Product Description
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George Eliot Collection (DVD)
The next collection in the successful BBC Classics line comes to
life with an assortment of all-star casts in five of George
Eliot's beautifully astute literary works, all lovingly portrayed
in critically accled productions from the BBC. This 5-disc set
includes Adam Bede, Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe, The Mill
on the Floss, Middlemarch, and Daniel Deronda.
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The George Eliot Collection is a set of five BBC programs based
on the works of the 19th century novelist: Middlemarch, Daniel
Deronda, Silas Marner, Adam Bede, and The Mill on the Floss.
The 1994 production of Middlemarch juxtaposes morals and money,
grand ambitions with petty jealousies, and pursuits of the mind
with bodily needs. A handsome young doctor named Lydgate (Douglas
Hodge, Vanity Fair) comes to the provincial town of Middlemarch
to start a new hospital; a headstrong young woman named Dorothea
(Juliet Aubrey, The Mayor of Casterbridge) yearns to contribute
to the greater good of the world. These idealists enter into
marriages that derail all their intentions and lead them into
lives they never imagined. The network of characters in this
six-episode program, ranging up and down the societal ladder,
create an intricate and utterly engrossing narrative as well as a
magnificent recreation of life on the cusp of the Industrial
Revolution. The cast, from the largest to the smallest roles, is
impeccable. When a scene turns to a character you've only
glimpsed before, the precision of the writing (by miniseries
master Andrew Davies, Pride and Prejudice) and the vivid
performances suck you into the life of this person who seemed
like mere background scenery only moments before. The cumulative
impact of Eliot's story will leave you ping at its brilliant
balance of romance and reality. Performers include creepy Patrick
Malahide (The Singing Detective) and sexy Rufus Sewell (Dark
City) among the familiar faces of dozens of inspired character
actors. Don't let the literary pedigree of Middlemarch e you
off--the plot is as juicy as a soap opera, with a psychological
fullness that makes every dramatic turn all the more gripping.
Daniel Deronda, Eliot's accomplished but underrated last novel,
is effectively, often stirringly, adapted for this 2002 BBC
production, which was scripted by old pro Andrew Davies
(Middlemarch) and directed with wit and subtlety by Tom Hooper
(Cold Feet). Set in the 1870s, Eliot's story concerns two
strong-willed young people whose self-determination is under
attack by legal constraints on their rights to an inheritance.
The noble Daniel (Hugh Dancy) is of dubious birth; the fiery
Gwendolen (Romola Garai) can't possess her late her's estate
because she's a woman. They are sympathetic to one another, but
not lovers: Gwendolen is obliged to marry into wealth and becomes
an unhappy bride of the scoundrel Grandcourt (Hugh Bonneville),
while Daniel must sort out his feelings about the much-maligned
"Jewess," the beautiful Mirah. Despite Garai's somewhat
questionable casting, this lengthy drama--evenly divided between
the two leads--never lags in in or passion.
The title character of Silas Marner, a member of a strict
religious community, is wrongly accused of theft and has no
choice but to move to a faraway village. For 15 years he lives
alone, hoarding the money he makes from his weaving and gaining a
reputation as a recluse, a miser, and perhaps even a witch.
Marner's life changes dramatically one Christmas season, when his
gold is stolen and a mysterious woman dies in the woods outside
his cottage. She leaves behind a child that Marner, to the
surprise of the other villagers, takes into his home to raise as
his daughter. The arrival of the infant, whom he names Eppie
after his mother, transforms Marner. His bitterness evaporates;
he no longer cares about his lost money; and he commits himself
completely to his adopted child, who grows up into a loving and
beautiful daughter. But Marner's happiness may be threatened,
because Eppie is really the daughter of the local squire, who was
secretly married to the woman whose body Marner discovered.
Remarried, but childless, the squire decides he wants to cl
Eppie as his own. Ben Kingsley gives a subtle and moving
performance as the simple weaver, and a strong cast gives him
ample support in this 1985 BBC adaptation of George Eliot's
novel. Silas Marner is not particularly complex--it's certainly a
more modest undertaking than Middlemarch--but this sentimental
Victorian tale, filled with historical detail, potential tragedy,
heartless villains, and the redeeming power of childhood, makes
for a very satisfying film.
Adam Bede is the very definition of a b young man. George
Eliot's young English country hero is headstrong and arrogant,
and sees the world in black and white--not unlike his
18th-century countrymen, living and (barely) breathing by the
strict moral code of the day. In this excellent 1991 BBC
adaptation, Adam is played by the appealing Iain Glen, who shows
he's as comfortable in a sweeping period drama as he is in
popcorn fare like Lara Croft: Tomb Raider or the Resident Evil
films. Adam is torn by love and commitment, and once he sets his
s on the fetching farmgirl Hetty (Patsy Kensit), he's
convinced Hetty's love for his rich acquaintance Arthur is a
sham, and uses force to get Arthur to break off their
relationship. But what Adam has set in motion, the world will be
reeling from for a very long time: in the wake of his impetuous
act lie despair, heartbreak, a secret pregnancy, thoughts of
suicide, a nd death. And still, the moral order must be upheld.
Glen shows Adam slowly but truly growing up, realizing the
consequences of his actions. (It doesn't hurt that he ends up
with the lovely Dinah, played by the fabulous Susannah Harker of
House of Cards and the 1995 Pride and Prejudice--why on earth has
this talented young woman not become a huge star?) Viewing the
characters' transgressions through 21st century eyes can make
some of the plot lines feel remote--nearly unbelievable--but the
all-too-human struggles of people trying to do the right thing
will always ring true.
Based on her own childhood, George Eliot's The Mill on the Floss
gets the deluxe in this eight-part BBC miniseries. Set
in 19th century Lincolnshire, the story centers on Maggie
Tulliver (Georgia Slowe). Headstrong and undisciplined, she loves
her brother Tom (Jonathan Scott-Taylor), but he has his doubts
about her. Frankly, he finds his sister exasperating. An uptight,
ambitious young man, Tom can't understand why she won't act like
a proper young lady. While he's off at boarding school, for
instance, she forgets to feed his rabbits and they die.
Well-mannered cousin Lucy Deane (Moira Durbridge) is a mutual
friend and peacemaker between the two. Over the years, Phillip
Wakem (Anton Lesser), another neighbor, will also enter their
orbit. Alas, Mr. Tulliver (Ray Smith) and Lawyer Wakem (Philip
Locke) are sworn enemies. More studious than her brother (now
played by Christopher Blake), teenaged Maggie (Pippa Guard) is
drawn to the bright, if hunchbacked Phillip, but her ardor
doesn't run as deep as his. Either way, Tom doesn't approve--nor,
as it turns out, does Mr. Wakem. Further, as the fortunes of the
latter rise, the Tullivers fall so far they lose their mill. But
all is not lost. Tom will keep the family afloat when he finds
employment with Lucy's her, Uncle Deane (John Stratton),
around the same time Lucy's suitor, Stephen Guest (John
Moulder-Brown), switches his focus to Maggie. Just when it seems
relations couldn't get more tangled, the mill itself provides a
neat, if tragic solution. Previously brought to the BBC in 1965
with Jane Asher, this fine, if somewhat stagy 1978 production was
followed by a 1997 telefilm with Emily Watson.