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Charles Dickens is one of the greatest writers of all time. His stories are loved by readers all around the globe. One of his novels, Bleak House, is no exception. The BBC has adapted this wonderful story for television, and now it is available on DVD through BBC Home Entertainment. If you are a fan of Dickens and of Bleak House, you will absolutely love watching this story unfold on your television. If you happen to think Dickens' works are not exciting enough for your taste, then think again! This adaptation will keep you on the edge of your seat. The story moves very fast. In fact, after watching the first installment, I had to continue watching the rest in the series all in one weekend! Once again, the BBC has not failed to impress!
Charles Dickens loved his descriptions, and his England of dark woods, sooty streets and intrigue comes alive masterfully in Bleak House. With his love for convoluted cast histories, and complicated plot, his novels are dreams for costume and set designers. There is sure to be a patina that covers everything from cloak to puddle, and in this 3 disk compilation by BBC Home Entertainment, it's all there. Superb acting carries the Dickensian weighty text with ease. Half the fun of any Dickens novel is always the cast of characters, and their names. Bleak House is rife with the colorful, the ingenuous, the spiteful. In fact, perhaps every side of any human being is set to paper, and thus to screen in this formidable production. His novel was first presented to his audience in a 20 installment publication, over the course of one year. BBC has done much the same for us, with a 3 disk collection filled with the brilliant portrayals, and behind the scene interviews. And to enthrall "behind the scenes" watchers, there's a gallery of on- set shots that show the action in stills. In his melodrama as genre, Dickens give us romance that softens the blows of a seedier, uglier side of a story that will absorb you . It's a true page turner, on screen, with an under note of mockery of the legal system in England that adds an almost comic relief to the story of three central characters finding their way in the wide world. Chapter by chapter, England lives in its lush countryside, cobbled streets and wonderful houses. Fans of Dickens will not be disappointed, and lovers of high drama will enjoy the suspense as the tale unfolds in surprising twists and turns. Pervading lessons of love and loyalty convey morality and logic through each episode. The joys of owning the DVD let you watch as many episodes as you want to, whereas the original series was presented in half hour segments, always leaving you begging for more. This is self indulgence , wandering through the early 19th Century in England. Barristers you will love to hate, young love among the blossoms, and persevering sage advice presented in a medicinal, yet extremely palatable format.
Who doesn't love Dickens? I for one certainly do. So you can imagine my excitement when I had the pleasure of watching Bleak House. This fantastic mini-series did not disappoint. The acting is wonderful. You will recognize many familiar faces such as Gillian Anderson and Cary Mulligan, among a few. As we learn of two young orphans who have possibly inherited a great deal of money but its not quite that simple, as the world that they live in is ever changing. Many dark secrets lie ahead as the plot twist and turns. The cliff hangers keep coming and you be sitting on the edge of your couch! If you like Pride and Prejudice, then this is certainly for you.
I have always loved anything I've seen that Gillian Anderson has starred in. When I saw Bleak House, I couldn't believe I hadn't heard of this before. I have read other works of Charles Dickens, but not this one, so I had no basis on the story line. I was hooked within the first 5 minutes. I just had a marathon day of Bleak House. I didn't want to stop for anything. I even felt changing the discs took too long because I was so hooked. This is one I could watch again and again and not get tired of it. I've told several of my friends about it and suggested they purchase it as well. This is too good not to watch.
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Rediscover Andrew Davies’s (Sense & Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice) spellbinding, award-winning adaptation of Charles Dickens’s renowned novel as BBC Video™ releases to DVD and, for the first time, Blu-ray Disc, Bleak House: Special Edition. Boasting a stellar cast headlined by Gillian Anderson (The X-Files, The Last King of Scotland) and Charles Dance (Gosford Park), Bleak House earned a plethora of prestigious accolades including two Emmy® Awards (a total of ten nominations), five BAFTAs (including Best Drama Serial) and the Peabody Award. This innovative, fast-paced adaptation of the novel regarded as English fiction’s first-ever “whodunit” earned remarkable critical acclaim as TV Guide hailed the dark mini-series as, “Sumptuous,” and The Boston Globe lauded it as, “Dickens done right.” Bleak House: Special Edition contains all-new bonus features including audio commentary and interviews with Anderson and Dance.
BLEAK HOUSE: SPECIAL EDITION SYNOPSIS
At the court of Chancery, the interminable suit of Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce becomes the center of a complex web of relationships and a metaphor for the decay and corruption at the heart of English society. Out of the never-ending court case spin three young people each searching for their place in the world. Their story moves fast - swirling through an incredible array of characters from passionate young lovers to ruthless lawyers, from an ice-cold aristocratic beauty to a relentless detective - until the final exhilarating climax. A skillfully crafted thriller and a passionate indictment of the legal system, Bleak House is as relevant today as it was in the mid-19th Century.
BONUS FEATURES
Interviews with Gillian Anderson, Denis Lawson and Charles Dance
Audio commentary
Photo gallery
CAST
Lady Dedlock Gillian Anderson (The X-Files, The Last King of Scotland)
Mr. Tulkinghorn Charles Dance (Gosford Park)
John Jarndyce Denis Lawson (Jekyll)
Esther Summerson Anna Maxwell Martin (Becoming Jane)
Inspector Bucket Alun Armstrong (Van Helsing)
Miss Flite Pauline Collins (Shirley Valentine)
Harold Skimpole Nathaniel Parker (Inspector Lynley Mysteries)
Richard Carstone Patrick Kennedy (Atonement)
Ada Clare Carey Mulligan (Pride and Prejudice)
Guppy Burn Gorman (Torchwood, Layer Cake)
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