Clarissa

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 fortunate enough to tape this from BBC America (albeit it was edited for some of the more mature content). I loved the entire series, and I purchased the book afterwards. It's excellent. The costumes, acting and locations are all wonderful. I too wish I could get this on video cassette. Believe me, I have searched everywhere! I even asked a friend who lives in London to try and find a copy for me, but to no avail.

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.

"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.

I watched the entire series in one sitting and loved it so much that I plan on reading the novel. This was an excellent period drama with all the trimmings, an unforgettable story about the conflict between a virtuous young woman trying to avoid being forced into an awful marriage and the libertine who becomes unhealthily obsessed with her and the idea of testing her purity.

When reading a summary of the story, very little seems to happen, but the characters are so fascinating and their psychology so complex that one becomes engrossed. The heroine, whom many have criticized as being an annoying goody two-shoes, is made relate-able through the three-dimensional performance of Saskia Wickham. She's an amazing character, more than the simpering ingenue people make her out to be. Though she is pious and naive, she's also a woman who refuses to be put under anyone's control, not her family's and not Lovelace's. Lovelace is brought alive by Sean Bean, who was made for the part, channeling the character's charisma and cruelty. He totally sells the character's twisted affection/obsession for Clarissa.

The entire production is well acted, scored, and directed. An ideal period piece, highly recommended. I would definitely see it again.