Clarissa

I saw "Clarissa" twice when it was shown on TV. I was so impressed that I got the book from the library and read it. It is huge. The series kept to the book very well. The way and place and by who of Lovelace's death was different. But he died with those repentive words "Let this expiate". The death seen of Clarissa in the jail cell and her wonderful letter of forgiveness to Lovelace is unforgettable. He could have had it all and trappled her purity underfoot and lost everything. My self and children have been fans of Sean Bean since and seen most of his films. I loved the music of the series. The characters were perfectly cast, everything about it was what made this still to my way of thinking the best series in the last ten years. SO PLEASE WHY CAN WE NOT BUY THE VIDEO? WILL IT BECOME AVAILABLE LATER? AND WILL YOU PLEASE SHOW IT ON TV AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN?

I am not a regular watcher of Masterpiece Theatre, but I saw this a long time ago and have not been able to get it out of my head. Sean Bean is INCREDIBLY wicked as Lovelace, the man that practically destroys the title character.

Clarissa (Saskia Wickham)is a young woman in the 18th century. Her parents are forcing her into a marriage, and are clearly doing it for the money (She received an inheritance from her late grandfather). She ends up running away from her home and into the devious arms of Lovelace (Sean Bean), who basically wants to sleep with her. Her steadfast refusal starts a chain of events that turn incredibly ugly.

Sean Bean is such a scene stealer that he should had gotten flogged for his performance. He is loathsome and seductive at the same time. So much so that you can't help but fall in love with him.

I was lucky to see this both as the 190 minute version from Britain and the version taped off of PBS's Masterpiece Theater which is quite a bit shorter, being condensed into three episodes instead of four. Both were grainy copies, but the production values still came through. I have heard that the BBC has no plans to make this available on video or DVD. That is a shame. It really deserves more exposure.

Clarissa has great sets, great costumes and truly wonderful acting. There have been some complaints about the adaptation, but I felt the screen writers did a fine job taking one of the longest novels in the English language, written as a collection of letters, and condensing the story to a four episode mini-series. They even managed to maintain a good deal of the original structure by having the characters exchange many, many letters.

This production is full of characters I just loved to loathe, from Clarissa's greedy, amoral family to the companions Lovelace makes when he is out slumming. As for the two main characters, I never thought I'd be cheering on the rapist, but Clarissa's self righteous martyr act was more than even I could bear. At least Lovelace for all his deceit and manipulations had some awareness of his own faults.

A friend and I had a lively discussion afterwards trying to picture what a marriage between Clarissa and Lovelace might have looked like. Acts as simple as how to serve the eggs for breakfast and what color to paint the drawing room would surely have become massive wars of wills. We concluded that perhaps this story had a happy ending after all.

i loved this movie from the first time i viewed it on masterpiece theater. i have watched it repeatedly from a friends old video taped copy of the film over and over w/comments from Mr.Cooke. it's now well over 10 years and the VCR copy just isn't doing so swell. it seems that there is nowhere in this country to obtain a copy of Clarissa on DVD-formatted for this region. i have seen several complaints about this very thing on the web. i think we should all ban together and make someone cough this DVD up! it's long overdue. the film is beautiful-rich in the costumed pageantry of the time. it's the same thing that made me love the film dangerous liaisons so well(the version with john malkovich and Glenn close of course)! the story line zips you through the movie captivated. letting you forget how long it really is. of course let us not forget that Sean bean plays the most scrumptious lover/villain-as only he can!! at any rate i would highly recommend this film for anyone who loves great film making, period pieces, and crafted storytelling because it's all here.

"Clarissa" is the best BBC Film I have ever seen and I have seen many. My favourite before "Clarissa" was of course "Pride and Prejudice". "Our Mutual Friend" was also good, The casting and costumes were matched only by the story line and settings. I am sold on Saskia Wickham. I believe this was her first role. She must be very proud of her achievement. Fine work. Aussie-6.