"Vanity Fair" (1998) TV mini-series

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

24 October 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot Keywords:

Rags To Riches | Costume Drama | Money | Boarding School | Unrequited Love

Awards:

5 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Natasha Little	...	Becky Sharp (6 episodes, 1998)
Frances Grey	...	Amelia Sedley (6 episodes, 1998)
David Ross	...	Mr. Sedley / ... (6 episodes, 1998)
Philip Glenister	...	William Dobbin (6 episodes, 1998)
Michele Dotrice	...	Mrs. Sedley (5 episodes, 1998)
Janine Duvitski	...	Mrs. Bute Crawley (5 episodes, 1998)
Anton Lesser	...	Mr. Pitt Crawley (5 episodes, 1998)
Nathaniel Parker	...	Rawdon Crawley (5 episodes, 1998)
Jeremy Swift	...	Jos Sedley (4 episodes, 1998)
Tom Ward	...	George Osborne (4 episodes, 1998)
Stephen Frost	...	Bute Crawley (4 episodes, 1998)
Tim Woodward	...	Mr. John Osborne (4 episodes, 1998)
Janet Dale	...	Miss Briggs (4 episodes, 1998)
Frances Tomelty	...	Mrs. O'Dowd (4 episodes, 1998)
Mark Lambert	...	Major O'Dowd (4 episodes, 1998)
David Bradley	...	Sir Pitt Crawley (3 episodes, 1998)
John Surman	...	Horrocks (3 episodes, 1998)
Miriam Margolyes	...	Miss Crawley (3 episodes, 1998)
Daniel Hart	...	Ensign Stubble (3 episodes, 1998)
Abigail Thaw	...	Jane Osborne (3 episodes, 1998)
Bryan Pringle	...	Raggles (3 episodes, 1998)
Linal Haft	...	Moss (3 episodes, 1998)
Eleanor Bron	...	Lady Bareacres (3 episodes, 1998)
Sarah Crowden	...	Lady Blanche (3 episodes, 1998)
Graham Crowden	...	Lord Bareacres (3 episodes, 1998)
Sylvestra Le Touzel	...	Lady Jane Crawley (3 episodes, 1998)
Gerard Murphy	...	Lord Steyne (3 episodes, 1998)
Robert Cole	...	Little Rawdon (3 episodes, 1998)
Zohren Weiss	...	Little Georgey (3 episodes, 1998)

Runtime:

50 min (6 episodes)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Singapore:PG | UK:PG | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, UK

Company:

A&E Television Networks

Trivia:

The dark velvet vest with four buttons down the front worn by a guest at the Duchess of Richmond's Ball (over the ivory silk evening gown) is the same costume worn by Kate Beckinsale (Emma Woodhouse) at the Hartfield party in Emma (1996) (TV), and by Julie Cox (Annabella Milbanke) during Christmas dinner in Byron (2003) (TV).

Quotes:

Rawdon Crawley: You don't mind the smell of my cigar, I hope?
Becky Sharp: No, I love it. I wonder if I might...
Rawdon Crawley: Yes?
Becky Sharp: You... wouldn't tell?
Rawdon Crawley: What, me? No! Never, damn it! ...Ah, what?

Movie Connections:

Version of "Vanity Fair" (1967)

Soundtrack:

The Last Rose of Summer

Far superior to the Witherspoon vanity project

Generally I think that the great Victorian door-stoppers are better suited to the mini series format than that of feature films because even with a running time pushed to three hours there just isn't the room for the typical panorama of characters, supporting characters, plots and subplots. Even this production unavoidably leaves much out, but it captures the essence of Thackeray--cold eyed cynicism very occasionally softened by generosity. Nearly every element worked, right down to the snorting pig that appeared at the beginning of each new installment. I admit at first I was a bit disappointed by the choice of Natasha Little to play Rebecca because I thought the actress was too tall and elegant to play a character who was described as petite and vivacious. But no matter; Little's cool headedness, verbal wit, and carefully disguised ruthlessness were all pure Becky (unlike Mira Nair, the screenwriters of this production realized that to soften this character's harder edges wouldn't modernize her; rather, it would flatten her). Frances Grey does fine in in the thankless role of Amelia Sedley. Although this was somewhat out of keeping with the novel, I did like the scene of Amelia still in bed after her wedding night, her hair spread out on the pillow, blissfully talking to her new husband. It makes her seem a bit more than stupidly devoted child-woman she is for most of the novel and makes those later scenes in which Becky and George (just weeks after George's marriage) brazenly flirt in front of Amelia all the more painful. The other characters are well cast too, with the terrifying Lord Steyne being the most memorable of all--in his final scene, without having to say a word he looks as if he really will have Becky murdered without a second thought if she ever approaches him again.

All in all, highly recommended.