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!

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.

The DVD itself isn't of the best quality (with good reason..I mean, there's over 5 hours of video on one DVD). It is watchable. There are some scenes I wish they focused more on--like the jewel scene. It's in the first episode, but Dorothea's indecisiveness of accepting the jewels was not played out, but the dinner scene following it was wonderfully done. Anyway, other than a few things I wish they went more in depth in,this is a very good adaptation of the book. I love the cast. Juliet Aubrey is a wonderful Dorothea (although she looks a bit old to play the role). Rosamond and Celia are both as I imagined them to be, and Ladislaw is gorgeous!

To say that a series is a "BBC British period production" is to say that the film was crafted with the kind of care and skill that is the standard for making a Rolls Royce engine. You expect quality and you get quality. Whether you are watching a series based on Charles Dickens or George Eliot novels, the BBC gives you a memorable experience. Perhaps it is because England has cultivated such a splendid assortment of credible actors specializing in this genre. Perhaps it is the quality of the screen-writing, the cinematography, direction or some combination of everything. Whatever it is, the "union" label here means something. Middlemarch is named after a town in England, just prior to the Industrial Revolution, when social unrest was causing the entrenched political structure to unravel, and people were looking towards upward mobility and questioning the entitlements of the landed aristocracy. A young, idealistic doctor, moves into this very staid town where for generations business has been conducted the same way, and the same elite families held sway. He dreams of cutting edge medical research (actually dissecting corpses) and devoting his services for free to a charity hospital. A young, idealistic young woman chafes at the societal restraints around her desire to help the poor, especially by building cottages. Though the two marry different people and there is no romantic link between them, they end up with lives very different from their ideals. This is a six part series on DVD and time flies when you are watching it. There are many plots and sub-plots and characters, all of them interesting and most interrelated. Highly recommended.

As much as I love and admire El Greco, I don't prefer movies with elongated men and women in every scene. I am giving this one star because the transfer to DVD is so awful. It is really distracting to watch as everything is narrowed and elongated. The result is that it looks as if what you are seeing as been stretched and turned slightly to the side so that nothing is realistically proportioned. I could only watch about fifteen minutes of the movie before having to turn it off. I am sure it is a wonderful movie with great acting, but I won't be able to tell until I watch the VHS version, I suppose.

Although this BBC miniseries is not the top one we've seen, it still has its moments. Also, it's quite a bargain for 7 hours of viewing. To be sure, rich character development, beautiful scenery, and fine acting, are all there. But the story is very much a 19th century soap opera with many of the key characters acting in a self-destructive, petulant way. Middlemarch is a pseudonym for one of the midland cities in England, most likely, Coventry. The town has its country charm, but many of the inhabitants are small-minded and petty. Few characters are really worth worrying about, with the exception of the Garth family who will be noted further below. The central character, Dorothea Brooke, is born to an aristocratic life, along with her sister Cecilia. Their parents died while the sisters were young and both girls are taken in by their uncle, Arthur Brooke, played by Robert Hardy. He dotes on the girls as if they were his own and tries to make them happy. Despite all this, Dorothea feels guilty for her privileged life and longs to do something profound in the world. Instead of marrying the next door neighbor, the dashing, young Sir James Chettam, she is attracted to an old fossil and religious scholar, Rev. Edward Casaubon, who is at least 20 years older than her. (Sir James marries Cecilia in one of the few bright spots of the story). Dorothea's life with Casaubon turns into a nightmare, as their marriage is never physically consummated. One reason for this may be that every day for him is a "bad hair day." Mr. Casaubon spends his time on vainglorious sophistry and religious wanderings and eventually dies of a heart attack. While this is going on, the young idealist, Mr. Ladislaw, Casaubon's nephew, meets and falls for Dorothea. We learn that one of the stipulations in Casaubon's will is that Dorothea will lose her position and fortune if she marries Ladislaw. Of course, this is what happens in the end and viewers are left wondering she didn't give away her estate first and then run off with Ladislaw. At the conclusion of the story, the narrator tells us that Ladislaw is elected to Parliament but doesn't say much more. We're left to hope that he and Dorothea had a happy life together after much disappointment and despair. Nevertheless, we're told that when Dorothea dies she is left in an "unvisited tomb." Who needs that? Other threads of the story are equally soapy, as we are introduced to the young doctor, Lydgate, and his eventual bride, Rosamund Vincy. Rosamund is daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Vincy. He is a merchant and the town mayor. Son Fred is a disappointment to his family throughout most of the story and has trouble making his way in the world. (Fred is played by Colin Firth's younger brother Jonathan and thus is the only connection we could find to the 1995 production of "Pride and Prejudice." After getting depressed watching "Middlemarch," we just had to re-view segments of P & P.) Fred is befriended by Mr. Caleb Garth, father of Mary Garth, Fred's love interest. Mary won't accept marrying Fred until he learns how to make a respectable living which he eventually does as apprentice to her father. They manage some of the local farms and estates and do well. Fred and Mary eventually end up together which is about the only trace of a happy ending this long story provides. Back to Dr. Lydgate, he is also an idealist and donates his time in building up a big, new hospital in Middlemarch. He hopes to make the hospital a major center for the study and cure of fevers of all types. In his private practice, Lydgate does much to upset the existing social structure and becomes unpopular with most of the local power brokers. An example of this is where Lydate suggests a glass of wine for one of the locals rather than a concoction from an older doctor. (At this stage, viewers may be tempted to reach for a bottle of wine or something stronger, too.) Lydgate does gain support from Mr. Nicholas Bulstrode who becomes his friend and patron. Sadly, Bulstrode, the banker, makes important enemies and brings Lydgate down with him. At the end of the story, we're told that Lydgate dies at age 50, and Rosamund re-marries an elder physician. So much for idealism. We've never had much interest in George Eliot and doubt we will pursue any of her other works. If they're like "Middlemarch," about the only conclusion one might have is that it sure is better living today, with all our problems, than having lived 200 years ago in a sad place like Middlemarch. If you want to immerse yourself in British period drama from the 1800's that has real punch and a happy ending, try "North and South."

