Thérèse Raquin

This 1979 adaptation of Émile Zola's chilling 1867 novel may witness a sudden rise in popularity due to the recent death of beloved actor Alan Rickman—a personal favorite of mine—who has a small but visible part as a gleam-eyed famous artist confidante and bar buddy of main character Laurent (Brian Cox), the latter a caddish businessman and wannabe painter who takes up with childhood buddy Camille's (Kenneth Cranham) titular wife Thérèse (Kate Nelligan). Bored and bitchy, Thérèse's marriage of convenience to cousin Camille after growing up as an orphan with he and his mother (Mona Washbourne) is jeopardized when Thérèse and Laurent fall in lust and begin to meet clandestinely and as often as possible…which makes things a bit awkward during Laurent's visits to the family's weekly dominoes gatherings, where mother and Camille often chide Thérèse to be nice to Laurent. Laughing behind everyone's back, the melodramatic couple decides to kill off Camille in a vacation rowing accident. But while everyone believes the story and eventually coaxes them to marry each other, the pair begin to suffer from gnawing guilt, leading to a memorably unsettling conclusion. A delightfully drear and gloomy19th-century BBC period drama, this BAFTA-winning three-part series is recommended. (J. Williams-Wood)