TheLittleSongbird Anne Bronte was in the shadow of her sisters Charlotte and Emily and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall less well-known than Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Charlotte and Emily Bronte are great writers and their books classic but Anne does deserve more credit than just "the other Bronte sister", and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall does deserve to be up there with Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights as it does have all the ingredients of a classic. The book is hugely atmospheric and emotionally impactful and what further makes it a classic is how direct Anne Bronte's writing was and how she really understood her characters and people around her at that time. This dramatisation is just excellent with its only detriment being the ending feeling rather rushed. It is evocatively shot and the scenery is both beautiful and stark, the mist and rocks really giving setting the tone of the book. The costumes and the rest of the production values are incredibly well-done too. The music is haunting and unobtrusive with a real melancholic beauty to it too, some have deemed it anachronistic, I thought it blended with the mood with no problem and actually enhanced it. The script has Anne Bronte's writing style all over it and just as harrowing and heart-wrenching, and while details-wise it is not the most faithful adaptation there is the gritty and affecting spirit of the book is absolutely there and with a great passion also. Regarding other adaptations of any of the Bronte Sisters' work the 1983 Jane Eyre comes closest to evoking that feeling exactly. The direction is sensitive and lets things flow smoothly, if a little hurried at the end. The acting is without complaint, the supporting turns especially Pam Ferris turn in great work but it is the three leads that captivate. Rupert Graves has the juiciest character as Arthur Huntingdon and he is incredible, he shows an initial charming side to Arthur but later becomes brutish and tormented, making it easy for us to really hate him with an ounce of sympathy too. Tara Fitzgerald is appropriately stoic, determined and passionate, you can tell how into the role of Helen she was with what she does physically(ie. no makeup, making her perhaps less attractive than she actually is), people may be frustrated with how too saintly Helen may seem later on but considering the situation Helen was in it's understandable. Toby Stephens gives one of his better performances here too, giving a tender and magnetic performance with ruggedly handsome charm too. In conclusion, the book is a classic and while not quite as good the adaptation is excellent, recommended highly. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Ross Spoilers.....I saw the original on TV sometime ago and remembered this production as less gripping than most Beeb costume drama. I rewatched on DVD this week and still have the same impression of it. It's a good story at first, but weakens when the heroine becomes oh so terribly brave and noble and returns to her utterly vile husband when he's ill and I got so totally irritated with her saintliness. I suppose this was the "right thing to do" when the story was written as well as contributing plenty of angst, and it was difficult for a woman to be independent of her husband as marriage made her no more than his possession, let alone to carry on scandalously with a lover as I expect a lot of the modern audience would have liked to see. But it's hard to take the santimoniousness nowadays and especially when this heroine had a strong, brave admirer ready to defend her against anyone and everyone. So re the story as in the film I'm equivocal. It's well done as per the novel, but somewhat irritating as per today's kind of life.Steadfast hero Gilbert was certainly a saint to put up with his ladylove's variable and often cryptic behaviour and persistent self-denial and to be so consistently supportive. So I felt it a great shame that when Helen was at long last free to be with him, the script didn't allow him a bit more than about one minute to fall on each other for a quick hug before the titles came up. This was completely ridiculous when we'd been waiting all this time through all that dripping sentiment over the undeserving husband for a decent bit of dialogue and a good embrace between hero and heroine. Instead, the ending was as though the film makers had run out of time or finance or just couldn't be bothered. "Here you are - one minute, do what you can in that, then cut as the director wants to go home now....." I was left feeling totally dissasatisfied.However, very high commendations to the acting of Toby Stephens a perfect and very handsome hero, and Rupert Graves a superbly nasty and self-pitying villain. Tara Fitzgerald was satisfactory within the confines of the script that forced her to be a depressing and rather sanctimonious victim so much of the time.That said, I love these classic dramas and virtually all of them are a sight better than much of the "modern" drama on TV these days. So 7 stars because in spite of the irritations it's still a good watch.

marspeach The only complaint I have about this adaptation is that it is sexed-up. Things that were only hinted at in the novel are shown on-screen for some weird reason. Did they think the audience would be too stupid to understand if they were not shown everything out-right? Other than that, this is very good-quality. All the actors do marvelous jobs bringing their characters to life. For the shallow women out there, it's worth watching at least because Toby Stephens as Gilbert is the sexiest thing ever. If I were Helen I would have conveniently forgotten I was still married the minute I laid eyes on him...Sort of a spoiler- The ending scene is a funny reversal of what happened in the book.

CustardcatPenny1 Anne Brontes epic novel THE TENANT OF WILDFELL HALL should be studied and read throughout schools and libraries and peoples living rooms. Its a fantastic story and tells the "real" truth on alcoholism and ruined marriages and a mothers fight to keep her son away from her brutal husband. Its so alike todays stories that we see and hear and I believe people can learn a lot from reading this book. Based on possible true experiences that the author had back in the 1840s.Do watch this film, its a great version of the book and very moving indeed. I'm sure Anne herself would have been happy with the way it was produced.Excellent acting and great locations.