Benutzerrezensionen

I found this to be a beautifully told, riveting story. It is certainly a slow burn so if you require fast-passed action this may not be what you are looking for.

Alias Grace is an example of thoughtful and deliberate storytelling. It presents the life experiences of Grace Marks (Sarah Gadon) as she shares her story with Dr Simon Jordan. Throughout the six-part miniseries, you are meant to consider whether she is culpable for the murders for which she was accused. Sarah Gadon gives a powerful, understated performance that draws you in. Her nuanced portrayal made me more interested in watching the development of her character than learning whether she had committed the murders.

I have read some reviews in which Alias Grace was criticized for being feminist propaganda which presented the male characters as predatory and the society in which Grace lived as patriarchal. I certainly agree that the series provided commentary on sexism and classism. But I think one should keep in mind that it's a historical piece set largely in 1840-1850.

A little history of Ontario, Canada: * In 1884, married women received the same legal rights as men to enter into legal agreements and buy property. * In 1917, women were granted the right to vote. * In 1928, the Supreme Court determined that the term "persons" in the British North America Act did not include women. This was appealed in 1929 and women became people under the act.

So ... Personally, I'm quite comfortable with the series' commentary on sexism and the presentation of the experiences of the female characters. If you aren't considered a person under the law, naturally it will reflect how you are treated in society.

Great atmospheric period piece. I stuck with all of the episodes, though it was a little slow at times in the middle section. Exploring women during the 1800s - what it means to be feminine, what constitutes mental illness, how a female may (or may not have) committed a murder and why - those are all very interesting topics. The series spends a lot of time in the psychology of it with conversations between Grace and the doctor charged with deciding if she's still a danger to society. But because Grace has reasons to hold back her feelings and memories, she's a bit of an unreliable narrator, and I do find that hard to feel things for a main character who may or may not be telling the truth, because you don't know what's genuine and what's not.

What a well made, superbly acted and completely fascinating series this turned out to be. A true life murder is always interesting but the details here are not too well known like Lizzie Borden's story. An Irish maid emigrates to Canada but gets caught up and convicted of the murder of her employer and housekeeper. The psychological and emotional insights are so well incorporated they ring true. The dialog is such that you listen for every word though some of the accents are a bit thick.

Acting is superb. Sarah Gadon is luminous and perfectly cast. Deserves an Emmy. Her facial expressions are just right for the complexities of the role. Anna Paquin is good too in a difficult role. Zachary Levi is kind and surprisingly not out of place in the time period. The supporting cast are good too.

The directing is precise and shows you what you need for the story. The horrific and painful parts of the story are such that it could not have been shown in such detail if it was adapted many years ago. What a perfect balance of beauty and horror.

The series is 6 episodes. Just the right length - neither too long to have any draggy moments or too short to feel short changed in any way. This series shows CBC more than matching the best BBC can produce.

This six-episode miniseries is an exquisitely shot piece that features a standout lead actress performance. Alas, after a strong beginning it sort of just fades into "good" territory when it seemingly could have elevated to "great".

For a very basic overview, Alias Grace (based on the Margaret Atwood novel of the same name) tells the story of Grace Marks (Sarah Gadon), a woman in 1840s Canada imprisoned for the murder of Nancy Montgomery (Anna Paquin). Psychologist Dr. Jordan (Edward Holcroft) takes an interest in her case and conducts a series of interviews to determine if her conviction is legitimate or based on faulty confessions/evidence. Through these interviews, Grace reflects on much of her past, filling in key backstories until getting to the "true story" of the murder itself.

The main reason Alias Grace leaves a bit of a mark in the streaming landscape is because it is so impeccably shot by Brendan Steacy. The images here are incredibly crisp, clean, and often haunting.

It of course helps to have Gadon's otherworldly performance as Grace. An award-worthy role, to be sure. One can't help but get swept away by her saga, as she displays such a wide range of emotions (often simply from her facial expressions and eyes) from beginning to end.

The limiting factor of Alias Grace, however, is that the miniseries does not end as strong as it begins. For the first two episodes (8/10 stars by me), it shows real promise as an engaging murder mystery and enlightening tale of female misunderstanding and abuse. But then, three 7/10 episodes roll by that are only visually (not plot) exciting before the finale claws back to 8-star range. The biggest problem? The show relies too much on the resolution of the murder mystery and not quite enough on the more interesting character intrigue/arcs.

It is quite possible that even at six episodes, Alias Grace is a little long in the tooth (at very least for what director Mary Harron wanted to focus on). It isn't a bad watch by any means, but the promise of the initial episodes sort of squeaks away like air out of a faulty balloon.

The series is great until the very end, when they rushed it and pretty much ruined everything by leaving no satisfactory conclusion nor resolution. I loved the main character, she makes such a great psycho on moments with her comments. Her storytelling is compelling, like Scheherazade she's buying her time seducing the listener. Pity the ending was not a bit more meaningful.

