Wives and Daughters

Buy This Item Wives and Daughters by BBC Warner  Available from Amazon  $33.99  on 11-14-2008     Misguided stepmothers, romantic betrayals, secret marriages--these are not just the makings of modern soap operas; this is what makes the BBC's delightful four-episode miniseries <I>Wives and Daughters</I> come to life. Sweet Molly Gibson (played artfully by Justine Waddell, who communicates more with a squint of her eyes than most actresses can with pages of dialogue) was living life pleasantly when her widowed father (Bill Paterson) decides that, for the good of his daughter, he must remarry. In comes Claire, played to screeching perfection by Francesca Annis. Molly's life is turned upside down by the usually well meaning but off-the-mark Claire, who insists on things being done the <I>proper</I> way. Added to the stew is Claire's beautiful, educated daughter, Cynthia (Keeley Hawes), and the Hamleys, a well-to-do family headed by a squire (Michael Gambon) who is not happy about the romantic interests of his sons.<p> As is typical with BBC miniseries, the quality writing and lush sets add to the overall appeal. Andrew Davies, who adapted <I>Pride and Prejudice</I> and <I>Bridget Jones's Diary</I>, penned the marvelous screenplay (based on Elizabeth Gaskell's unfinished novel). It's impossible not to compare this to the ever-popular <I>Pride</I>, and <I>Wives and Daughters</I> measures up. <I>--Jenny Brown</I> Reader Reviews Because this dvd is a Masterpiece Theatre production it moves at a slower pace than a made-for-theaters movie. This allows enough time to develop Elizabeth Gaskell's themes about 18th Century social and economic realities; the changes in men's and women's relationship to the land; and the impact of science and the industrial revolution on the arcane ins and outs of the English class system. Sounds really dull! But it also works as just a really good romance. As usual, Gaskell's points are made using realistic, fully developed, complex characters. This production is also wonderfully cast (the actors are good-looking even by Hollywood movie standards and great actors) and beautifully filmed. It's a good story without any additional context, but it is gets even better with a bit of reading about the period and about Gaskell's life and philosophy. Of course the best read after seeing the movie is the novel itself. After renting the dvd several times, I decided it was, like the 1995 Masterpiece Theatre productions of "Pride and Prejudice" and "North and South" a dvd that I needed to own.

Wives and Daughters Available from Amazon Price: $33.99 Updated on 11-14-2008.

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