"THE TENANT OF WILDFELL HALL" (1996) ReviewI cannot count the number of times I have seen either movie or television adaptations of either Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel, "Jane Eyre" or Emily Brontë's novel of the same year, "Wuthering Heights". There was also a third sister who was also a novelist, namely Anne Brontë. She had also written a famous novel. Published in 1848, it was titled "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall".Despite the novel's success upon its publication, the reputation of "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" seemed to have faded over the years . . . to the point that many literary critics had developed a dismissive attitude toward it by the early 20th century. However, the novel's reputation has grown considerably during the last decades of the 20th century. Although there have been references to Brontë's novel during this later period, there have been only two on-screen adaptations of the novel by the BBC - a four-part miniseries in 1968 and a three-part miniseries in 1996. I have yet to see the 1968 production, but I have seen the more recent miniseries at least three times. After my latest viewing, I decided to write a review."THE TENANT OF WILDFELL HALL" begins with the arrival of a mysterious woman in black named Mrs. Helen Graham and her young son Arthur at Wildfell Hall, an Elizabethan manor located in Yorkshire. Helen is determined to establish an independent existence as an artist in order to support herself and Arthur. Due to her aloof and blunt manner, her new neighbors become determined to pry into her private life and learn everything about her. Only one neighbor, an attractive local farmer named Gilbert Markham manages to befriend her. But when Helen becomes aware of the growing attraction between her and Gilbert, she decides to reveal the truth about her past. Gilbert learns from reading her diary that she had fled from her husband, who is an alcoholic landowner. He also happens to be an abusive spouse, a womanizer, and a destructive influence on their young son.As far as I know, there have been three previous Brontë productions in which its narratives were conveyed in a non-linear fashion - "WUTHERING HEIGHTS" (1939), "JANE EYRE" (2006) and "JANE EYRE" (2011). However, both Emily and Charlotte Brontë wrote their respective novels with linear narratives. Anne Brontë did not . . . at least for her 1848 novel. The story began from Gilbert Markham's point-of-view in a series of letters to a friend and his diary. The novel's middle narrative shifted from Gilbert to Helen's POV, as Gilbert learns the truth about her background and troubled marriage through the diary she gave him to read. The only difference between Brontë's novel and the 1996 miniseries is that screenwriter David Nokes began the story from Helen's point-of-view with her arrival at Wildfell Hall. Throughout the first episode, the narrative's POV shifted between Helen and Gilbert, with the occasional foray to another supporting character - especially Gilbert's mother or sister. Once the narrative shifted toward Helen's past history with Arthur Huntingdon in the second episode, she became the narrative's sole narrator until the third episode. Many movie and television productions have proven incapable of shifting time periods, let alone narrators with such ease.Yet, there is another aspect of "THE TENANT OF WILDFELL HALL" that I found even more remarkable than its narrative structure - namely the story itself. Do not mistake me . . . I have enjoyed the numerous adaptations of "Wuthering Heights" and "Jane Eyre". But thanks to Anne Brontë's novel and David Nokes' screenplay, I prefer "THE TENANT OF WILDFELL HALL" over the other Brontë adaptations I have seen. I thought Nokes did an excellent job in capturing Brontë's tale about a young woman who had endured a toxic marriage and found herself struggling to put her memories behind her and eventually, facing them. Unlike her sisters Emily and Charlotte, Anne did not appease her readers with some Byronic hero whom the heroine either saves or reunite with in the afterlife. If I may say so, neither Gilbert Markham or Arthur Huntingdon struck me as Byronic. Gilbert struck me as an earthy, hot-tempered and slightly spoiled young man. His acquaintance and eventual romance with Helen forced him to mature. Arthur originally struck me as a dashing rogue, whose wit and managed to win Helen's hand in marriage. Yet, that wit and charm hid unfaithful and at times, vicious drunk who failed to overcome his addiction and insecure nature. We finally have Helen Graham/Huntingdon, whose character arc underwent quite a journey. The story began with a portrayal of Helen as this slightly hard, reserved and blunt woman who seemed leery of forming relations with her new neighbors - including Gilbert. Through the flashbacks from the second and third episodes, audiences learn how Helen had developed from a naive and slightly sanctimonious eighteen-year-old debutante to that blunt and paranoid mother of a five-year-old son.What I truly liked about Anne Brontë's tale