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Bleak House

2005, Movie, NR, 465 mins

Bleak House: Review

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Regarded by scholars as the first English detective thriller, this British TV-miniseries version of Dickens' serialized novel is more like a Greek tragedy with the gods recast as implacable judges and lawyers. The probate case of Jarndyce v. Jarndyce has languished at the Chancellery for a good part of the 19th century. Without an inviolable will at hand, only attorneys like Mr. Tulkinghorn (Charles Dance) can profit from the contested claims. Philanthropic John Jarndyce (Denis Lawson) has washed his hands of the case, because his beloved uncle had shot himself after realizing his inherited windfall was a pipe dream. At his estate, Bleak House, John does give refuge to Ada Clare (Carey Mulligan) and Richard Carstone (Patrick Kennedy), two potential heirs, and to Ada's orphaned companion, Esther Summerson (Anna Maxwell Martin). Tulkinghorn's client, wealthy Lord Leicester Dedlock (Timothy West) and Lady Dedlock (Gillian Anderson), regard the suit as more of a nuisance than a legal necessity. Among those caught in the slow grinding wheels of jurisprudence are a penniless claimant, Miss Flyte (Pauline Collins); a mysterious document copier, Nemo (John Lynch); a miserly pawnbroker, Smallweed (Phil Davis); and an eager-beaver court clerk named Guppy (Burn Gorman). Always on the prowl for power, Tulkinghorn takes notice of Lady Dedlock's interest in the handwriting of one document. To gain an advantage, Tulkinghorn identifies the author of the script as Nemo and delves into the life and times of this once-decorated officer. Expiring from opium addiction, Nemo leaves behind a bundle of love letters. Do the missives relate to an affair between a dashing office and a headstrong noblewoman who bore him a child out of wedlock? When Tulkinghorn meets with foul play, Inspector Bucket (Alun Armstrong) has no shortage of suspects ranging from the humble to the high-born. Whodunit is not as important as who will be ruined by the ensuing scandal. In keeping with the grimness of the plot, scriptwriter Andrew Davies downplays the humorous elements of Dickensian caricature in favor of more naturalistic portraits. As Dickens' genius shines through the clamorous dark world of illegitimate births, drug addiction, blackmail and murder, directors Justin Chadwick and Susanna White propel Davies' potent adaptation to a cathartic climax. leave a comment --Robert Pardi
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