"Wives and Daughters" (1999) (mini)TV mini-series

Director:

Nicholas Renton

Writers:

Andrew Davies (adaptation)
Elizabeth Gaskell (novel)

Release Date:

15 December 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

Stepmother | Secret Marriage | Insect | Aristocrat | Brother Brother Relationship

Awards:

8 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Justine Waddell	...	Molly Gibson
Bill Paterson	...	Mr. Gibson
Francesca Annis	...	Hyacinth Gibson
Keeley Hawes	...	Cynthia Kirkpatrick
Tom Hollander	...	Osborne Hamley
Anthony Howell	...	Roger Hamley
Michael Gambon	...	Squire Hamley
Penelope Wilton	...	Mrs. Hamley
Barbara Flynn	...	Miss Browning
Deborah Findlay	...	Miss Phoebe
Iain Glen	...	Mr. Preston
Barbara Leigh-Hunt	...	Lady Cumnor
Ian Carmichael	...	Lord Cumnor
Rosamund Pike	...	Lady Harriet Cumnor
Anna Maguire	...	Young Molly

Runtime:

301 min (4 parts)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:U | USA:TV-PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Charlestown, Cornwall, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

The lavish production required more than 1,000 costumes and up to 40 hairstyles for each of the leading ladies.

Quotes:

Lady Harriet Cumnor: You men concern yourselves with the eternal verities. We women are content to ponder the petty things in life.

Soundtrack:

Nocturne No. 5 in B-Flat Major

Splendid

A treasure, really. I enjoy films portraying this period, but this is above all my favorite. The acting is incredibly touching. I was in awe with the portrayal of the story throughout its entirety.

Waddell portrayed the character of Molly so well, it made me ache for her. Her obvious childishness throughout the movie makes her eventual development so much more satisfying. She is one of the best dynamic characters I have seen on film. Paterson is all at once likable, firm, loving to his daughter, annoying, and trustworthy. Truly a real characters, full of depth, intricacies, and idiosyncrasies.

This movie reads like an excellent, cozy book. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys excellent acting and reading fine literature.