985 version is the fact that it is women who most accurately reflect the Christian spirit, and it is the female characters who actively motivate the plot. This has some interesting implications.

Towards the end of the film, the ward & housekeeper Esther must go on a journey in search of her mother who is herself on a sort of Calvalry mission before she dies. Within the course of one evening, Esther experiences scenes of utter human desolation & despair that brought to mind the lighter transitional journey of Scrooge in A CHRISTMAS CAROL.

Dickens lampoons the idle rich & the false religion of "do gooders" who preach to the poor, but seldom offer any real help or assistance to them. He often went on all night walks through London and interacted with the night people--and you can see the literary results in BLEAK HOUSE.

A final thought: BLEAK HOUSE the novel and both film versions has one of the saddest scenes in literature or drama. The poor, mad little Miss Flight keeps dozens of canaries in her squalid one room hovel. She herself is the product of a failed law case. She names her birds Sadness, Want, Decay, Envy, Greed. etc. She has placed her hopes in the eventual success of the two young wards of the central probate case--and, of course, names two of the birds accordingly. In the end she sees the destruction of these desperate dreams & she lets all her canaries fly away into the dingy London smog.

PS. Charles Dickens was a fascinating personality, a genius who could speak to all classes of society. Not only did he write wonderful novels, he very successfully performed them in 1-man shows in England, Continental Europe & the United States.

Charles Dickens: A Pictorial Biography
The Charles Dickens Collection (Oliver Twist / Martin Chuzzlewit / Bleak House / Hard Times / Great Expectations / Our Mutual Friend)
The Mystery of Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens (Chesterton's Biographies)

This 1985 adaptation of Charles Dickens' "Bleak House" is not nearly so detailed as the 2005 adaptation, with Andrew Davis' screenplay. However, the film is still quite good.

Reasons:

1.
The mood of this film is excellent. Where the 2005 adaptation is colorful and overall uplifting, this 1985 adaptation is very dark and moody. In London (especially Krook's dwelling) and Chesney Wold, the scenes are shot with little sunlight. Often, the viewer can only notice characters speaking, with the background partly obscured in darkness. The street scenes are especially well-done, showing the massive amount of fog and other industrial pollution. Additionally, the cobblestone streets contain much horse manure. While the 2005 adaptation was meant to tell the story in a more positive, less melancholic light, I think there is something to gain in watching an adaptation where the real depression and poverty of London is shown.

2.
In the 2005 adaptation of Bleak House, Andrew Davies' screenplay is exceptional. Additionally, with 21st-century technology, more digital effects can be included. The grandeur of the 2005 BBC adaptation is financially impossible for this 1985 BBC/A&E co-production. This said, the cinematography is still excellent because of the minute inexpensive details that do not exist in the 2005 adaptation. For example, the crying of indigent children covered in fifth. The 2005 adaptation does not as effectively penetrate the slums of London to show the poverty of the lower classes. Additionally, the scenes in Chancery are not as well done (from the ironic viewpoint) in the 2005 adaptation as this 1985 one. For one thing, the 2005 adaptation places the parties in Chancery suits near the chancellor, where the 1985 adaptation correctly places then in a balcony above.

3.
The screenplay of this film is much more Shakespearian and Dicksonian from the standpoint of ironic and poetic phrases (i.e. The characters in the 1985 adaptation speak very differently than in the 2005 adaption, where they use modern language.) While the 2005 adaptation included Mrs. Flite saying, "I will receive my judgement on the day of judgment," Mr. Crooks' ironic phrases are not well-explored in the 2005 adaptation.

4.
Additionally, this 1985 adaptation is more effective in showing just how poisonous Jardyce and Jarndyce is, and how the case poisons the lives of nearly everyone involved in the case. In the 2005 adaptation, I do not recall hearing any mention that the wards of Jardyce and Jarndyce are trapped in the case with no way to forfeit their claims.

5.
In short, I believe the 1985 adaptation does a better job than the 2005 adaptation culturally explaining the time period in light of the time period. (In some ways, this film reminds me of the the 1988 adaptation of Little Dorrit, especially in terms of using sunlight and darkness to convey emotions.)


Bottom Line:

The 2005 adaptation is excellent because of the acting and Davies' script, which tie the characters together wonderfully. The acting in this 1985 adaptation and the script are not nearly so brilliant. However, this film should keep the attention of someone who observes well through VISUAL rather than AUDIBLE methods. In short, the visual scenes of this 1985 adaptation tell the main story very well. (Note: many subplots are excluded from this 1985 adaptation.) However, for the individual who loves well-written scripts that effectively tie together the many plots and subplots of Dickens' "Bleak House" in a fast-paced story, I believe the 2005 adaptation is the better choice. (Certainly, many more words are spoken in the 2005 adaptation than in the 1985 adaptation.)

This magnificent interpretation of Dickens' novel, unlike the current BBC version, does justice to its themes as well as its complicated plot and is faithful to the characters as they appear in the novel.

So why does the BBC sell it in the US while those of us in Britain who would dearly love to compare it with the Davies' "soap opera" rendition (a fine one, yes, but not a replacement) are denied the opportunity?

I have watched all the costume dramas with great pleasure, & this is the best, certainly much better than the new remake. It is brilliantly directed & acted so drawing the viewer into the story, which itself covers the gamut of human emotions, wryly & accurately observed & recorded by Dickens. More, the photography is also brilliant, making participation smooth & realistic. The principal actors are real stars of theatre film & TV, lending their talents & experience to this fantastic series, which can be seen over & over again with enjoyment & increased appreciation.