The Woman in White (1997) (TV)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Tim Fywell

Writers:

Wilkie Collins (novel)
David Pirie (writer)

Release Date:

5 April 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Not all villans wear black

Plot:

Based upon Wilkie Collins Victorian mystery, the gothic tale tells of a pair of half sisters whose lives...

Plot Keywords:

Ghost | Victorian Era | Sanitarium | Based On Novel

Awards:

3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Tara Fitzgerald	...	Marian Fairlie
Justine Waddell	...	Laura Fairlie
Andrew Lincoln	...	Walter Hartright
Susan Vidler	...	Anne Catherick
John Standing	...	Mr. Gilmore
Adie Allen	...	Margaret Porcher
Ian Richardson	...	Mr. Fairlie
James Wilby	...	Sir Percival Glyde
Ann Bell	...	Mrs. Rideout
Anne Etchells	...	Liza
Timothy Carlton	...	Glyde's Lawyer
Simon Callow	...	Count Fosco
Tony Spooner	...	Glyde's Servant
Sean Gleeson	...	Glyde's Servant
Kika Markham	...	Madame Fosco

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Movie Connections:

Version of The Woman in White (1912/I)

Elegant, moody gothic

Although I still prefer the 1948 film version, which is more satisfyingly developed (in spite of an ending that comes out of nowhere), this newer version of Wilkie Collins's mystery has a lot to offer. Tara Fitzgerald and Justine Waddell are excellent as the two very different heroines, and Simon Callow is, as always, delightful (if not as deliciously repulsive as Sidney Greenstreet in this role). The mystery, romance and suspense begin to take a moody, even depressing turn in the second half, but this is still, overall, a satisfying film for fans of gothics, visually compelling and more than a little haunting.