Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #454 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-11-13
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 480 minutes

Synopsis
From the fog and squalor of Victorian London to the idyllic tranquillity of rural England, Dickens' tale of tragedy, intrigue and love, and stinging satire on the English legal system, is faithfully recreated in this BBC drama series. The story closely follows the characters involved in the infamous court case of Jarndyce versus Jarndyce that relies heavily on the production of an up-to-date will in order to settle the inheritance. Three young people are taken in by the generous guardian John Jarndyce to be cared for at Bleak House while they await the outcome of the court case. Meanwhile a ruthless lawyer is determined to find out the truth surrounding the Lady Dedlock's mysterious past and after deep investigation he makes a discovery that changes all their lives.

Customer Reviews

couldn't be better - absolutely wonderful
The BBC decided to screen this adaptation initially in 30-minute episodes, two a week, like a soap. Unexpectedly this worked quite well, but more because of the excellence of the production than because of their quirky manner of showing it. Seen on DVD, when you can watch as much as you wish, it is even more powerful. The cast is astonishingly good - many famous names (Warren Clarke, Pauline Collins, Phil Davis, Matthew Kelly, Alistair McGowan, Anne Reid, Ian Richardson, Liza Tarbuck, Johnny Vegas, Timothy West) taking roles which they inhabit as if they were made for them. But the central roles, of the unfortunate litigants in the case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce, the corrupt lawyer Tulkinghorn (Charles Dance, menacingly lizardy), kindly John Jarndyce (Denis Lawson) and above all Gillian Anderson as the chilly and tragic Lady Dedlock and the heroine, Anna Maxwell Martin as Esther Summerson (described in Dickens' character list in the novel as 'a prudent and wise woman and a self-denying friend') are even better. The sets are totally convincing, Dickens's huge compass of characters and events is covered entirely satisfactorily, the complicted plot emerges clearly and there are moments of great pathos and genuine dignity. But above all is is absolutely riveting (and perhaps that is why the BBC's cliff-hanging original approach was not so daft after all). Anyway, I cannot recommend this too highly. It is really wonderful.

Excellent
This series was an almost perfect adaptation of Dickens' novel. The cast was uniformly excellent, but for me Gillian Anderson's Lady Deadlock and Alun Armstrong's Inspector Bucket were outstanding.

The only reason I am giving the series four stars instead of five is that I felt the ending was to rushed. The 1980's adaptation, with Diana Rigg as Lady Deadlock, allowed sufficient time for the drama of Lady Deadlock's disappearance and tracking down develop into the climactic drama it is in the novel. This adaptation cut the chase too short.

atmospheric adaptation
It's a pity that one reviewer's annoyance with the release policy (see below) has reduced the customer star-rating for this series to, currently, only three stars. Perhaps awarding it five stars herewith will redress the balance a bit, because this is definitely five-star stuff.

The acting is universally excellent and a complicated plot is told with great skill and subtlety. Even if the screen version doesn't follow the story in every detail, the atmosphere is authentically 'Dickensian' throughout. The viewer soon becomes emotionally involved with the characters, not least because both caricature and sentimentality - which can be hazards with Dickens adaptations - are successfully avoided. A thoroughly enjoyable series.