Wives and Daughters

This is quite simply an exceptional piece of television theater which the BBC has justifiably gained a world wide reputation for. An outstanding cast bring to life a riveting story of ,intrigue, loyalty, and romance which will delight and enthral all devotee's of the costume drama.

A treasure, really. I enjoy films portraying this period, but this is above all my favorite. The acting is incredibly touching. I was in awe with the portrayal of the story throughout its entirety.

Waddell portrayed the character of Molly so well, it made me ache for her. Her obvious childishness throughout the movie makes her eventual development so much more satisfying. She is one of the best dynamic characters I have seen on film. Paterson is all at once likable, firm, loving to his daughter, annoying, and trustworthy. Truly a real characters, full of depth, intricacies, and idiosyncrasies.

This movie reads like an excellent, cozy book. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys excellent acting and reading fine literature.

I found this mini-series extremely entertaining. The acting was excellent. Michael Gambon was particularly outstanding. Justine Waddell did a wonderful job with Molly. She could have been an insufferable prig, but Justine brought such sincerity and vulnerability to her that you took her to your heart. Francesca Annis touched all the right buttons with her characterisation of the social climbing wife and Bill Paterson's wry humour and warmth made his relationship with Molly all the more realistic. Every role was well performed and no-one struck an artificial note. The settings, of course, were superb. How can you fail with the wonderful wealth of historic houses and the countryside available in England. The costumes,too, were excellent. No detail was missed. This series is one you can watch several times and still find new facets in the characterisations. PLEASE let us have more of this quality. Highly recommended.

The BBC TV miniseries Wives and Daughters (1999) was directed by Nicholas Renton. It's based on the novel written by Elizabeth Gaskell (1810 - 1865). Mrs. Gaskell's work was fairly well know in the 19th Century, but she faded into obscurity until the mid-20th Century. Now critics--particularly feminist critics--have brought her work back into view. The BBC has produced miniseries of three of her novels--this one, Cranford, and North and South.

Although written in 1865, the novel is set in rural England in the 1830's. This was before railroads became the dominant transportation system in England. Horses and stagecoaches were the standard form of transportation. That's where the BBC comes into its own--BBC directors love horses, dogs, sheep, cows, etc. The BBC really knows how to make modern England look like pre-Victorian England.

Although Mrs. Gaskell wrote a generation after Jane Austen, her novels deal with similar situations. Wives and Daughters shows us a strong, intelligent, attractive woman who needs to marry someone who will acknowledge her excellent qualities.

The problem is that her widower father marries a woman who also has a daughter. Although Molly (Justine Waddell) is attractive, her step sister Cynthia (Keeley Hawes) is extraordinarily beautiful. Men come to court Molly, but it's love at first sight when they see Cynthia. That's the basic plot, but there are many ramifications, secrets, and unexpected twists.

As usual, the BBC has assembled an excellent ensemble cast. I was particularly impressed by Waddell and Hawes. Francesca Annis as the-- somewhat--evil stepmother, and Michael Gambon as Squire Hamley were both outstanding. (Sir Michael is alive and well, but he's no longer young. What will the BBC do without him?)

I really enjoyed this miniseries. Because it was made for TV it works well on the small screen. Wives and Daughters has an outstanding IMDb rating of 8.1. I thought that it was even better than that, and rated it 9.

P.S. Sadly, Mrs. Gaskell died just before completing the novel. That means that the BBC had to invent the final chapter. I think they did a good job with that, although we can never know.

The BBC is well known for its high quality costume dramas and this is one of the best in recent years. Elizabeth Gaskell is not an author that I was familiar with except for her usually being known as 'Mrs. Gaskell', which immediately makes her work offer the prospect of being a bit staid. Well not a bit of it! This production is intelligent, witty and thoroughly charming throughout. When it was shown as a serial, I couldn't wait for the next episode! Every member of the cast is exceptional, but special praise for Justine Waddell and Francesca Annis. I defy anybody not to become thoroughly involved in the story of Molly and her family/friends. Elizabeth Gaskell never finished the novel, sadly dying before its completion, but I feel certain that she would have wholeheartedly approved of the BBC's ending which is absolutely heartwarming! Even if you dislike period drama, I urge you to give this one a try, I know that my DVD copy will be getting a lot of use in the coming years - many thanks BBC!