Middlemarch (DVD)

I purchased Middlemarch because I had heard it was a good period piece. I was not disappointed; in fact, the mini-series exceeded my expectations by a good measure.I'll confess right off that I've never read the book. However, I assume it follows pretty closely because the screenplay was written by the ever-reliable Andrew Davies (who also penned the superb 1995 definitive version of Pride and Prejudice, as well as many other films of Austen's novels). The film deftly blends multiple story lines and never loses track of any of them.The main story line is that of the very bright Dorothea Brooke, played in an understated way by the lovely Juliet Aubrey. Dorothea is a young niece of the aristocratic Arthur Brooke (the always excellent Robert Hardy), who is painfully, but cheerfully trying to make the transition from the late-feudal Britain to a country marked by the rise of popular democracy.Dorothea is attracted to men of intelligence and ideas. She is drawn to the much older scholar Rev. Edward Casaubon, who is engaged in an exhaustive study of mythology. He has spent copious amounts of time researching his subject, but little actual writing. Dorothea (or Dodo, as her sister Celia has dubbed her) yearns for a 'soulful life', though her sister doesn't see the attraction, nor for that matter does the rest of the family, including her father. Sir James Chettam, a family friend, who is wealthy and much interested in Dorothea's attractiveness as well as her intelligence, seems a much better choice, as he is closer to her age. But Dorothea is undaunted. She is excited by the idea of helping Dr. Casaubon in his study, and, at first, so is he. So, they marry.All is not plum perfection in the new relationship, though, primarily once Rev. Casaubon's moody, restless cousin Will Ladislaw shows up. There is an instant attraction between Dorothea and Will, that is evident to everyone including Casaubon.Meanwhile, Dr. Tertius Lydgate has arrived in Middlemarch (a fictitious town set in the Midlands of England in the mid-19th century, placing it between Jane Austen and Charles Dickens). He has ambition, and seeks to improve the medical profession and health care in the England that is removed from the big cities such as London. He has decided to remain a bachelor for the time being, though there is pressure on him to settle down in short order. One of the young ladies he is acquainted with is the pretty, but vacuous Rosamond Vincy, who is the niece of the pompous, dictatorial, but very rich Mr. Bulstrode, who is in charge of a group of city elders who control much of what goes on in Middlemarch. Rosamond is smitten by Dr. Lydgate, who is handsome, intelligent, but poor. Rosie, and Dr. Lydgate calls her, has misunderstood Dr. Lydgate's attentions to mean that he means to marry her. When he explains to her that he has had no such intention, she becomes hysterical and cries unceasingly. To calm her, Dr. Lydgate promises to marry her, a promise that will lead to much regret on his part.It's a film with a multitude of plot lines, as the above description hints at, but the George Eliot (and Davies) pulls it off well, and the whole remains cohesive and neatly wrapped up in the end.This really is a must-see for those who love Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, or the Bronte sisters. It's one of the best period pieces set in the 18th and 19th century England.Not to be missed; I loved it. Very highly recommended!

Some say this is George Eliot's best work, but I prefer BBC's Daniel Deronda to this. Still pretty good, especially Juliet Aubrey's acting.

George Eliot has always been among my favorite authors, and "Middlemarch" is without a doubt her masterpiece. Given the multitude of characters, plot complexity and psychological depth of the book, I feared that "Middlemarch" would never be made into a successful film. That entire plots would be dropped in the interest of time, or the whole of it so neatly packaged as to render it a mere shadow.Yet in this six-episode, seven-hour series, BBC has created a vivid, authentic distillation of one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. Casting is superb-- particularly the luminous Juliet Aubrey as the quietly passionate, idealistic Dorothea Brooke, and the marvelous Rachel Power as pragmatic Mary Garth.All the residents of Middlemarch come to full-blooded life in this remarkable adaptation of what is indeed a milestone of fiction-- a social drama with an edge of Austen parody, but with little of her sentimentality. Eliot was far too much of an intellectual, and in Middlemarch, she establishes herself as the godmother of the modern 20th century novel.Middlemarch is foremost a human drama of hypocrisy and foible, of ambition, success and failure. The spoils go to the victors, who aren't always worthy; and those meant to inherit the earth usually end little more than 6 feet of it. And yet, all too rarely, there are those who do find love and fulfillment in the guise of a soul mate.Eliot wrote Middlemarch with her usual detachment, painting characters in broad and intimate strokes, but ultimately leaving the reader to pass judgment-- just as her characters do among each other. This perfectly crafted series takes a similar path, never insisting that we love or hate a character, but simply see them as products of their environments, bound intrinsically to their fates, and only with great courage breaking free of convention.

This show was just the greatest!