is that she did not pull any punches in her portrayal of Helen's experiences as Mrs. Arthur Huntingdon. Nor did she make any attempt to whitewash Helen's fear, sense of betrayal at Arthur's infidelity or her disappointment over her failure to transform him into a better man. What impressed me even further is that screenwriter David Nokes and director Mike Barker did more than justice to Brontë's novel. Both did an excellent job of recapturing trauma Helen must have experienced as a woman trapped in an abusive marriage. I also have to compliment both director and screenwriter for their treatment of Helen's experiences with her new neighbors near Wildfell Hall, as she dealt with their resentment toward her aloof manner and their vicious gossip. And I must admit that I really enjoyed how Helen's relationship with the earthy Gilbert Markham and the lively manner in which they developed from polite neighbors to close friends and potential lovers. More importantly, neither Helen or Gilbert were portrayed as perfect.I must confess that my only issue with the narrative was the ending. Unlike Brontë's novel, it ended with Gilbert erroneously suspecting that Helen had married Frederick Lawrence, her "landlord", following Arthur's death. Mind you, I did not care for that ending, which I found it a shallow and overused trope in many romance stories. David Nokes solved that problem by revealing Mr. Lawrence's true identity by the end of Episode 1. Unfortunately, he also repeated this same trope by having Helen suspect that Gilbert was about to marry his former love interest following her return to Wildfell Hall. Sigh. It was the same minor, yet shallow crap, but with a different character. Oh well . . . nothing is perfect.I have no problems with the production values for "THE TENANT OF WILDFELL HALL", save for one issue. I thought production designer Sarah Greenwood did an excellent job in re-creating the two Yorkshire communities during the 1820s in this miniseries. Daf Hobson's cinematography, Sarah Jane Cornish's art direction and the series' art department certainly added to the authenticity of Greenwood's work. I was especially impressed by Jean Speak's hair and makeup work and Rosalind Ebbutt's costume designs, as shown in the images below:
Needless to say, Greenwood, Hobson, Speak and Ebbutt all earned BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) nominations. Only Speak won. That one issue I had with the three-part miniseries centered around its film. I had no problems with Hobson's photography. But I had a problem with the film stock used for this production. I hate to say this, but I believe the color for the 1996 miniseries is in danger of fading in the coming years, unless the BBC can do something to save it. I wonder what kind of film Hobson or perhaps the BBC used for this production. I have noticed similar problems for other BBC productions during the 1990s.Regardless of Nokes' excellent adaptation and Barker's direction, I feel this production would not have worked without the excellent performances that dominated it. "THE TENANT OF WILDFELL HALL" featured some strong performances from the likes of Kenneth Cranham, Aran Bell, Karen Westwood, and Miranda Pleasance who portrayed Helen's new tight-minded and conservative neighbors. Pam Ferris, Paloma Baeza and Joe Absolom gave first-rate performances as Gilbert's mother and two siblings. James Purefoy seemed to be very solid as Helen's "landlord", Frederick Lawrence. Livelier performances came from those who portrayed Arthur's predatory friends - Sean Gallagher, Jonathan Cake, Cathy Murphy and especially Beatie Edney, whose Annabella Lowborough struck me as deliciously corrupt. Dominic Rowan did an excellent job in portraying the more complicated Lord Lowborough, who proved to be repelled by his friends and wife's behavior. I thought Sarah Bidel gave the most poignant performance as Helen's loyal friend and caregiver, Rachel. Young Master Arthur Huntingdon proved to be the second role in Jackson Leach's short career. Eight to nine years old at the time, I thought he gave an excellent performance as the young Arthur, torn between his parents' influence."THE TENANT OF WILDFELL HALL" not only benefited from a strong supporting cast, but also from superb performances by the three leads. Rupert Graves gave one of his best performances as Helen's alcoholic and abusive husband, Arthur Huntington. What I admired about Graves' performance was that he did not portray Arthur as some one-note villain. His Arthur was charming, witty, romantic, cold, dismissive, manipulative and yes . . . scary. In the end, Graves also managed to convey how pathetic Arthur was at his core. One would think Toby Stephens had it easier as Helen's true love interest, Gilbert Markham. Fortunately, Brontë's portrayal of Gilbert proved to be more complex. The production's casting director had been smart enough to hire a superb actor like Stephens who brought out the best and worst of Gilbert's character without making audiences question Helen's attraction to him. Tara Fitzgerald deserved top honors for her portrayal