Why BBC literary adaptations are so delightful: Daniel Deronda edition
1. The screenplays are literate
(Usually a very good sign: he wrote the screenplays for Pride & Prejudice (1995) and Bleak House (2005), among many others)
2. The direction is striking
(He also directed The King's Speech (2010))
3. The casts are excellent
Amanda Root (of the exquisite Persuasion (1995)) as Mrs. Davilow
Hugh Bonneville (of Downton Abbey (2010)) as Grandcourt
Romola Garai (of Emma (2009)) as Gwendolen
Hugh Dancy (of The Jane Austen Book Club (2007)) as Daniel
Johdi May (of The Mayor of Casterbridge (2003)) as Mirah
4. The interiors are amazing
(Shweta, I hope you're noting the chandeliers!)
5. There's passion...
6. ...and skullduggery
(You may recognize David Bamber, the loathsome Mr. Collins in Pride & Prejudice)
7. Not to mention immense staircases
8. ...immense chignons...
9. ..and last but not least, immense bustles!
What's not to love?
What I don't understand is why I'm not watching this right now?!
ReplyDelete*goes off to find it*
I'm noting, I'm noting! I am also very impressed with the staircases and scrollwork. They say its wrong to covet, but at times, one cant help it... :)
ReplyDeleteFilmi Girl, Daniel Deronda features impossible loves, children discovering their long-lost parents, cruel husbands, spectacular scenery...think of it as Victorian masala.
ReplyDeleteShweta, I had be restrained from painting all my walls maroon and commissioning a giant staircase (hey, we already own a chandelier!). One can dream...
I just finished watching episode 2, will likely finish it Monday night; I adore Hugh Bonneville's Grandcourt, so wonderfully terrifying!
ReplyDeleteYes, Hugh Bonneville's Grandcourt is terrifying--so very different from his class-conscious but fundamentally decent patriarch in Downton Abbey. I'm amazed by the depth of the acting talent that the BBC can draw on.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment!