Wives and Daughters
Wives and Daughters
| 28 November 1999 (USA)
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    Reviews
    Hellen

    I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

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    Dynamixor

    The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

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    Skyler

    Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

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    Cheryl

    A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

    retailmonica

    To me, one of the hallmarks of a good movie is when I forget myself, and feel apart of the world the movie/series is trying to create. There is no sense that Justine Waddell is pretending to be Molly Gibson. She - is- Molly Gibson. And it's not just Waddell, all of the characters are convincing as real people. Mr. Gibson's emotions are so intense, and yet realistic. His humor is incredible, and he really shines next to his foil, (played by Francesca Annis).The chemistry is just what all films strive to have. If you like Michael Gambon at all, you cannot miss his performance. Many of the characters are conflicting in their temperaments. One of the characters actually makes a note of it. To find so many actors who can show love, compassion, anger, joy, depression, indifference, anxiety... they are all so dynamic.In general, I find that period pieces (which I ADORE) fall into a couple different categories. Some of the ones from the 80s are rather stuffy for the casual viewer. If you liked the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice, give this a try. It doesn't have the pace of that film, but it has a similar chemistry for a modest sized cast, and also it's more visually pleasing than older period pieces.You can also get a better sense of the actors' skills by seeing their other films as well. Similar films with these characters include, among many:Cranford - Barbara Flynn, Deborah Findlay, Michael Gambon, Francesca Annis(1995 P&P) - Barbara Leigh-HuntSense and Sensibility - Elizabeth SpriggsMansfield Park - Justine Waddell(2005 P&P) - Tom Hollander, Rosamund PikeCranford is also based on Elizabeth Gaskell's writings... so if you enjoy this, by all means, see Cranford!Wives and Daughters is in my top 5 :)

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    harrysdixonjr

    This video is an interesting mistake. They seemed to have missed the comedy despite a superb cast of women who could handle comedy.Is it an early sudser? or a sitcom? The literary pretenses are a little silly. The plot and character manipulations are so mechanical that the fact that this is a piece of commercial fiction is obvious.This video proved that mediocre fiction should be edited down to a film no more than two hours long.The extra materials were dull. Was the Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone the story of Mrs. Gaskell's endless trips to Italy? Did she have only genteel boyfriends from Boston, or did she sample the local color? Did proper English ladies go to Rome for gigolos in those days? or were there enough in London? Why can't the BBC stop being so respectable and give us some good gossip?

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    George Parker

    "Wives and Daughters" is cut from the same cloth as "The Forsyte Saga" or "Mansfield Park" inasmuch as it is a Victorian soap opera about the this and that of 19th century English country life. The film centers on and swirls about Molly Gibson (Waddell), the somewhat plain but earnest teenage daughter of a physician, as it explores the ever crisscrossing lives of several neighboring families of varying station. A delightful look at the role of the distaff from matron to maid which imparts the flavor of the period, "Wives and Daughters" is a light-hearted drama laced with charm and wit which should appeal to anyone into films of the robust Victorian period. (B+)

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    henry-girling

    'Wives and Daughters' is not usually as regarded as highly as the BBC's celebrated 'Pride and Prejudice' mini-series but it is just as good in its own way. The original author Elizabeth Gaskell was a major writer of her day and can stand comparison with most novelists except perhaps for Austen and Dickens. Her work is definitely still worth reading. This particular book was unfinished but one can't fault the way Andrew Davies has rounded off the story.The story covers Austen territory, two or three families, idiosyncratic supporting characters, love and marriage, hearth and society. All seen through the eyes of Molly Gibson. She is played splendidly by Justine Waddell who stays the centre of the film, even though surrounded by great actors like Michael Gambon, Bill Paterson, Penelope Wilton and Francesca Annis who are all perfect in their roles. The acting through out is excellent. The characters are real people, flawed and petty and proud and anxious, but you can't help loving them. Andrew Davies wanted to put across the feeling of what it means to be alive and he does that by showing what it is like to be human. Even small scenes like the card party for the young people are rich in character and emotion. The length of the mini-series allows character development, enables one to get to know the characters. It shows ordinary life but also how rich that ordinary life is. Molly learns about people, about herself and also about the world around her, even about the little creatures who live at the bottom of ponds.It repays watching time and again.

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