"Bleak House" (1985) TV mini-series

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Writers:

Charles Dickens (novel)
Arthur Hopcraft (adaptation)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

10 April 1985 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Crime

Plot:

The great case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce drags on, an obsession to all involved. Then a question of inheritance becomes a question of murder.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Inheritance | Dickens | Marriage | Mother Daughter Relationship

Awards:

3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Suzanne Burden	...	Esther Summerson (4 episodes, 1985)
Diana Rigg	...	Lady Honoria Dedlock (3 episodes, 1985)
Denholm Elliott	...	John Jarndyce (3 episodes, 1985)
Philip Franks	...	Richard Carstone (3 episodes, 1985)
T.P. McKenna	...	Harold Skimpole (3 episodes, 1985)
Chris Pitt	...	Jo (3 episodes, 1985)
Robin Bailey	...	Sir Leicester Dedlock (3 episodes, 1985)
Sylvia Coleridge	...	Miss Flite (3 episodes, 1985)
Graham Crowden	...	Lord Chancellor (3 episodes, 1985)
Bernard Hepton	...	Krook (3 episodes, 1985)
Lucy Hornack	...	Ada Clare (3 episodes, 1985)
Jonathan Moore	...	William Guppy (3 episodes, 1985)
Frank Windsor	...	Gridley (3 episodes, 1985)
Brian Deacon	...	Allan Woodcourt (2 episodes, 1985)
Robert Urquhart	...	Laurence Boythorn (2 episodes, 1985)
Arthur Hewlett	...	Waggoner (2 episodes, 1985)
Sam Kelly	...	Mr. Snagsby / ... (2 episodes, 1985)
Pamela Merrick	...	Hortense (2 episodes, 1985)
Cathy Murphy	...	Housemaid (2 episodes, 1985)
Donald Sumpter	...	'Nemo' (2 episodes, 1985)
Peter Vaughan	...	Tulkinghorn (2 episodes, 1985)

Also Known As:

"Masterpiece Theatre: Bleak House" (USA)

Runtime:

391 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Bromham Hall, Bromham, Bedfordshire, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Heart Break (#2.8)" (2004)

Insipid Bleak House

This series gets 2 stars solely because it puts some of Dickens' Bleak House on film and perhaps someone will read the book. Contrary to what is probably received opinion, Diana Rigg was poor as Lady Dedlock. She was clunky and wooden. Lady D. is a reserved character but not a martinet. Denholm Elliot is wrong, wrong, wrong for Mr. Jarndyce. So I'll interrupt myself and respond to all those people who are saying: "I didn't read the book, so I don't have to take this guy's opinion because he's basing his evaluations on the book." True and not true. For ex, Diana Rigg is bad in her role because of poor acting whether or not you've read the book. On the other hand, Denholm Elliot is a passable Jarndyce (although too old). The series fails not because it's unfair to compare it to the book, but because the various plot lines and characters just don't coalesce to make a coherent, dramatic, mysterious andcompelling entertainment. It is dull and flat. If you want to make apossibly good Bleak House, you need to expend 20 hours of film in 10 two hour episodes. But I suggest that producers etc. leave Dickens alone (even A Christmas Carol). Television deadens the genius of Dickens as manifested in his ingenious plots and unforgettable characters.