Dickens was the master of Victorian social satire, ruthlessly exposing the cruelty and absurdity that supported the strictly hierarchical class-structure of the day. This superb production of Our Mutual Friend does full justice to his darkest, most complex novel, fleshing out the satirical bones of the plot with performances that eschew caricature in favour of psychological depth. Anna Friel's Bella is wonderfully complex, her innate goodness struggling with her love of money and desire for advancement. Paul McGann, as the lawyer Wrayburn, is also superb, wrestling... with the implications of his feelings for Lizzie. And of course, this being Dickens and the BBC, there's a terrific supporting cast, including Timothy Spall as the melancholy articulator of skeletons, Mr Venus. As the fortunes of the characters rise and fall, the river Thames flows eternally on, the symbolic backbone of this remarkable story. At six hours, this version of Our Mutual Friend is a long production, but not a moment too long. A mystery, a love story, a critique of the pursuit of wealth and status, this is perhaps the best adaptation of Dickens ever to be committed to film. --Simon Leake, Amazon.com [show more]
The casting is excellent and the tone and cinematography. The casting is excellent and the tone and cinematography lift it beautifully, and you with it. Instead of the usual Dickensien sooty rime you can smell the salty slap of the thames and the blood and sweat of Bradley Headstone's frustration. Even CDs classic too-neat happy ending is well balanced and you genuinely feel the suspense of Lizzies predicament. Can't recommend this highly enough. This has genuinely some of the UKs most extraordinary actors. Any one of them, in any other ensemble, would act all-comers off the screen but the total quality is spectacular - in the end you just hold your breath and get lost in it.
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An epic BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens&39; last completed novel interweaving various characters in a complex tale of greed passion and death in Victorian London John Harmon (Steven Mackintosh) is betrothed to the beautiful-but-spoilt Bella Wilfer (Anna Friel) who only wishes to marry for money Then Harmon disappears and it seems that he has drowned but he has in fact assumed a new identity and found work with his late father&39;s former employees the Boffins (Peter Vaughan and Pam Ferris) Meanwhile impoverished Lizzy Hexam (Keeley Hawes) must choose between the selfish Eugene Wrayburn (Paul McGann) and the obsessive Bradley Headstone (David Morrissey)
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