Customer Reviews

Fanny Hill

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Although John Cleland's 1748 version of "MEMOIRS OF A WOMAN OF PLEASURE" was written while in prison for debt and subsequently banned in Britain for over 200 years because of its sexual theme, it has been filmed several times since the obscenity ban in the U.S. was lifted only in 1966.

What is often overlooked because of the scandalous controversy of the source material, is the drama, wit and charm and especially the feel good ending of the episodic melodrama itself.

This new to DVD version won raves when it was originally broadcast. The Times (UK) called it "Beautiful, sensual and extremely witty."

Screenwriter Andrew Davis, lauded for his sexy adaptations of classics like "Brideshead Revisited," "Pride and Prejudice" as well as pop fiction bestseller "Bridget Jones's Diary" does not shy away from keeping the sexuality at the forefront of Britain's first erotic novel.

Fanny -- newcomer Rebecca Night -- shines in the title role. And we believe her as she relates her journey from wholesome innocent to worldly wise woman. In a nutshell, the story is her journey from orphaned country girl virgin to London prostitute under an infamous madam. In order to survive, she enthusiastically takes a series of lovers while somehow protecting her heart for her true love.

Beautifully photographed with wonderful period detail, the overt atmosphere of ever-present sensuality is still eye-brow raising but necessary for the tale. Without the nudity and strong sexual scenes the story would not be Fanny Hill's.

James Hawkes' direction is smooth and he makes Rebecca Night's transformation from dewey country girl to wise but not hard-hearted woman believable.

This fable resonates on a lot of levels -- it's not about the beauty of prostitution and [...] with a heart of gold, but rather that anyone can be redeemed.

Extras include Behind the Scenes footage, interviews, previews etc.

This gorgeous adaptation of "Fanny Hill" starring the equally gorgeous Rebecca Night and an appropriately gorgeous supporting cast is a faithful adaptation of the book that is by turns funny, bawdy and dramatic.
The story tells, in detail, the story of country maiden Fanny's journey to London, her erotic adventures and her discovery of true love.
Whereas previous adaptations have focused on the bawdiness and gotten Fanny and everyone around her naked as quickly as possible, this shows a tad more reserve in its development of Fanny's character. While the brothel scenes all have an obligatory smattering of nudity, Fanny only reveals herself nude for the first time in her first love scene with Charles, the man who is the love of her life. The film seems to strengthen the message that while sex can be a lot of fun, true love is ultimately a virtue and a reward beyond the physical pleasures of sex.
The supporting cast, especially Alison Steadman, are suitably colourful. See this one!

This adaptation of the book was, for a tv movie, surprisingly explicit, and featured the lovely Rebecca Night (though I'd like to have seen more of her, and heard her talk less, in the movie). She's got a nice combination of innocence and seductiveness [if I might put it that way] and she's got a lovely figure. Other characters were nice too. It's too bad I didn't see anything of Ms. Louisa Clein's figure, which was nicely displayed in Island At War. I can tell you though, if this had run on tv (especially in Missouri) they'd have cut half of it. Still, not bad.

If you are into period piece movies (even if you are not) this is a must see! It's about a young English country lady who is lured into the city by a 'so-called' friend & is soon taught the wicked ways of prostitution. It starts with her innocent, quiet & trusting in others & slowly she learns what she has become & what her life could turn out to be! This movie is meant for an older audience as there is much talk of sex & there is a fair share of nudity. Really interesting & quite funny @ times! The British sure know how to make a quality film! Enjoy!

I had heard a lot about the real 'Fanny Hill', but had never read it John Cleland never really made any money for his efforts but a lot of lawyers have as this has been the subject of many a trial for obscenity. It must show how far society has changed as this comes nowhere near indecent and on the 'filth' Richter scale gets about a 3.5. That said it is stupendously made and as ever with the BBC there is a great attention to period detail. I think that may be where the overall problem is, in that the grime and filth that was typical of the period it is set in, has been airbrushed out. Compare it to 'The Libertine' The Libertinefor example, there is muck and detritus everywhere and one gets a real sense of what 'bawdy' means, this is lacking in this production which tries and succeeds to portray a classy courtesan rather than an opportunistic upwardly mobile [...]. And I use the word in the period sense of being a working lady and not in the modern pegorative way.

My wife and I enjoyed it, the acting was good and th estory line went pretty smooth. We would have liked to see a little more erotic action.

