Set in the late 19th century, this adaptation of Wilkie Collins' mystery thriller is a slowly unraveling nightmare that reveals a dark world of powerful and dangerous men. A young drawing master, Mr. Hartright (Andrew Lin... more »coln), is hired by the fretful Mr. Fairlie (Ian Richardson) to teach his two nieces, Marian (Tara Fitzgerald) and Laura (Justine Waddell). On his way to their house, Hartright is startled by a mysterious encounter with a ghostly woman dressed in white. When he meets Fairlie's nieces, he is struck by Laura's resemblance to the woman in white, and tells Marian and Laura of the ethereal woman. Determined to learn all they can about the woman in white, the girls find themselves drawn into a vortex of secrets, crime and treacherous involvement with the fascinating, but sinister, Count Fosco (Simon Callow).« less
Kendra M. (KendraM) from NASHVILLE, TN Reviewed on 3/6/2008...
No, this is not a faithful adaptation, but it is a very good adaptation. As this is a Masterpiece Theatre production, there is an introduction and a conclusion that is included, but not part of the actual film. The conclusion explains why so much of the novel was left out and explains some important plot points of the novel that were excluded from the film. This includes the the "Paris scene" as one reviewer distressingly noted--which ties up the loose ends concerning Count Fosco.
Noting that they wanted to make a 2 hour film, they did a superb job. And, really, this film would be more fun if you haven't read the book so please don't let that deter you if you haven't read the book. Actually, if you haven't read the book, I'd suggest you see the film first. That will make you go out and want to read the book immediately-- and you won't be disappointed with either!
The first two-thirds of this movie was very good; the last, superb. I thought the casting was good although, admittedly, Count Fosco was an odd choice. Still, it worked-- he had an immense amount of charm, and and immense amount of evil-- the only thing that he lacked was his immense weight.
I thought the script and the casting were perfect. Maybe the only thing that faltered a bit was the direction and I'm not certain as to what could have been better. After the climactic moment at the asylum (which completely caused chills), however, I found no fault at all in the director's work. I usually enjoy these productions a bit more than my husband and he found this film to be a five-star.
2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Movie Reviews
Impossible to Reconcile the Violently Negative Reviews with
Richard L. Scheer | Beaumont, Texas USA | 10/06/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I find it unusual that the reviews of this movie are so skewed at the very ends of the continuum of great to horrible. Whenever this happens, I am tempted to see the movie and judge for myself. That is what I suggest to viewers here. I have both read the book and seen the movie, and I, unusually it seems, like both. I obviously do not require pedantic faithfulness to the book in order to have a resulting good story.
It would take a lengthy mini-series to present this story as Wilkie Collins wrote it, and it is a magnificent book, in conception as well as in execution. It is written from the perspective of several characters in the book, and the differing viewpoints and their presentations are remarkably well done by Collins. The Moonstone may be the more popular of the two books, but Collins himself recognized the literary grandeur of The Woman in White, noting his authorship of it, not of The Moonstone, on his tombstone.
It would be immensely difficult, in my opinion, and probably would cost too much, to bring the book faithfully to the movie or television screen. This version is as good as we are likely to see, and, again in my opinion, this is a good version. If one has not read the book, and, as a practical matter, I think most viewers will not have, one will find this a compelling story, well told and uniformly well acted. Why should not those who have not read the book become familiar with Collins and this story and be entertained by it -- even if it is not entirely, or even largely, faith to the book? After all, there are many books that are not faithfully brought to production, but that does not necessarily mean that the story, as revised to fit time and pecuniary restraints of production, will not be entertaining. This story is.
So try it for yourself, even if you have read the book, and judge for yourself. Whenever I see such emotionally negative reviews, and when they are so intensely stated, resulting in so obviously distorted a view of the subject movie, I wonder if there is a reason, such as a somewhat narrow and tiresome attempt at display of learning (e.g., the reviewer, among few others sufficiently erudite, knows that this movie is quite different from the book), that accounts for the negativism, with no thought being given to the entertainment value of the movie, which should be the primary criterion of review."
The worst adaptation of this great novel
Stan Brown | Macon, Georgia | 05/06/2004
(1 out of 5 stars)
"If you know absolutely nothing about Wilkie Collins's novel, you might like this movie--although even so, you would likely be irritated by the late 20th-century suspense movies cliches forced back on this tale of the 19th century. (...) If you do know Collins's great, complex novel, this movie will break your heart, because the plot is so reduced and simplified and altered that you get only the barest glimmer of it. I wish the 1970s BBC miniseries, which aired on Masterpiece Theatre in 1982, would be released on video or DVD. That miniseries had 5 hour-long episodes and was really excellent."
Tara Fitzgerald Fans Love it. Others Beware.