Very well written and brilliantly acted. Sarah Gadon is amazing. The story was told in an interesting way, and Grace's journey made me uncomfortable and tense quite often. That is until the last couple of episodes. All tension went away, things all of sudden appear rushed/forced, especially the last episode.

Could have been a 10/10. Worth watching though.

The main actress was superb in this gripping drama. It was so good, I watched all the episodes back to back. (all in one night) A very entertaining mystery, thriller, did she do it? who knows.

Since it was based on truth, from 1843 the research on this must have been difficult.

A little bit slow and not really clear ending. Acting is good and I really like the characters

I found this wonderful series by accident on Netflix. When I saw that Sarah Gadon was staring in it I knew I had to watch it. I have loved watching her movies since I saw her in Cosmopolis. When I saw the great director David Cronenberg was acting in it too. I knew I had to watch. I was not disappointed.

The story was very compelling and kept my interested through out the series. I have to say I would recommend this to anyone that like a crime, historical, or mystery type movie.

There are many good things about this, especially in the first half. The characters are well played. In the end, however, I was unsatisfied. It was as if there was a rush to be done with it all. Not a lot of depth in the last couple of episodes.

Very much like in her "Handmaid's Tale" Margaret Atwood's heroin Grace is an intelligent low class woman that know better what she should say or not for the sack of her survival. Truth is given in small doses, and with lots of compassion poured in to the naive Dr's ears .He who is so eager to help yet so blind to the exploitation and abuse of working class woman.

Grace inner voice is strong and true. Also she has no control over her life, she is not broken. I often think that is the greatest sin of woman of her kind in the eyes of society.

The last episode ruined it for me - I loved the series otherwise - and it made me regret having wasted time watching it. I don't mind when a series leaves you guessing at the end - Sopranos for example. But this ending was so confusing, in so many respects. The doctor banging the landlady (on the hard floor, both fully clothed) and then horribly insulting her immediately upon conclusion - what did that have to do with anything, and what was the point. (I didn't mark this as a spoiler, because, as I said, it had nothing to do with anything.) And several other similar idiotic incidents which I won't cite, to avoid spoining.

I am somewhat sate of all these flashy trailers that leave me breathing air through my mouth and then i realize i've fallen for the same old marketing trick.

Like many others that probably watched this show, i myself have not read the book, nor do i intend to because it just leaves me questioning so many different aspects of this book/show that i never thought i would be questioning.

What i expected was a psychologically disturbed pathological liar that got away with killing and manipulating more than five people in her favor, what i got was a bible study of the feminist mind and her hot 50 year old master. He is hot, stop denying it.

The last two episodes should or could have been so much more but they never culminated for me it just went up, up and then down down and flatlined.

I have the feeling we are probably missing a lot of backstory. Nevertheless i think the show was good...maybe. Let's leave it to god shall we?

Most of the seven stars I've given this are for the excellent period detail, cinematography, and production design, which helped keep me watching when the endless scenes of sewing started to become wearisome.

This piece is slow-moving. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, if the dialogue is top-notch and the directing assured. Here, unfortunately, we are treated to scene after scene of two people sitting in a room while one talks (and sews, and sews, and sews) and the other listens. This gives way to a voice-over which narrates the central storyline in the form of flashbacks - an uninspired device which also tests ones patience after a while.

If the story was gripping, or at least told with more inspired directing, it would be a rewarding experience, as it is certainly very well made. Unfortunately, each flashback lasts just long enough to begin to arouse one's interest before lurching awkwardly back to the talking and the sewing - effectively destroying any build-up of tension.

Sadly, one thing that seriously challenged my ability to become immersed was the casting of Anna Paquin, whose facial gurning and increasing resemblance to Val Kilmer (as both their faces grow ever wider) was distracting, and her ill-fitting presence made the whole thing feel consciously like a TV show. Overall it's worth a watch, but could be so much better with more inspired writing and directing.

Wonderfully acted with beautiful sets and of course, a superb script. Unfortunately, Atwood's words are sometimes at the mercy of tepid pacing made worse by gratuitous and flowery music, a device often used by filmmakers to compensate for lack of dynamics in the direction. While Sarah Gadon's performance is a wonder, she often speaks with such rapid-fire mumbling as to obscure the words she is speaking. I found myself watching about 10 minutes at a time, often with subtitles, before my brain began tuning out. It all begins to be a bit of a drag by episode 3. The superb script by Polley from Atwood's words deserves a bit more meat on the bones of the direction. As it is, "Alias Grace" is worth watching if you can forgive the uncomfortable, frustrating moments, of which there are too many.

Very underrated mini series Should be more than 8.5

although they've much improved, i always was a bit disappointed in Canadian productions but this is first class...from my humble perspective...i'm impressed with it's sophistication and intelligence...lots of soul.... cheers to the actors and those built into the foundation of this lovely tapestry.....go Canada..........now please don't tell me it's really an American production :):)