I love this movie and I've watched many times. I am glad I have in my collection.

I really enjoyed watching this DVD. It has a lot of good different stories in it and when there wasn't anything worth while on my TV I would just put it in and watch it from where I left off at. It kept me entertained for at least a week. I know that a lot of people don't like long movies which would be true if you had to sit threw it all at once. But it had the option to play all or just one part at a time. The movie in itself was very moving. Tells of how sometimes marrying for the wrong reasons that you might think are the right reasons can be unsatisfying and lead to a lonely life. Then the spouse can be very vendictive even in death. She loved her husband but he still was very reserved and unloving up to the end and even in his will. I really did enjoy the other stories in this movie too. It told of the difference in many situations and of how lying can hurt you even when you try to make ammends.

It is February 2021 and we are in the middle of the third, and I hope last, lockdown. It has been a time to revive old boxsets not seen for years. Among the oldest has been the BBC’s adaptation of “Middlemarch”, made in 1994. Middlemarch really stands up to the test of time. It’s a wonderful production with an outstanding cast, with even minor characters beautifully portrayed. Juliet Aubrey won a richly-deserved BAFTA for her performance, which was outstanding. It is of a suitable length for these times: the first episode if of 90 and the remaining five 60 minutes apiece, giving 6½ hours in all. It is hugely enjoyable. The only drawback is the picture quality, which is not good. The DVD has the compromise aspect of 14:9 (see Wikipedia for those technically inclined https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/14:9_aspect_ratio), although I suspect it was shot in 16:9. I also think it was entirely shot on videotape, unlike the earlier productions using film for outdoor scenes and video for indoor. If only it had been shot on Super 16 film like the following year’s Pride and Prejudice, on which the definition was so good that it was succeassfully transferred to Blu-Ray (if you love P&P the Blu-Ray version is well worth having). Additionally, this set consists of only two DVDs, which means that over 3 hours of material is compressed onto each disc. Hence the picture quality is definitely lo-def. It is probably too late now but it is to be hoped that any re-issues on DVD will consist of at least three discs and possibly 16:9 aspect ratio.

This item is in Spanish and looks like a pirate blu Ray didn’t even want to play it and feel that the selling of this item is below consumer rights - nothing is made clear at all - Rubbish salesmanship - Amazon should not sell items like this at all!

Plots in story pack a punch. Very true-to-life. Enjoyed time period brought to life by able actors and scenery. DVD arrived far ahead of schedule, excellent, clean condition. Thank you.

DVD box set arrived in good time and condition, exactly as described.

Das war mal eine Geschichte, die mir ohne Einschränkungen gefallen hat.Habe den Inhalt vorher bei Wiki nachgelesen und finde,das diese Mini Serie gelungen ist.Sehr gute Schauspieler und für mich war nichts dabei,was zu beanstanden wäre.Schicksale in einer Zeit,in der die Frauen nichts zu melden hatten,die Männer als Gentlemen einen teuren Lebensstil pflegen mußten,obwohl es ihnen so oft am Geld fehlte. Für Frauen war es eine fatale Situation,wenn sie den falschen Mann gewählt hatten.Heute kann man gehen,damals mußte man es aushalten,oder man verlor als Frau die Achtung der Gesellschaft,die zu der Zeit ach so wichtig war.Auch soziale Ungerechtigkeit kommt vor,die Gleichgültigkeit derer,die alles hatten und garnicht wußten,was Entbehrung heißt.Liebe gibt es natürlich auch hier,aber es müssen einige Hindernisse überwunden werden.Man macht Bekanntschaft mit halsstarrigen alten Männern,die nichts von Neuerungen halten und es den jungen Leuten,die es besser wissen, nicht leicht machen.Ein gutes Sittenbild aus dem 19 Jahrhundert.