Middlemarch Review
Impressive acting undergirds this three-cassette, six-hour BBC adaptation of George_Eliot's great 19th century novel -Middlemarch. Heading the cast is Juliet_Aubrey, a dark-haired beauty who brings intelligence, sensitivity, and vulnerability to her portrayal of the idealistic Dorothea Brooke. As the plot intertwines the fortunes of her character with those of other characters, her convincing performance anchors the film and sets high standards. Her co-star, Douglas_Hodge, meets those standards in his portrayal of Tertius Lydgate, a reform-minded physician in a town of square-toed traditionalists. While presenting Lydgate as a man of integrity and compassion, Hodge projects enough weakness to make his character fully human, capable of wronging a friend and failing to perceive the flaws in others. Another actor who performs with distinction is Robert_Hardy as Arthur Brooke. Playing Brooke must have been a challenge for him, for he had to convey a mixture of competing qualities. Outwardly, Brooke is benevolent and upstanding; inwardly, he is coldly indifferent to the plight of the poor and hostile to efforts to bring about social and political reform. Hardy's performance captures the whole of Brooke, giving viewers a chilling glimpse of the kind of "civic- minded" citizen who populates the Middlemarches of every age. As one would expect with a BBC production, cast members in supporting and minor roles also perform competently as they recite dialogue that is often taken verbatim from the novel. Although most of the action in the film takes place in parlors, gardens, libraries, law offices, and sick rooms, the drama nevertheless moves briskly, thanks to good writing and film editing and to the scheming and intrigue that build suspense. Mike Cummings, Rovi
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