of the story's protagonist, Helen Graham (aka Huntington). I thought she did a superb job of conveying Helen's emotional journey from a naive debutante who fell in love with the wrong man, to a wiser, yet strong-willed young mother, whose past history with an abusive mother had led her to become somewhat paranoid and brusque with her neighbors. Yet, Fitzgerald also managed to retain Helen's capability for love through the character's relationship with her son and her burgeoning romance with Gilbert. It is a pity that none of the leads - Fitzgerald, Stephens or Graves had received any accolades or nominations for their performances.What else can I say about "THE TENANT OF WILDFELL HALL"? Nothing really. Yes, I found the romantic misunderstanding from the ending a little old and cliched. And yes, I believe the film that the miniseries was shot with in danger of fading. But if I must be brutally honest, I believe this adaptation of Anne Brontë's novel to be one of the best costume productions from the 1990s, let alone the past three or four decades, thanks to David Nokes' screenplay, Mike Barker's direction and a superb cast led by Tara Fitzgerald. Hell, I will go even further and state that this version of "THE TENANT OF WILDFELL HALL" might be my favorite adaptation of any Brontë novel.
"THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES" (1990) ReviewAs a long time reader of Agatha Christie's novels, I have been well aware of her first novel that was published in 1920, namely "The Mysterious Affair at Styles". I read the novel once. But if I must be honest, I never became a fan of it.Due to my lackluster feelings for the novel, it took me a while to watch the television adaptation of it, which aired on ITV's "AGATHA CHRISTIE'S POIROT" back in 1990. But eventually I got around to it and was amazed to discover that it had been the second Christie novel to be adapted as a feature-length film on that series. Another amazing aspect of "THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES" is that it is the first of two or three episodes that was not set during the 1930s decade. In the case of this film, it was set in 1917, during World War I.The movie opens in London with Captain Arthur Hastings on sick leave from military duty. Hastings seemed to be suffering from a mild case of post traumatic stress disorder. An encounter with an old friend named John Cavendish leads him to eagerly accept the latter's invitation to visit his family's estate - Styles - in Essex. During his visit, Hasting's meets John's family:*Emily Inglethorp, John's wealthy stepmother and mistress of Styles*Alfred Inglethorp, her much younger new husband, who is viewed as a fortune hunter*Mary Cavendish, John's wife*Lawrence Cavendish, John's younger brother*Evelyn Howard, Mrs. Inglethorp's companion, who dislikes Mr. Inglethorp*Cynthia Murdoch, the orphaned daughter of a family friendHastings also reunites with an old acquaintance he had met before the war - a Belgian detective named Hercule Poirot, who has become a war refugee. Due to Mrs. Inglethorp's generosity, Poirot has managed to find a place in the nearby village to harbor his fellow Belgian refugees in the area.When the Styles Court's residents wake up to find Mrs. Inglethorp dying of strychnine poisoning, they learn from the local doctor that she had been murdered. Hastings recruits the help of Poirot to investigate the murder. They discover that John Cavendish will automatically inherit Styles Court upon his stepmother's death, due to being the estate's vested Remainderman. His brother Lawrence will also inherit a nice sum of money. However, the income left to Mrs. Inglethorp by the late Mr. Cavendish would be distributed, according to her will. However, Mrs. Inglethorp was heard arguing with a man about his infidelity - either her stepson John or her husband Alfred. She made a new will after the quarrel, but no one can find it. Two suspects would end up falling under the suspicions of the law before Poirot can reveal the murderer."THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES" is the kind of adaptation that most fans of Christie's novel absolutely adore. Due to Clive Exton's script, it is a detailed and nearly faithful adaptation of the novel. And for most moviegoers and television viewers these days, a faithful adaptation to a literary source is very important to the quality of a production. My view on the matter is a bit more ambiguous. It all depends on whether a faithful adaptation translate well to the movie or television screen. In the case of "THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES", I would say that Clive Exton's faithful adaptation served the story rather well. But the only reason I harbor this view is that I cannot think of a way how any change might serve the story. Because honestly? Christie's 1920 novel did not exactly rock my boat. And I can say the same about this television movie."THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES" is not a terrible story. It is a pretty solid tale that made it a little difficult for me to guess the murderer's