Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #437 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-08-20
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Box set, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Dutch
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 301 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Given the great success of Pride and Prejudice (1995) and that Jane Austen wrote so little, the BBC and screenwriter Andrew Davies looked elsewhere for material of comparable quality. Wives and Daughters by Mrs (Elizabeth) Gaskell is set around 1860 and tells the story of 17-year-old Molly (Justine Waddell), beloved daughter of the widowed Dr Gibson (Bill Paterson). A mercenary stepmother (Francesca Annis) and inconstant stepsister (Keeley Hawes) bring refined havoc to genteel country life, with complications ensuing when both young women fall in love with the youngest son of Squire Hamley (Michael Gambon). This is a wonderfully observed insight into Victorian village life, encompassing comedy, romance and high emotion in a four-episode, five-hour adaptation. Making the most of Davies' subtle and detailed screenplay, there are great, flamboyant performances by Michael Gambon and Francesca Annis. Keeley Hawes, Barbara Flynn and Ian Glen are excellent too, but the revelation is the beguiling central performance by Justine Waddell, also the star of Great Expectations (1999). The photography and production design are gorgeous, as is John Keane's music. Wives and Daughters is as compelling and entertaining as any Jane Austen, and possibly Andrew Davies' best literary adaptation to-date. --Gary S. Dalkin

Amazon.co.uk Review
Andrew Davies' 1999 adaptation of Mrs Gaskell's Wives and Daughters was hailed as the rediscovery of a "forgotten" classic novel and found the BBC on the crest of a wave with costume dramas--led by Pride and Prejudice. Handsome and beautifully filmed, if anything, it surpassed the quality of even that highly praised landmark production.

"We should all look pretty strange under a microscope," botanist Robert Hamley tells our heroine Molly Gibson and of course Mrs Gaskell places all her characters under intense scrutiny, with affection but without judgement. Davies' screenplay peals back the layers, giving full vent to the comedy, tragedy and satire that drive this tale of provincial life to its highly satisfactory conclusion. Justine Waddell imbues Molly with an increasingly exasperated but remarkably forbearing intelligence, while Francesca Annis, as the outrageously self-absorbed step-mother Hyacinth, paints a wonderful portrait of affectation without ever totally alienating our sympathy. Michael Gambon's immensely touching Squire Hamley won him a Best Actor BAFTA, but all the performances are uniformly excellent, contributing immeasurably to five hours of television drama of the highest calibre.

On the DVD: Presented in 16:9 format with a Dolby Digital stereo soundtrack, this two-disc presentation retains all the hallmarks of the original BBC viewing experience. The picture quality is lush--the production lighting is excellent--and the sound quality sharp. The only gripe is with the extras: the Omnibus documentary "Who the Dickens is Mrs Gaskell?" is brutally truncated, cutting off talking heads like novelists Fay Weldon and Margaret Drabble in their prime and giving limited insight into how the production was made. As an audio bonus, there is also 30 minutes of John Keane's music.--Piers Ford

Special Features
16:9 Wide Screen
DVD 9
DVD 5
English
English
Region 0
Dolby Digital Stereo English
Dolby Digital Stereo
Documentary
The Making Of
Music Edit
Dutch

Customer Reviews

good news!
Impeccable acting. Speech and deportment faultless. How nice to be able to hear every word spoken, unlike some recent Austen adaptations, e.g. Kate Beckinsale and Keira Knightley, both of whom were far too 21st century slovenly.

Fabulous 10 stars - looking forward to Cranford
This has to be one of my favourite BBC adaptations, rating alongside Pride and Prejudice. Andrew Davies again has done an excellent job, he can be forgiven a bit for his Northanger Abbey, which considering the length of the piece is understandable. I know other reviewers think this isn't quite as good, but I think Wives and Daughters is a bit of a slow burner. It isn't instantly as enticing as Pride but you will grow to love it just as much. I won't bore you with plot details as it has been done before, just buy this, if, like me you love costume drama. The performances are all excellent and unlike other reviewers I loved Justine as Molly. She isn't exactly like the Molly in the book but then that wouldn't be very appealing on scene. The excellent actress (can't remember her name)who played the main character in the recent Bleak House adaptation was also nothing like the Esther in the novel. She has made the character more engaging for me. She has done other costume drama (Great Expectations)before this and I loved her in those as well. I think it is a real shame that she hasn't had the success that the other young cast members(who are brilliant too) like Keeley Hawes, Rosamund Pike, Antony Howell and Tom Hollander have had since this production. I loved the ending of the programme as well, again a modern twist. I'm looking forward to Cranford which along with many of the cast from Wives and Daughter also has the excellent Judi Dench in it. I'm so pleased that the BBC has made Elizabeth Gaskell more well known with these series, there is also North and South which has the very yummy Richard Armitage in it. Now all we need is some good Wilkie Collins productions and I'd be very happy.

Fabulous; a must for costume drama fans
This is based on the last novel that Mrs Gaskell wrote, and unfortunately, she died before completing it. We can be sure that she did intend a happy ending, but I'm not sure she would have intended quite the ending that this adaptation shows. However, that is a very minor gripe about what is an absolutely fabulous adaptation of a very readable book. Every character was spot on and all exactly as they appear in the book (with the possible exception for me of Osborne Hamley - not good looking enough). The locations, dialogue, costumes, everything are exceptional and this is a wonderful costume drama for all ages.
I just love the ironies that abound; in order to 'save' Molly from unwanted male attention, Mr Gibson re-marries and promptly finds himself and Molly embroiled in terrible scandal and secrets that can't be betrayed, inflicted on them both by his new wife's daughter.
In order to achieve a serenely well-managed household, Mr Gibson re-marries and turns his house into the abode of hysterical women from which he tries desperately to stay away on all occasions.
In order to get Molly away from an admirer, Mr Gibson sends her to stay with the Hamleys and she falls in love with Roger.
Absolutely wonderful! And serves him entirely right, by the way. He is not a very likeable man in either the novel or the adaptation, and brings his own doom about in a way that reminds you of the small trickle that sets off the landslide.
However, he is resigned to bearing the folly of his own actions and achieves a reasonable happiness by the end, so all is not lost.
The 2nd Mrs Gibson is an excellent character; so flawed and yet she tries so hard to be everything she believes she is and should be.
I cannot recommend this highly enough and would also encourage you to read the novel as it is very accessible and a cracking good read.