Bleak House | 
| Actors: Gillian Anderson, Alun Armstrong, Charlie Brooks
Studio: BBC Warner
Category: DVD
List Price: $39.98
Buy New: $26.75
You Save: $13.23 (33%)
New (43) Used (15) from $20.98
Rating:  147 reviews
Sales Rank: 1868
Format: Color, Ntsc, Widescreen
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Number Of Discs: 3
Running Time: 510 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.4 x 0.9
MPN: WARDE2508D
UPC: 794051250827
EAN: 0794051250827
ASIN: B000CEXG0U
Theatrical Release Date: 2005
Release Date: February 28, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 02/28/2006
Amazon.com
Andrew Davies isn't much of household name in the U.S., but he's the king of the BBC mini-series. His skillfully adapted scripts for Pride & Prejudice (the beloved Colin Firth version) and many, many more are peerless examples of classic novels done right--cunningly edited and shaped to let all the rich emotion and sharp intelligence spill over with zip and vigor. Bleak House is no exception; it's one of the best Dickens adaptations to date. The mini-series form allows Dickens' panoramic view, brimming with eccentric characters and complex turns of plot, to sprawl out without losing an iota of suspense or momentum. Two innocent young orphans (Patrick Kennedy and Carey Mulligan) are the potential heirs to a fortune, but their fates are snarled in a monumental legal battle known as Jarndyce and Jarndyce. But the heart of the story is another orphan, Esther Summerson (Anna Maxwell Martin), whose mysterious parentage proves to be intertwined with the fate of the Jarndyce wards and the aloof Lady Dedlock (Gillian Anderson, The X-Files). Dickens' story twines through an excoriating vision of the legal system to heartbreaking domestic drama to a murder investigation to near-Gothic horror, all broken into utterly delicious half-hour segments (after the hour-long opening episode). Martin is utterly beguiling, homely at one moment and luminous the next; Anderson's grippingly eerie and brittle performance will delight her fans. But to single out anyone seems absurd, because every character--from the vicious lawyer Tulkinghorn (Charles Dance, White Mischief) to the foppish parasite Skimpole (Nathaniel Parker, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries) to the simpering clerk Guppy (Burn Gorman)--is intricately drawn, all hitting a mesmerizing balance between caricature and stark emotional honesty. Bleak House demonstrates that humor, pathos, and social criticism can all be contained in one wonderfully entertaining package. --Bret Fetzer
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| Customer Reviews: Read 142 more reviews...
 Masterpiece spoiled by amateur editing June 25, 2009
Scott Griffiths
Wonderful story, acting, casting, camera work -- and then when it's finished they give it to a teenager to edit.
"How about lots of excessively loud, totally out of context 'whooshes' when the camera pans quickly? What about some incredibly loud 'bang! bang!' noises as we have quick editing shots between scenes?" Unbelievable that so much wonderful work could be so badly marred in the final edit. Personally I think that they were running out of time and nobody checked the editing, now they are kicking themselves.
BLEAK HOUSE IS TOP NOTCH June 23, 2009
Movie Dude (TULSA, OK USA)
Fabulous picture in blu-ray. If possible buy rather than rent. I got the best price from old reliable amazon.com
Outstanding Production June 9, 2009
J. Faneuff (Torrance, CA USA)
The BBC rarely goes wrong when they produce one of Dickens' stories, but I think this particular production is a stand-out. The style in which it was shot, as well as the casting of each character, sets it apart. I've seen it twice and would sit down and watch it all again.
The Verdict on Bleak House May 27, 2009
Bryan Byrd (Daveport, Iowa)
My fiancee had recently finished Dickens' novel when I saw this adaptation for rent, so I picked it up for her, not really intending to watch it myself. She is quite the fan of Dickens, having discovered him not long ago and is impressively working her way through his catalog. As for myself, I've enjoyed the few novels of his that I've read, but as far as the adaptation goes, when I see the words 'BBC' and 'Classic Literature', my eyes start to glaze over.
No worries though as I was caught up in the series almost immediately. Dickens always was a bit keen on melodrama, considering most of his output was serialized in the papers first, and 'Bleak House' might even outdo some of his other works in that regard, but that's a minor distraction if at all. What makes the adaptation stand out so well, in my mind, are both the casting and the editing.
'Bleak House' is a sprawling novel, filled with rich characters that can be difficult to keep track of if you don't pay attention - at least at first. As an 8 1/2 hour miniseries though, the director had time to explore these people's idiosyncrasies and help the viewer differentiate between them. But what faces the casting director found! Several times throughout the series, both my fiancee and I commented on the actors and how they very nearly carried their roles on their face alone. I'm sure the magic of makeup had a lot to do with this also, and the actors themselves did excellent work, but still I was amazed at the variety. Perhaps I'm a victim of Hollywood's generic casting, where, if you aren't the star, then the goal is to find the most non-descript faces around so there isn't any doubt as to who is the leading lady or leading man.
Not only is 'Bleak House' filled with dozens of important characters, it is also a complex story - mostly written as a condemnation of the British court system at the time. The directors chose, wisely I think, to concentrate more on the story of Esther Summerson, an orphan with a mysterious past. Keeping these storylines from helplessly tangling with one another was a major success, one that I think you can point to the film editor for. I won't say it was perfect (the crashing sounds accompanying the jerky transitional establishing shots got to be a distraction by film's end), but each brief segment of the story served its purpose by advancing the plot and keeping up interest. I thought it struck a fine balance between catering to those with no attention span and those who are patient enough to let a film unfold at its own pace.
My fiancee and I rarely find much to watch on TV to begin with, and if we do, it's about 50/50 as to whether we'd both enjoy it. As a period drama and romance fan, she heartily endorsed 'Bleak House', while even a Texas Chainsaw Massacre fan like myself found it engaging and fun. Highly recommended.
Amazingly Good April 23, 2009
Penny Dreadful (Under Your Skin)
It seems like "they" are getting better every year when it comes to adaptations of the so-called classic novels, and this version of Bleak House is the best I have seen. Dickens' (arguably) most complex novel has never looked better, and while I have heard a purist or two grumble, personally I have no complaints about what the makers of this engrossing production have given us. To everyone involved in bringing Bleak House to the small screen, well done!
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