Tsuyoshi | Kyoto, Japan | 07/27/2001
(3 out of 5 stars)
"After watching the superb adaptation of "Moonstone," another entry in Mobil Masterpiece Theatre, it is a disappointment to find that this version of "The Woman in White" could not do the same job. From the first, there was two difficulties to be overcome. One is the casting of the two leading ladies, Marian and Laura, and as far as this point is concerned, this film is successful. Tara Fitzgerald is ideal for the strong-willed Marian, and Jusine Waddell fits in fairy-like personality of Laura though Simon Callow's Count Fosco is sorely miscast (and his speech sounds too British to me) Now the second problem comes next: how can you visualize the complex plot of the original book, which has more than five major narrators? The filmmaker tried to solve the problem by making the whole story as Marian's, and Marian's relationship with her half- sister Laura is stressed. The decision is not a bad one, considering the considerable Tara Fitzgerald's presence and her reliable acting. However, in order to emphasize this point of view, the film introduces too many unnecessary changes that only distract the viewers (especially, those who had read the book). For instance, the hero Walter is "dismissed" from the country house being disgraced by a scandal instead of willingly leaving there as he does in the book. And Walter, unwillingly leaving her house, warns Laura, his love, against the danger that he believes is coming, but as no clue as to the nature of this danger is revealed, we are only left unconvinced about it. As if to justfy his words, this danger soon comes in the shape of Sir Percival and Count Fasco, and hurriedly their secret mission is implied and detected by the sisters, but as the film desperately attempts to stress this danger and the psychological warfare between Marian & Laura vs Percival & Fosco, the second half of the second film has totally transformed itself into different work, which is filled with gunshot, poison, a fall from a tower, and so on. Consequently, though many memorable moments of Collins' original book survive on the screen (such as an encounter with "the Woman in White," a meeting at boathouse, Marian's overhearing secrets in the rain, and burning of a local chapel), they had become only a disjointed series of set-pieces. And it is very strange that the famous scene in Paris is deleted from the ending! To be fair, the suspence and revenge drama is performed pretty well, so if you don't know the original story, you will be drawn into it. But if you remember the thrilling development of the Wilkie Collins classic, you might feel different way."
Exceptionally poor - a better version exists
Lit Vid Fan | MADISON, WI United States | 09/05/2006
(1 out of 5 stars)
"The 1998 version pales in comparison with the unavailable 1978/1982 BBC version with the exceptional Alan Badel as the evil Count Fosco. Beware purchasing this as the Ian Richardson version, because Ian Richardson was in both versions. If you must get a copy of "The Woman in White" right now, then order the 1998 version. Otherwise, write, e-mail, call, march and picket WGBH, BBC America and BBC England and lobby them to make the 1982 version available. The earlier version was produced in five 55 minute segments and was an oustanding piece of work.
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This can be enjoyed as a movie inspired by Wilkie Collin's w
z hayes | TX | 04/23/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If you are a purist or someone who cannot bear to see a favorite book chopped up when translated onto the big screen, then this movie will offend your sensibilities. However, if it is taken as a movie inspired by Wilkie Collins' The Woman In White, or as a very loose adaptation, then one might perhaps enjoy it, as I certainly did.
The story here [I am not going to compare it to the novel for there are many liberties taken with it in this movie version] centers around a pair of half-sisters who share a very close bond with each other - Marian [Tara Fitzgerald] is poor, and her sister Laura [Justine Waddell] is rich due to an inheritance from her mother. They both live with their decrepit eccentric uncle, Mr Fairlie [Ian Richardson] who has engaged a tutor for the girls, a Mr Walter Hartright [Andrew Lincoln] who immediately forms a close attachment to Laura. However, this attachment doesn't go very far for Laura is engaged to Sir Percival Glyde [James Wilby] who simpers and appears eager to please.
Amidst this setting, enters a mysterious character, a woman in white who appears at first to Mr Hartwright as he is walking to Mr Fairlie's estate at night, and then to the sisters. She turns out to be Anne Catherick [Susan Vilder] an escapee from an insane asylum who seems mentally unstable but passes cryptic comments that pique the interest of the sisters and Mr Hartwright. She alludes to a secret about Sir Glyde, but when confronted, he offers up convincing excuses.
The plot gets more complicated and events turn more sinister when Mr Hartwright is sent off packing by a scandal involving a servant, protesting his innocence all the way. Laura marries Sir Percival, and when Marian goes to the Glyde estate to await them after their honeymoon, she is greeted by a wan and taciturn Laura, who seems fearful of her new husband. Matters get worse when a sinister figure called Count Fosco [Simon Callow] arrives as Sir Percival's guest and after that events take one malignant turn after another. It is left to Marian to put the pieces of the puzzle together and get to the bottom of things, all centred around the woman in white, Anne Catherick and her cryptic remarks.
The story as it unfolds here is riveting - the plot is well-written [if you stop comparing it to the novel, and provide for the time constraint, where the 500+ book is squeezed into a 2 hr movie] and the acting is above average. Though Tara Fitzgerald is a bit too pretty to play the role of Marian, she is very convincing in her role as the determined, and bold sister who attempts to solve the mystery despite all odds. Justine Waddell who has made a career of playing period roles, from the tragic Tess in Tess of the D'urbervilles and also in Wives and Daughters, is also convincing as the naive and trusting Laura. I also thought Susan Vidler's Anne Catherick to be intriguing and well-portrayed, conveying a truly tragic and sad character. Adie Allen's servant turned housekeeper turned mistress of her own home, Margaret Porcher was well-done indeed, convincingly portraying the transformation of her character from servile to malignant.
The men are not altogether memorable, and I feel that here it was a bit of a letdown for the character of the Count especially. He was a truly malignant character in the book, yet here we don't really see that development all that clearly, and Simon Callow seems to be a bit insipid in his portrayal of the ruthless Count. James Wilby is oily enough as Sir Percival Glyde and Ian Richardson is actually quite a scene stealer in his portrayal of the decrepit, fussy uncle. But on the whole, it is the female actors who bring depth to the story.
The sets are wonderful, and the cinematography is well-done. The lighting and other technical elements serve to heighten the atmosphere, providing a lush and suitably sinister backdrop to a gothic story of suspense and evil.
I liked this retelling of the classic and though it does not do justice to Wilkie Collin's masterpiece, this is definitely a movie that can be enjoyed on its own merits and taken as an inspired take on the classic tale."