The Moonstone

Why are these people going on about the theft of a jewel that was stolen from another culture of people. It didn't belong to them. Entitled selfish people.

I felt when I was watching this that it really seemed of the time. I have looked at some of these productions set in the past and they've got too modern a feel. The players seem to more of today than the time it's supposed to be. I didn't find that with this one. Did Wilkie mean for the Betteridges to be of African descent and the maid to be Irish or is that an attempt to make it more inclusive? I'm Irish but I don't remember the maid being Irish. She was very good in the part. All the cast were excellent.

Oh dear but this version drags on, logging in at a whopping 225 minutes. It's not so much telling each person's version as just showing the same scenes several times, going back and forth between the year. Long, long, l-o-n-g mood shots of anguished actors of the do-math-in-your-head school of acting. Crisper editing could have cut at least one episode. I love BBC period dramas but not even I could sit through this convoluted, contrived, overwrought version without fast forwarding.

So... I happened upon my mom watching this and became so invested that I read the book, then rewatched the show. It's one of the greatest mysteries in classic literature, and this miniseries does it total justice. The actor for Sergeant Cuff does a phenomenal job, and I loved how they incorporated Betteridge's obsession with Robinson Crusoe. The acting is awesome (especially Rosanna, Miss Clack, and Franklin). I find Rachel's character a little undeveloped but that's ok. She's not really the star anyway. A lot of people might say it's too long, but I didn't find it that way. To be honest, I've seen it over three times all the way through (I binge it every time) and it's never felt like it drags on. I always say the book is better, but this is a great adaptation and I like it almost as much as the book itself. Wilkie Collins was a genius. Completely worth the watch!

I confess I read this novel in middle school many "moons" ago.

The Moonstone (1868) by Wilkie Collins is famously the first Detective Novel, while Edgar Allan Poe gets credit for writing the first detective short stories about 25 years previously.

And what a novel it is....a classic.

This five episode series is a fine adaptation of the very long novel.

Highly Recommended.