"Bleak House" (2005) TV mini-series

User Rating:

8.9/10   

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

27 October 2005 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A suspenseful tale about the injustices of the 19th-century English legal system

Plot Keywords:

Doctor | Court Battle | Marriage Proposal | Murder | Estate

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 17 wins & 26 nominations

Cast

Anna Maxwell Martin	...	Esther Summerson (15 episodes, 2005)
Denis Lawson	...	John Jarndyce (15 episodes, 2005)
Carey Mulligan	...	Ada Clare / ... (15 episodes, 2005)
Gillian Anderson	...	Lady Dedlock (14 episodes, 2005)
Tom Georgeson	...	Clamb (14 episodes, 2005)
Charles Dance	...	Mr. Tulkinghorn (12 episodes, 2005)
Patrick Kennedy	...	Richard Carstone (12 episodes, 2005)
Timothy West	...	Sir Leicester Dedlock (12 episodes, 2005)
Burn Gorman	...	Guppy (11 episodes, 2005)
Hugo Speer	...	Sergeant George (10 episodes, 2005)
Pauline Collins	...	Miss Flite (10 episodes, 2005)
Philip Davis	...	Smallweed (10 episodes, 2005)
Nathaniel Parker	...	Harold Skimpole (10 episodes, 2005)
Alun Armstrong	...	Bucket (9 episodes, 2005)
Anne Reid	...	Mrs. Rouncewell (9 episodes, 2005)
Lilo Baur	...	Hortense (9 episodes, 2005)
Katie Angelou	...	Charley Neckett (9 episodes, 2005)
Loo Brealey	...	Judy (8 episodes, 2005)
Michael Smiley	...	Phil Squod (8 episodes, 2005)
Emma Williams	...	Rosa (7 episodes, 2005)
Harry Eden	...	Jo (7 episodes, 2005)
Richard Harrington	...	Allan Woodcourt (7 episodes, 2005)
Natalie Press	...	Caddy Turveydrop / ... (7 episodes, 2005)

Also Known As:

Masterpiece Theatre: Bleak House (USA)

Runtime:

510 min | 60 min (1 episode) | 30 min (14 episodes)

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:PG | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-11 (DVD) (2006)

Filming Locations:

Balls Park, Hertford, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

Lady Dedlock's green and white vertical-striped dress with white lace cuffs is the same costume worn by Daniela Denby-Ashe as Margaret Hale in the final scenes of _North & South (2004) (TV)_.

Quotes:

John Jarndyce: [Talking of Esther after she recovers from Small Pox] I blame my self.
Boythorn: You blame yourself for an act of kindness. No sir, the person to blame is the one who calls himself God. What deity is it that would inflict such an illness on an innocent girl?

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2007) (TV)

Absolutely Riveting 10/10

Bleak House is not a book I have read. I was however aware that the central story concerned the never-ending courtroom litigation of Jarndyce versus Jarndyce. As a child, this book, I decided was way too boring to read. How wrong I was. I never dreamt that a Dickens novel could become such an obsession in later life.

This dazzling adaptation is serialised in the same way that Dickens serialised his masterpiece in the popular press. Each half-hour episode ends on a cliff-hanger. We, the viewers, are forced to count the days until the next episode is screened. ( and there is only 6 more to go!!!) It is impossible to find fault with the production. The characterisations and directing are the best I have seen from the Drama Department of the BBC. They have managed to capture the gloom, grime and squalor of the late 19th century convincingly.

Each actor is ideally cast. Charles Dance as the lawyer Tulkinghorn is evil personified. Gillian Anderson as Lady Dedlock, totally unrecognisable from her X-File days, is fragile and enigmatic. Particularly noteworthy in the host of Dickensian eccentrics are Pauline Collins as Miss Flite, Johnny Vegas as Krook and Philip Davis as "Shake me up Judy" Smallweed and Burn Gorman as Guppy. However it is invidious to single anyone out of such a stellar casting.

I cannot give this drama a higher recommendation