identity. The story also featured mildly interesting characters that actually left me wondering about their fates. I especially found the stormy marriage between John and Mary Cavendish particularly interesting. And I also found myself scratching my head over Mrs. Inglethorp's marriage to the younger and obviously unlikable Alfred Inglethorp. I had originally assumed that this tale featured the first meeting between Poirot and Hastings. But as it turned out, the two men first met during a murder investigation in Belgium before the war. Pity. Come to think of it, "THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES" did not feature the first meeting between Poirot and Scotland Yard Inspector Japp. They had first met before the war, as well. But the story did feature the first meeting between Hastings and Japp.Okay . . . look. "THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES" is a pretty solid story. It is filled with competent performances from the cast, including David Suchet, Hugh Fraser, and Philip Jackson as Poirot, Hastings and Japp. I was especially impressed by Gillian Barge as Emily Inglethorp, Michael Cronin as Alfred Inglethorp, Joanna McCallum. I was especially impressed by David Rintoul and Beatie Edney as the emotional John and Mary Cavendish. I do have to give kudos to production designer Rob Harris of his re-creation of World War I England and also costume designer Linda Mattock. But in the end, this television adaptation of Christie's story no more wowed me than the 1920 novel did. The most interesting aspects of "THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES" proved to be the World War I setting and that it served as the beginning of Poirot's relationship with both Hastings and Japp.Before one comes away with the idea that I disliked "THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES", I do not. Like I have been stating throughout this review, it is a pretty solid production. I am certain that many "AGATHA CHRISTIE'S POIROT" fans would love this movie, due to screenwriter Clive Exton's faithful adaptation. I liked the movie. But if I must be honest, my true reaction to it was simply - "Eh, not bad."
"THE CLOCKS" (2009) ReviewWhile perusing the list of novels written by Agatha Christie between 1957 and 1973, I noticed that only five of them featured Belgian detective Hercule Poirot as the main detective. Five out of sixteen novels during this period. Considering how the author used to churn out Poirot novels and short stories like nobody's business in the previous decades, I could not help but wonder if the author's interest in the Belgian detective was on the wane.This certainly seemed to be the case for her 1963 novel, "The Clocks". Although Poirot was the investigator who solved the mystery, he barely played a role in this investigation. Major supporting characters like Colin Lamb and Inspector Richard Hardcastle visited the crime scenes and questioned the suspects and other witnesses. They fed the information to Poirot, who exercised his "little grey cells" and solved the case. This is one reason why the 1963 novel was not a particular favorite of mine. Thankfully, the 2009 adaptation of "The Clocks" proved to be a different kettle of fish. Unlike his literary version for this tale, actor David Suchet's Poirot was, without a doubt, the mystery's main character.Although the 2009 television movie, "THE CLOCKS", provided some minor changes to Christie's novel, it also featured two major changes. I have already commented on how Poirot had a bigger role (as he should) in this television adaptation. The setting for "THE CLOCKS" also underwent a major change. Instead of being set during the heyday of the Cold War, the 2010 television movie was set near the end of the 1930s, with Europe (and eventually the rest of the world) on the cusp of World War II. And the narrative's B-plot reflected this. In "THE CLOCKS", the character of Colin Lamb has been changed to Colin Race, conveying the idea that he is the son of of an old friend of Poirot's. And instead of being an MI-5 (Special Branch) agent investigating a pro-Communist spy ring, Colin is a Royal Navy officer working for MI-6 and investigating a possible pro-Nazi spy ring in Dover. Also, the character of Richard "Dick" Hardcastle has become a slightly xenophobic police officer, who resented Poirot's presence in the investigation. Despite these changes, the core of Christie's narrative managed to survive for this adaptation."THE CLOCKS" began as a spy story in which MI-6 operative Colin Race finds himself investigating the theft of classified documents from a naval base at Dover Castle. Apparently, Colin's girlfriend had spotted the thief/German spy, but was killed by a speeding car before she could apprehend the thief. Colin's girlfriend left a clue, leading Colin to a neighborhood in Dover. Upon reaching one house on a street shaped like a crescent, a young woman named Sheila Webb races out of it, screaming that she had found a murdered man inside, along with a collection of clocks. Colin seeks Poirot's help to solve the murder mystery, in case