Fanny Hill
This movie has a little bit of everything in it.
I was never bored watching it.
Rebecca Night and Alison Steadman do not dissappoint.
Superb Acting on both their parts.
Loved the supporting cast and lovely costumes also.
It does have nudity, but the human body is a beautiful thing right? :)
If you like movies that tell a story, this ones for you.
For all I know it could've been true.
Enjoy It!

This 2007 BBC Four adaptation of "Fanny Hill" was written by Andrew Davies who has written many superb screenplays for the BBC such as Pride and Prejudice - The Special Edition (A&E, 1996), and many others. The ultimate objective of this production remains fuzzy at best. Due to the subject matter (it is a story about a prostitute), there are many sexually-explicit scenes, though I felt these scenes too seemed perfunctory at best and never truly sensual The lead role of Fanny Hill is portrayed (rather weakly I felt) by Rebecca Night, more recently seen in Lark Rise to Candleford: The Complete Season Two as Nan, who plays Alfie's sweetheart. The story is told via flashback by a well-dressed Fanny who is pictured writing her memoirs. She recounts the events of her life after losing both her parents to smallpox. Fanny is comforted by a childhood friend, Esther (Emma Stansfield) who has presumably made a good life for herself in London. Fanny, being a naive country girl, eagerly accepts Esther's offer to accompany her to London, but upon their arrival finds herself foisted off on a Mrs. Brown (Alison Steadman, who played Mrs. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice (Restored Edition)).

As naive as she is, it takes Fanny a long while to realize that Mrs. Brown is actually a madam who runs a bawdy whorehouse, and Fanny's virginity is to be offered up to a wealthy old man. Fortunately, Fanny is able to extricate herself and finds herself charmed by a young man, Charles (Alex Robertson) who sweeps her off her feet and takes her away from the brothel. The pair live together in bliss, and virgin Fanny finally discovers sensual fulfillment with a man she truly loves. But events conspire against the lovers, placing Fanny in a difficult position once again, until a man she met briefly in the brothel, a mysterious and wealthy man, Mr. H (Hugo Speer) steps in to bail her out. She agrees to be his mistress until jealousy once again puts Fanny at the mercy of strangers. She then turns to her old 'friend' Esther and Esther's employer - will Fanny finally find a place to call home, or does more tragedy await her? Will she ever be reunited with her one true love?

The story flows well, and I cannot comment on the faithfulness of the adaptation as I have never read the original novel by John Cleland, Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure (Oxford World's Classics). There were some things about this production which I found rather unsettling. Firstly, Fanny's exploitation at the hands of Esther, followed by Mrs. Brown and her assistant are clearly portrayed in the show. In fact ,there is a rather disturbing scene where Fanny is sent off to 'entertain' the old gentleman, not realizing that he has paid a handsome sum to Mrs. Brown for the privilege of taking Fanny's virginity. The scene is in essence a rape scene, and though Fanny eventually comes out of it mostly unharmed, the reflections of Fanny in the present seems to indicate this was not a big deal. This left me feeling rather upset because the entire incident was glossed over in a matter-of-fact manner - the themes of exploitation and sexual slavery are still important today, not to mention being prevalent back in the 18th century

Watching this production, I felt that the director and screenplay writer were unsure what direction the show should take - it seems like Fanny coasts through life, and even the tragic moments are quickly glossed over for the her many sexual escapades. One of the annoying parts of this show was the constant asides that viewers are subjected to - these involve Fanny (Night) talking to the viewer and conveying her thoughts and reflections on her past experiences. The trouble is, as fetching as Night looks in period costume, she seems to have trouble conveying emotions credibly - be it as a naive innocent or as a more worldly mistress/whore, her eyes and facial expressions remain the same. Given that Night is a newcomer, I guess this can't be helped. In contrast, I thought the supporting cast delivered credible performances. The sex scenes (with copious shots of bare bottoms, breasts, and fuzzy shots of lovemaking) seemed rather cold and not at all credible. That aside, this is a beautifully-filmed period drama with lovely costumes and sets, and it was entertaining, hence the 3 stars.

i watched it and parts were cut out from what I watched before . I wouldnt buy it at all

Todo lo que hace la BBC es impecable y ésta no es la excepción.

Pero esta "Fanny Hill" es una versión muy distanciada del libro, se distorsiona la novela de John Cleland.

No la recomiendo para nada, si nunca han leido el libro o visto la otras versiones, a lo mejor les guste. Es un novelón rosa con un ligero (muy ligero) toque picaresco.

Le doy 3 estrellas porque es de la BBC y como producción es buena.