Bleak House

A seemingly interminable lawsuit has mid-19th century English high society all atwitter, with its labyrinthine complications enveloping a good many people. Among them is a brittle beauty, Lady Dedlock (Gillian Anderson), who guards a dark secret that makes her vulnerable to Tulkinghorn (Charles Dance), an unscrupulous, scheming lawyer. In recent decades Charles Dickens' Bleak House has become recognized as the true progenitor of the classic detective novel (an honor previously bestowed upon Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone), and in every way this marvelous BBC drama does justice to the original story, structuring it like an old-fashioned movie serial with 15 episodes (all but one a half-hour in length). The novel's enormous “cast” has been retained and screenwriter Andrew Davies (who scripted the definitive Pride & Prejudice miniseries) has done an admirable job of giving the various characters their proper prominence in the narrative—something that could never have been accomplished in a two-hour feature film. The acting is pitch perfect, with Anderson (unrecognizable to fans of her X-Files' character Dana Scully) and Dance being particularly effective. In addition, the period décor has been meticulously captured and careful lighting enhances the vaguely gothic atmosphere that lends a creepy feel to the tale. Aired on Masterpiece Theatre, this elaborate production is a triumph from beginning to end and will doubtless be as well received on this side of the Atlantic as it has been in England. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (E. Hulse)[Blu-ray Review—May 26, 2009—BBC, 3 discs, 465 min., not rated, $49.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2006's Bleak House (Special Edition) sports a solid transfer and includes English 2.0 Stereo sound. Blu-ray extras on this special edition include three separate audio commentary tracks (with writer Andrew Davies, producer Nigel Stafford-Clark, and directors Justin Chadwick and Susanna White), interviews with costars Denis Lawson (20 min.), Gillian Anderson (17 min.), and Charles Dance (17 min.), and a photo gallery. Bottom line: a fine Blu-ray debut for an excellent version of the Dickens classic.]