jimboucherat
Doctor Thorne represents a new nadir in British televisual period drama, notwithstanding Fellowes' woeful track record. Resolutely "broad" pablum crudely targeting the lucrative historical nostalgia market in the U.S., this risibly perfunctory effort is wholly devoid of any artistic merit whatsoever. There is without doubt a rich seam of Trollope material tailor made for TV adaptation and earlier BBC efforts such as He Knew he was Right (2004) and The Way we Live Now (2001) were well scripted, articulate examples of such.Fellowes adopts his usual cynical lowest common denominator approach with this particular effort which consequently renders the source material prosaically banal beyond belief. A woeful excuse for a script that would be considered too unsubtle even for pantomime, tired, rote acting from many otherwise capable professionals and grotesquely gauche and shallow character definition, represent just the high points of this monstrosity. Vacuous posturing masquerading as authentic drama and failing miserably.
The_late_Buddy_Ryan
Must've been a treat for Julian Fellowes to get his hands on a real Victorian novel, instead of churning out new eps of that pandering pastiche he's been working on for the last few seasons- Solid Trollopian plot (sundered lovers and missing heirs and family secrets), great cast--Ian McShane not exactly playing against type as a rough-diamond railroad magnate; nice to see Alison Brie of "Mad Men" as the husband-hunting heiress and Inspector Lewis's old boss as one of the snobbish gentlefolk. Stefanie Martini, who only has one other IMDb credit, is perfect as the strong-willed heroine (so much more relatable than those soupy Dickens girls!); not unexpectedly, the picturesque exteriors and the slightly dorky Mid-Victorian costumes and décor are right on the money
kessler10
The actors are wonderful, the writing is wonderful, the English countryside is very-green, Tom Hollander -- what a range of talent he has -- and, yes, Julian Fellowes, are wonderful, and new star Stefanie Martini is both very beautiful and very wonderful... You will enjoy this, everyone will, the direction and the overall production have a delicate, light, touch, even through some very dark scenes. I was taught long ago that Trollope was superficial, a 19th c. light-entertainment, but here Fellowes shows us the breadth and depth of understanding in the thought, sensitive critique, and great humor -- so now I'll take Trollope more seriously, also the Victorians with all their silly insecurities and dashing nobility. If you enjoy and value Jane Austen, you will enjoy and value Trollope, now, by discovering him here. So see this: online it is presented as a "Season 1" series of just 4 "episodes" -- 4 "acts", all viewed easily together in a single sitting.
l_rawjalaurence
After a slow beginning, during which time the story unfolds in a series of shot/reverse shot sequences accompanied by Ilan Eshkeri's rather obtrusive music, Julian Fellowes's adaptation of a lesser known Trollope novel proves extremely entertaining.This is due in no small part to the eternal conflict between money, power, and love that underpins the plot. Pauper Mary Thorne (Stefanie Martini) loves rich Frank Gresham (Harry Richardson), but their path towards true romance is perpetually blocked by Frank's avaricious mother Lady Arabella (Rebecca Front). Add to the mix a drunken baronet (Ian McShane), and his even more loutish son Louis (Edward Franklin), with designs on Mary, not to mention a slob-like nouveau riche man Mr. Moffatt (Danny Kirrane), and we have the perfect recipe for a series of conflicts between characters of different generations and different socio-economic groups.At the story's heart stands the eponymous Doctor Thorne (Tom Hollander), a basically good-hearted person with a penchant for protecting those less able to defend themselves against unwonted social criticism. Director Niall MacCormick uses the close-up to good effect, showing Thorne's suppressed emotions in the most difficult situations, which only boil over once during a dinner party when Louis unleashes a volley of drunken insults at the entire company.Fellowes's script is not without its humorous elements, especially in the comic opportunities given to Lady Arabella and her equally avaricious sister-in-law the Countess de Courcy (Phoebe Nicholls). Like a pair of aging dowagers they stride through the Gresham family seat, knocking everything and everyone aside in their attempts to break up Mary and Frank's affair. However they get their comeuppance in the end, when Mary's true social status is revealed. The sight of Lady Arabella's henpecked husband Frank (Richard McCabe) laughing fit to burst is one of the adaptation's most memorable moments.Filmed in and around stately piles in Wiltshire, Somerset, and Hertfordshire, DOCTOR THORNE convincingly recreates a world of rigid socio-economic divisions where everyone was supposed to know their place and accept it. The fact that Doctor Thorne refuses to conform to his expected role gives this adaptation its dramatic impetus. It is only a short adaptation - 3 episodes of 48 minutes each - but it is extremely watchable.