the murder proves to be connected with the spy ring he had been investigating and his girlfriend's death.As I had earlier stated, I am not a big fan of Christie's 1963 novel. While some might find the idea of Poirot being reduced to a minor character who solves the mystery in an armchair rather amusing, I did not. I could not, especially if this was supposed to be a "Poirot" mystery. And as I had earlier pointed out, screenwriter Stewart Harcourt director Charlie Palmer ensured that Poirot would be the main character in this adaptation. I also enjoyed how the narrative allowed Poirot and Colin's search for the spy ring and missing document overshadow their efforts to find the killer responsible for the mystery man's death, along with the deaths of two other characters - Edna Brent, a typist and colleague of Sheila Webb's; and Merlina Riva, a former stage actress who claimed to be the widow of the dead man discovered by Colin and Sheila. Throughout the story, those viewers unfamiliar with Christie's novel might find themselves wondering if Sheila was responsible for the deaths, if the deaths had anything to do with the German spy ring, or if the three victims had been killed for another reason. Overall, I believe "THE CLOCKS" is a solid adaptation of Christie's novel, but also an improvement.However, there is one aspect of Harcourt and Palmer's adaptation that I do not regard as an improvement. I refer to the character of Colin Race. One, this secondary lead character came off as less than intelligent than his literary counterpart. Colin was able to solve the mystery of the spy ring without Poirot's help. And two, in the television movie, he struck me as a slightly shallow man who was able to transfer his affections from one woman to another within a few days. I found this rather tacky. I believe Harcourt's screenplay made the mistake of having Colin involved with the doomed Fiona Hanbury, whose activities led him to another clue regarding the spy ring, at the beginning of the story. Worse, it did not take Colin very long to develop romantic feelings for Sheila Webb after meeting her. And he met Sheila in less than a week after Fiona's death. Even when he was still mourning Fiona's death, he was falling in love with Sheila. Really? This is just tackiness beyond belief. Colin's romantic relationships in this movie made him look like a shallow idiot who seemed to have this need for romance in his life 24/7.The television movie's production values struck me as very impressive. I thought Jeff Tessler's production designs did a great job in recreating Dover circa 1939. His work was ably supported by Miranda Cull's art direction and Sheena Napier's costume designs. I have mixed feelings about Peter Greenhalgh's cinematography. On one hand, I found movie's photography very colorful and beautiful. In fact, I thought it did justice to the production's locations in London and Kent. But I did not care for the hazy veneer that I felt almost spoiled the photography. I found it an unnecessary device for indicating that this story was set in the past. And it reminded me of numerous period dramas in the 1970s that also used this camera device . . . unnecessarily.I certainly had no problems with the movie's cast. David Suchet, as always, gave a sharp and elegant portrayal of Hercule Poirot. In fact, his performance reinforced my relief that the screenwriter and director had given Poirot a bigger presence in this adaptation than in Christie's novel. Despite my irritation with the Colin Race character, I cannot deny that Tom Burke gave an exceptionally skillful performance. He almost made me believe in the plausibility of Colin falling in love with one woman, while still grieving for another. I was very impressed by Jaime Winstone's portrayal of the ambiguous Sheila Webb. I thought she did an excellent job in conveying both the character's desperate need for everyone to believe in her innocence and her occasional lapses in morality. Phil Daniels was excellent as the slightly aggressive and xenophobic Inspector Richard "Dick" Hardcastle. Lesley Sharp gave a very subtle performance as Sheila's no-nonsense boss Miss Martindale. And I was very impressed with Anna Massey's performance as Miss Pebmarsh, the blind owner of the house that contained the dead man and the actress's final role before her death. Like Winstone, Massey did an excellent job of portraying a very complicated and ambiguous character, who was haunted by the deaths of her sons during World War I. The television movie also featured excellent performances from Geoffrey Palmer (father of the director), Tessa Peake-Jones, Jason Watkins, Beatie Edney, Abigail Thaw, Guy Henry, Stephen Boxer, and Frances Barber.In the end, I believe that "THE CLOCKS" was a solid adaptation of Agatha Christie's 1963 novel, thanks to a first-rate script by Stewart Harcourt and first-rate direction by Charlie Palmer. My only true complaint was their handling of the Colin Race character. The television movie also featured excellent performances by a talented cast that included David Suchet, Anna Massey and Jaime Winstone.
