Bleak House

Richie · 11-12-2005, 16:37

Has anyone else been watching this?

(couldn't find any mention of it)

Have to say I've found it utterly compelling throughout (having never read the book it's all a continual surprise) despite this not usually being 'my kind of thing'! The script, pacing and direction are magnificent and the large cast damn excellent!

Mike · 12-12-2005, 12:30

Best thing I've seen on TV all year. I'm hooked even though I've read the book countless times.

mrwriter · 12-12-2005, 17:20

Have these all saved up to watch over Christmas... Can't wait...

DarkAvenger · 12-12-2005, 17:58

Along with Doctor Who, this has been the best thing on television this year for me.

Mike · 12-12-2005, 20:51

What's amazed me is the quality of the acting throughout. Gillian Anderson is fantastic and I've never seen Charles Dance do anything remotely as good as he did here. The scene where he established his ultimate control over Lady Dedlock was quite brilliant played. Not forgetting the great Phil Davies, Denis Lawson, Johnny Vegas and Nathaniel Parker, the latter playing one of the three most loathsome characters in Victorian fiction. Been a remarkable achievement for the BBC and I hope they've learned that trying to stuff these things into 3 hours doesn't work.

Brian_JD · 12-12-2005, 21:07

Top stuff this, a quality production in every sense.

Surprised there's been no thread on it til now though!

I envy you mrwriter

edit:forgot to mention this is the BBC's first venture into HD screening.

bosque · 12-12-2005, 23:35

...and let's not forget Burn Gorman's superlative Mr Guppy - he hasn't been in the last few explicatory episodes but they've still been superb. I've even enjoyed the mis-cast roles, particularly Johnny Vegas's Krook who in the book is cadaverous and very old but Vegas made the part his own. With Dickens you get bit part characters (Harold Skimpole; Bart Smallweed - didn't even make the serial ) who would be well worth a whole TV series of their own. Any chance of a BBC TV "Little Dorrit" ?

Rudolph Hucker · 12-12-2005, 23:43

Also been loving it, watch the sunday hour repeat as i work thursday, missed last week when the lawyer got shot but hasn't been to hard to catch up with. Knew the dead soldier and scully had an affair pretty much from the start and i usually don't pick up on things so was it supposed to be obvious? Last week of it anyway will miss it, only other things worth watching to me is lost at the moment.

mrwriter · 13-12-2005, 10:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian_JD

edit:forgot to mention this is the BBC's first venture into HD screening.

Really? Via which route? Aerial? Sky? Freeview?

Brian_JD · 13-12-2005, 10:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrwriter

Really? Via which route? Aerial? Sky? Freeview?

you've done it now mrwriter,I'll have to back up my claim with a linky!

I may be some time

Brian_JD · 13-12-2005, 10:40

wasn't long was I

Bleak House

4th paragraph down,dunno how it translates to transmission formats though!

Anyone know?

Richie · 13-12-2005, 10:56

Ah! Shot in hi-def doesn't mean broadcast that way!

Battlestar Galactica and The 4400 are other shows (of quite a few now) also shot in hi-def but not necessarily broadcast that way (especially here in the UK)!

Art Vanderlay · 14-12-2005, 07:48

The best thing on telly at the moment IMHO, and it is a long time since I have said that about a British made programme.

They are showing the whole series again from Dec 29th on BBC4, for anyone who has missed it so far

Conrad · 15-12-2005, 07:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike

What's amazed me is the quality of the acting throughout. Gillian Anderson is fantastic and I've never seen Charles Dance do anything remotely as good as he did here. The scene where he established his ultimate control over Lady Dedlock was quite brilliant played. Not forgetting the great Phil Davies, Denis Lawson, Johnny Vegas and Nathaniel Parker, the latter playing one of the three most loathsome characters in Victorian fiction. Been a remarkable achievement for the BBC and I hope they've learned that trying to stuff these things into 3 hours doesn't work.

Couldn't agree more. Dance has been superb along with Anderson and the rest of the cast. This is what the BBC does best but not as often as they should.

I asked a mate a while ago "Are you watching Bleak House?", "Whats that?" he replied. Reminded me of the old gag "Do you like Dickens?", "Don't know, never been to one"

kjn6371 · 15-12-2005, 19:36

John Hodson · 16-12-2005, 20:09

Astonishing production. Truly 'Dickensian' in its casting, its production design, its costumes and a fantastic script. Probably the finest slice of TV in 2005. Bravo.

Zaichik · 17-12-2005, 08:03

It's out on DVD in February

Gary Couzens · 17-12-2005, 08:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian_JD

Top edit:forgot to mention this is the BBC's first venture into HD screening.

It isn't actually - the 2005 version of The Quatermass Experiment was shot in HD, as was Supervolcano (which was a BBC co-production).

Rome is probably being shown in HD in the USA but was actually shot on 35mm film, in Super 35.

bosque · 17-12-2005, 08:43

It's good the way Andrew Davies changed Dickens' idea of Esther from the servile, simpering housemaid she is in the book to the strong resourceful woman of the TV show. Superbly well acted. The TV ending was Mozartian.

slocombe · 17-12-2005, 10:25

This was absolutely excellent. Some truly great characters in it (Smallweed, Guppy, etc).

2 things are bothering me though. Firstly,

Spoiler:

why wasn't Skimpole 'outed' as a con man by Esther instead of just being warned off and did he have some kind of secret to act as leverage over John Jarndyce?

And what was the point of Pauline Collins's character, the little bird lady?

Have tried a couple of times in the past to read the book and gave up after about 50 pages so I thoroughly enjoyed the tv version.