Bleak House (1985)

Dickens' classic tale of the infamous Jarndyce case which has been dragging through the courts for years ruining lives and leaving entire families devastated.Running Time: 420 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR UPC: 794051233523 Product Description

My Favorite Dickens, My Favorite Film Version

There is an excellent 2006 BBC version of BLEAK HOUSE, but the 1985 production is my favorite. I won't compare the two--other than to remark that each version ignores certain plotlines, while emphasizing others. The original story is quite involved, so you really can get away with making major cuts here & there for staging. I will say this, I believe the 1985 version is truer to the spirit of Charles Dickens--that is, comic, over the top characterization...and very compassionate.

At the center of the film is a famous probate/family court case in the London House of Chancery. The case has dragged on for years and at least one party has committed suicide over it, while others have been driven to madness & ruin. It also sparks a murder investigation in which practically everyone is a suspect. Some pretty bleak things indeed--except Dickens presents it all within a funny, satirical framework loaded with melodramatic situations--a literary fashion of the time.

As is often the case in Dickens' stories, the characters bear satirical names that explain their role in the plot. In this proto-crime show there are names like Lord & Lady Deadlock; money grubbers Mr. Krook & his pernacious relative Mr. Smallweed; the evil lawyer/solicitor Mr. Talkinghorn, the solicitor wannabe Mr. Guppy (small fish in a large pond)and so forth.

Some highlights:

Diana Riggs' outstanding performance as Lady Deadlock, a noblewoman with a dark & fatal secret to conceal.

The pathetic, homeless orphan, street-sweeper Joe, constantly harassed by the law to "move on," but who has no place to move on to. In the end Joe becomes a sort of Christ figure. The (true) Christian spirit (or lack of it) is an important theme in BLEAK HOUSE. Before he succumbs to smallpox, the illiterate boy, who blames himself for exposing one of the heroines to his disease, begs that a billboard be made & with giant letters write on it the words, "I'm sorry" so she'll be sure to see it. The actor playing Joe is outstanding.

The element of forgiveness is central to BLEAK HOUSE--an element in most of his work. When the pompous Lord Deadlock rudely learns of his beloved wife's dishonor & disgrace, he suffers a severe stroke and becomes physically dependent on his housekeeper & her son (who treat him with kindness & gentle care.) Even though he is barely able to speak, he forces himself to request of them to "find my lady" and to tell her, "All is forgiven...nothing changed or altered...all is forgiven."

When Esther meets her mother for the first time, the guilt-ridden woman falls at the feet of her daughter saying, "Forgive, forgive...please forgive."

The cunning & slightly insipid Mr. Guppy also spiritually benefits from his association with the true Christian Esther. He realigns his priorities and matures from "being on the make" into a less selfish, upright man.

Another interesting thematic concept of the novel that is more evident in the 1985 version is the fact that it is women who most accurately reflect the Christian spirit, and it is the female characters who actively motivate the plot. This has some interesting implications.

Towards the end of the film, the ward & housekeeper Esther must go on a journey in search of her mother who is herself on a sort of Calvalry mission before she dies. Within the course of one evening, Esther experiences scenes of utter human desolation & despair that brought to mind the lighter transitional journey of Scrooge in A CHRISTMAS CAROL.

Dickens lampoons the idle rich & the false religion of "do gooders" who preach to the poor, but seldom offer any real help or assistance to them. He often went on all night walks through London and interacted with the night people--and you can see the literary results in BLEAK HOUSE.

A final thought: BLEAK HOUSE the novel and both film versions has one of the saddest scenes in literature or drama. The poor, mad little Miss Flight keeps dozens of canaries in her squalid one room hovel. She herself is the product of a failed law case. She names her birds Sadness, Want, Decay, Envy, Greed. etc. She has placed her hopes in the eventual success of the two young wards of the central probate case--and, of course, names two of the birds accordingly. In the end she sees the destruction of these desperate dreams & she lets all her canaries fly away into the dingy London smog.

PS. Charles Dickens was a fascinating personality, a genius who could speak to all classes of society. Not only did he write wonderful novels, he very successfully performed them in 1-man shows in England, Continental Europe & the United States.

Charles Dickens: A Pictorial Biography
The Charles Dickens Collection (Oliver Twist / Martin Chuzzlewit / Bleak House / Hard Times / Great Expectations / Our Mutual Friend)
The Mystery of Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens (Chesterton's Biographies) April 8, 2008

terrific version--couldn't be better

while there is a newer version of which i have not seen, this version is truly captivating. i have not quite finished the series as i write this, but felt i needed to add to the volley of voices which speak of a better version.

in this definitive set of episodes, the great queen of darkened drama, the avenging angel, the one and only dame diana rigg, she born of a noble and aristocratic face and voice, is a delicious marvel to watch. her face is a shielded mirror of the conflicting emotions whcih propel the plot. these conflicts grip her as she is challenged; its beauty shows in her progress of character in the classic dickensian way. in addition, denholm elliot shows a humanity filled with such warmth and kindness, it breaks the heart. as the story unfolds, it shows his hand with such a lovely gentleness.

his ward, the lovely ada, is played with a lightness and quiet that rarely is seen on today's screen. her sensitivity to her plight as an orphan, her contentedness and grace is a gift to the dvd.

in short, all of the characters are well-casted with the added benefit of a cinematographer who captures the rawness and cruelty that dicken's was obsessed with--the wealthy only owe their privilege to their birthright, whereas the poor are separated from a humanity which ought to be theirs only by injustice.

this version also speaks volumes as reagards the tuly evil and heinous creatures: those religious hypocrites whose false spirituality condemns them by their unbelievable ignorance, sheer selfishness and cruelty.

what a treat this film is-- March 21, 2007

Bleaker than the 2006 PBS version

This earlier production of Dicken's Bleak House is not quite as good as the PBS production which was televised in 2006; but it is, nevertheless, a very good dramatization of this classic Dicken's novel. March 12, 2007

Not as good as the 2005 release.

I wasn't familiar with the story prior to watching the DVD. While this one is well done, I found it left some unfilled gaps. The 2005 release seemed to do a better job of providing that background.

I did find it hard to follow the dialog with the various dialects of the characters, so I wanted to use subtitle. Alas! Subtitles are not enabled on DVDs in this series (BBC white covers). I switched from viewing the DVD via the component connection to viewing via the coax "VCR" connection. That allowed me to take advantage of the television's closed captioning capabilities. However, I had to sacrifice picture quality. January 26, 2007

Dickens

This is a must for Dickens fans. Great story about estate and probate litigation gone crazy. January 11, 2007

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