BBC Miniseries: Bleak House

Welcome back to BBC miniseries as we move into classical writings depicting the strengths and flaws in English men and women in Victorian London and can think of no other author of the time better to give a curt view of such a time than Charles Dickens. A long running legal case Jarndyce and Jarndyce, due to conflicting wills is drawn out to the point of madness showing a satire on the English judicial system and how bureaucracy can fail even the most noble of houses. This is Bleak House.

Hmm, Mulder is streaking in the rain again.

Our story is told from the eyes of its narrator and protagonist Esther Summerson (Anna Maxwell Martin of Enduring Love, North & South, Doctor Who, Becoming Jane, Poppy Shakespeare, Free Agents, The Night Watch and Death Comes to Pemberly) as she is Dickens' only female narrator in all his novels, novellas and short stories. Raised as an orphan under the cruel and heartless vigil of Miss Barbary (Kelly Hunter of The House of Eliott, Being Human, Resort to Murder, Hollow Reed, Life Force, Perfect Strangers, Henry VIII, Waking the Dead and Doctor Who).

Lady Dedlock (Gillian Anderson of The Turning, The Mighty, The X-Files, The House of Mirth, Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story, The Last King of Scotland, Closure, How to Lose Friends & Alienate People, Boogie Woogie and Any Human Heart) holds a secret of a previous affair with a man Captain Hawdon and a daughter by him. Sir Leicester Dedlock (Timothy West of Witch Hunt, Twisted Nerve, The Tragedy of King Richard II, The Day of the Jackal, Edward the King, The Devil's Advocate, Churchill and the Generals, Oliver Twist, When Are We Married, Brass and Framed) is blissfully unaware of this secret nagging at his wife's soul and conscience.

I hereby order the meeting of the powdered wig club to an end!

Concerned for his standing with this account and the well-being of his employer, lawyer or is it solicitor? Mr. Tulkinghorn (Charles Dance of Edward the King, For Your Eyes Only, The Jewel in the Crown, Plenty, The Golden Child, Hidden City, Alien 3, Last Action Hero and Game of Thrones), an odious, small minded man convinced that whatever Lady Hedlock has kept secret will be the downfall of Sir Hedlock and must be watched at all times, so far as he convinces her maid to keep him abreast to her goings on. What will become of this will? Will Esther ever be free of her class standing?? Will Lady Dedlock forgive herself of her previous affair??

The novel this is derived from spoke volumes for the need of a reform in the legal so much that it made its own re-evaluation in the 1870s. Directed by TV directors Justin Chadwick (Life Force, EastEnders, Red Cap, MI-5, The Other Boleyn Girl and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom) and Susanna White (Holby City, Love Again, Teachers, Lie with Me, Jane Eyre, The Diary of a Nobody, Nanny McPhee Returns and Billions) this adaptation is viewed as a soap opera style of a series and I disagree. It was compelling, fast paced as much as it could be and showed many facets of humanity through in and throughout. While I have only seen the 1985 version prior to this, I feel its cast alone carries the story well on their shoulders and delivers the performance necessary for the piece. On a side note, I did get the biggest chuckle out of Guppy (Burn Gorman of Torchwood, The Runaway, The Hour, Up There, The Dark Knight Rises and Spies of Warsaw) and started laughing, shouting "OWEN LIIIIIIIIVES!!!!"

Come miss or we shan't meet the Doctor.

Sean Bean Week: Black Beauty

Howdy folks and welcome back to Day 2 of Sean Bean Week.  Oddly enough I do not have any graphic Bean death scenes to share with you lot but... we can manage to cover the fellow yet again.  This time around an adaptation of Anna Sewell's novel was released in 1994, giving a fresh perspective on this classic English novel allowing viewers to see through the main character's eyes as well as a narrative for him as well.  This is Black Beauty.

I wonder why Jake thought this was a huge part for me.

Black Beauty: Oh! If people knew what a comfort to horses a light spoil is, and how it keeps a good mouth and a good temper...




This version of the movie feels almost like a autobiography of the very same named horse.  Writer/producer/director Caroline Thompson (Edward Scissorhands, The Addams Family, The Secret Garden, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Black Beauty, Buddy and Snow White: The Fairest of Them All)  and introduced a voice over for Black Beauty via Alan Cumming (High Road, Second Best, The High Life, GoldenEye, Spy Kids, X-Men 2 and Shoebox Zoo) bringing a perspective for the audience from this majestic creature.   Black Beauty resides on the lands of Birtwick Park belonging to Squire Gordon (Peter Davison of Sink or Swim, Doctor Who, A Very Peculiar Practice, Mystery!: Campion,  All Creatures Great and Small, The Mrs Bradley Mysteries and Law & Order: UK).  As Black Beauty attempts to get closer to Lady Gordon's mare Ginger, who doesn't give him the time of day he realizes he must be patient with her and chooses to be sweet on Merrylegs, the pony that entertains the good squire's daughters, Jessica and Molly.  

Dammit, lost a contact!

Alas Mistress Gordon (Rosalind Ayres of Armchair Thriller, Penmarric, The Bounder, Father's Day, Emily's Ghost, A Face to Die For, Titanic and Gods and Monsters) has slowly became ill and requires a warmer climate to improve her health.  Beauty and Ginger are sent to a new home in Earlshall Park, home of Lord (Peter Cook of Bedazzled, The Bed Sitting Room, Not Only... But Also, Find the Lady, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Two of Us and The Black Adder) and Lady Wexmire (Eleanor Bron of Yes Minister, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Play for Today, Doctor Who, The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank, Deadly Advice and A Little Princess) forces both Beauty and Ginger to pull Lady Wexmire's carriage with reins that forces her heads up and Ginger breaks away from the carriage in anger.    Separated from Ginger for the first time Beauty is lead to yet another owner as a taxi horse.  Will he meet with Ginger again or meet any of his human friends once more?

Now you are probably wondering where in the seven hells is Sean Bean.  Well his character Farmer Grey had less of a part than I remembered. He discovered the young colt that one day would be Black Beauty and... yeah it was over fairly quick.   I feel a bit silly on this but it does happen.

Here is a bit of trivia with this movie.  This was Peter Cooks last movie and not too bad to end on a high note there.    This has been Peter Davison's first and only theatrical film release and filmed all his scenes in no less than ten days.

Guys, I got us a cologne commercial! We're rich!