Mar 21, 2010 23:32
tim pigott-smith,
religion,
rupert evans,
literary,
antebellum,
john light,
anna maxwell martin,
lesley manville,
sandy welch,
brendan coyle,
history,
victorian era,
television,
elizabeth gaskell,
sinéad cusack,
richard armitage,
politics,
civil war
Leave a comment
Regarding "Master" - I think this was a very common word for "boss" that got ruined by its use in the institution of slavery. Note in Pride & Prejudice Darcy's housekeeper also calls him "Master."
I read the novel (twice!) after seeing the mini (too many times to count). I think you can see even more of the class differences in the book - firstly the fact that Thornton doesn't really do anything to make Margaret dislike him at first (in the book it's basically because he's in trade). Also when Thornton tells the Hale's his history they seem more horrified that he worked in a draper's shop than anything else.
There are many changes from the book but I do think they serve the visual medium much better (and yes, the kiss at the railway station is a much more romantic moment than any P&P ending I've seen!). Regarding the hurried nature of the last part, that is due to Dickens hurrying the end of Gaskell's serialized story. In the book, Mr. Bell dies too and it's even more rushed, so they did stretch it out somewhat for the mini.
Ditto on the cast. Cusak's performance as Mrs. Thornton brings much more to the character than you get in the book. As a mother of (not grown up yet) sons, I ended up liking her too.
Thanks for the review!
Reply
Leave a comment