Product Details

• Actors: Matthew Macfadyen, Paloma Baeza, Cheryl Campbell, Shirley Henderson, Douglas Hodge
• Format: Closed-captioned, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: BBC Video
• DVD Release Date: April 30, 2002
• Run Time: 300 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005YUNK
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,385 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Way We Live Now" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

The Way We Live Now captures the turmoil as the old order is swept aside by the brash new forces of business and finance. Based on the novel by Anthony Trollope, this satire of Victorian society contains the trials and tribulations of young love, the pettiness of the upper class life, the raw energy and excitement of the most powerful city the world had ever seen, and the greed and corruption that lay just below its glittering surface.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Way We Live Now is a feast for those loving a good story beautifully acted and filmed in BBC Color!, September 11, 2006

By 

C. M Mills "Michael Mills" (Knoxville Tennessee) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Way We Live Now (DVD)

How We Live Now is the 1870s novel written by Anthony Trollope (1815-1882, While Trollope is best known for his Barchester series dealing with the clergy and the Palliser series focusing on Victorian political life this novel of business and family life is considered one of his best novels (and he wrote 47!)
Mr. Melmotte is a European schemer who fleeces several prominent men to invest in a bogus railroad company. David Suchet stars in this role (best known for his Hercule Poirot
portrayal), The stout and middle aged Suchet plays Melmotte with genius and his presence is strong and memorable.
Shirley Henderson playing his abused and lovelorn daugher Marie is very well acted. Her love affair with the cad Felix
Carbury is drawn with superb depth in fine acting.
The love affair between Hettie Carbury and the engineer Paul
Montague (who has an American girfriend Winifred Hurtle who shows up to fight for her man) is very interesting as the triangle love affair is worked out during the course of the 6 hour Masterpiece miniseries.
The BBC production is sumptuous! Beautiful period costumes
and music add to the sheer enjoyment of this series!
Americans are sometimes bored because British programming
moves at a sloweer pace than many of our tv programs. They forget that these novels fulfilled the function of a soap opera as their stories were issued in monthly parts. Trollope is not as well known as George Eliot or the inimitable Dickens but any
of his novels portrayed on the screen is well worth the time to
view it.
Congratulations to the BBC and the outstanding cast of this
fine film!

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Compliment... with a Caveat-, November 14, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Way We Live Now (DVD)

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.

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good not great., March 16, 2007

By 

Christina Boyd "Great Reader & sometimes gues... (Custer, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Way We Live Now (DVD)

I love British period films. And am a huge fan of Matthew Macfadyen. But this film did not satisfy the hype. Every bit of detail was paid -- unfortunately making the entire film drag and leaving me wanting something... Although the story is strong, the cinematography beautiful and much of the dialogue clever, some weaknesses were hard to overcome. For example: Paul Montague's ex-fiance from America... Her southern accent is ridiculous and making her an utterly unbelievable character. Augustus Melmotte, although he reminded me of the Danny Devito's Penguine from Batman, was effectively dark and menacing. But because he is in much of the scenes, his character became strangely redundant, predictable. However, the rest of the cast was excellent. Matthew Macfadyen, as Sir Felix, was hilarious and charming as a cad. As good as this movie was, it could have been so much better had the director been more liberal with the editing... as is, it is extremely long and somewhat repetitive. But fans of period films will be forgiving and enjoy it nonetheless.