The Way We Live Now

The man who wrote the 1995 mini series 'Pride and prejudice' (Andrew Davies) has adapted another (less well known) classic; Anthony Trollope's 'The way we live now'. Although this series is by no way in the same league as Pride and Prejudice it is still excellent. The plot certainly kept me enthralled over the four weeks it was shown, with character interaction completely gripping. I found the end a bit of a let down and rather rushed but it manages to whiz you through the many characters in a few minutes with great skill. A word of warning, be careful when you pick your favourite characters as what you want to happen probably won't. You truly do believe this is really happening, regardless it being set in 1870. The performances by David Suchet as devious Melmotte, Matthew Macfadyen as comic Felix and my favourite Douglas Hodge as the honest, moral Roger are unmissable. Even if, like me, you do not like the ending the rest of the programme makes it all well worth watching.

Another fine Sunday night filler from Andrew Davies and the BBC. Based on one of Anthony Trollope's later and less well known novels, this six -part story (300 minutes) covers the short but spectacular career in London of Augustus Melmott, financial fraudster extraordinaire. Melmott is a Victorian Robert Maxwell (the bouncing Czech), a promoter of huge ambitious business ventures with a flamboyant style that proves irresisitable even to the hard-nosed. Like Maxwell, he has a seat in the House of Commons. Some of the hard-nosed have their suspicions but go along for the ride anyway no doubt hoping to get something for themselves along the way.

Trollope weaves the strands of the plot adroitly using the Carbury family as the central characters. Lady Carbury (Cheryl Campbell) is the widow of a baronet (minor aristocracy) and without the means to live in the appropriate style. Her son Felix (Matthew McFadyen) is a total waster, putting any money he gets on the card table, and losing it. Lady C is trying to palm her rather priggish daughter Hetta (Paloma Baeza) off onto her nephew Roger (Douglas Hogg), also a prig, who has inherited the family estates. Roger is interested but Hetta is not, as she fancies Paul Montague (Cillian Murphy), a railway engineer and friend of Roger's. Murphy works for Melmott's company (the board is stacked with peers and baronets, including Felix). The Central American railway is supposed to be building a railroad from the central west of the US to Mexico. The railroad route has been surveyed, but funnily enough construction keeps on being delayed even though enough money has been raised to at least start it. Where's the money Melmott? Some is syphoned into his daughter Marie's trust fund. Marie (Shirley Henderson) is courted by Felix, who is very interested in the money, though not so interested in Marie.

To say more would spoil the story. The casting is splendid, except for Cillian Murphy as Paul whose pretty-boy looks are more appropriate for a Romeo than some who has been a civil engineer for some years and spent a lot of that time in the merciless Mexican sun. As his American mistress Mrs Hurtle, Miranda Otto, otherwise a capable actress, can't do the Deep South accent. It would have been better to re-write the part for an Australian. If it's any consolation, Meryl Streep can't do an Australian accent either – it comes out as cockney, as we saw in 'Evil Angels'.

The star performance is without a doubt David Suchet's as Melmott. Though a small man, he dominates every scene he is in, with his deep loud voice and grand manner. Critics are silenced by a mixture of flattery, bluff and sometimes threat. In the finish we almost like him, despite the chaos he causes. It is truly the role David Suchet was born to play, one utterly different from his small fussy Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. Shirley Henderson as Marie also stands out in this company of very accomplished acting.

I haven't checked the novel, but there are one or two quite modern touches for which Trollope may have been responsible, such as Marie's (or was it Hetta's?) feminist speech towards the end. He may have got that from his mum, who had to support her family by novel-writing after her husband died, and did so quite successfully.

In the 1870s we had railways, in the 2000s we had dot coms. The vehicles change but we still have fear and greed as dominant players in the markets. The title 'The Way We Live Now' is just as apt today, as we see the Enron, Arthur Andersen, Worldcom crashes in the US, and HIH, FAI and One-tel in Australia. It is interesting that this 1875 novel, with no high literary pretensions, pulp fiction in fact, should be so relevant today. A engrossing film adaption from the Eng Lit specialists.

"The Way We Live Now", like most Victorian period satire, looks into the lives of numerous characters sorting through the intrigues and foibles of romance, wickedness, power, and the pursuit of peerage and property. A lightly perfumed costume flick which tilts unabashedly between comedy and drama, this story centers on a crude but rich businessman (Suchet) whose powerful performance is the backbone of the film. Side plots include an issue fraught romance, an attempt to marry into a fortune, a scheme to build a railroad from Utah to Mexico, cheating at love and cards, politics, a woman scorned, and much more. A four hour TV miniseries from the BBC, "The Way We Live Now" has plenty of time to sort through its many characters while tidying up at the end making it a busy and enjoyable Victorian period film. A should-see for anyone into BBC TV fare, Victorian period stories, and 19th century pulp fiction. (B+)

A truly unique look at Trollope. The adaptation, direction and musical score are done with high style, wit and a decadent spirit that is rare in the more reserved British period pieces that one might expect from the BBC. It is immensely entertaining. I heartily recommend it.

Anthony Trollope's 'The Way We Live Now' is a masterful, though long, book, with many richly drawn complex characters, the stories of the characters fully developed and fascinating, delicious satire and having much to say on various topical matters.

Taking this mini-series as an adaptation, it is not hard to see why it would disappoint. It's very condensed and also exaggerated, and it's also not as rich with not quite enough of the topical matters of the time explored in depth. The characters are still interesting (characters driven by greed preparing for a heavy hall which happens) and entertaining and the story fully absorbing with the subplots nicely fleshed out, just that it pales in comparison to the book.

In all honesty however, because of being so heavy and rich in detail and for its length, the book is very difficult to adapt (almost as difficult to adapt as Stephen King, Fyodor Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy) and, regardless of how disappointing it is in comparison, the 'The Way We Live Now' mini-series does laudably and is a solid and even very good to great mini-series on its own.

Of course there are things that stop it from living up to its even stronger potential, and forgive me if the flaws that have been covered in previous reviews are repeated (or shall we say somewhat parroted). Those flaws are the ending and two miscasts, while the many strengths far outweigh them they are big and jarring enough to not ignore. The ending is rushed and doesn't feel that well rounded off.

Cillian Murphy has shown considerable talent over the years, but here he's too delicate-looking, too young and rather effeminate and earnest. He doesn't convince as an engineer and doesn't fit the period either. Miranda Otto is strange and not in a good way. She plays her already pretty dumbed down character as a broad and annoying caricature and even more painfully attempts a Southern accent (and badly doesn't describe it, it's one of the all-time worst attempts at an accent to me) that sounds so overdone and so obviously fake with a bored-sounding drawl to match.

Luckily the rest of the cast more than make up for them. David Suchet dominates, playing a loathsome yet still fascinating character to gleeful perfection, a contender for his best non-Poirot performance. Shirley Henderson plays her emotional-roller-coaster-filled character very passionately and movingly, and Matthew MacFadyen is clearly enjoying himself as a cad but brings enough charm to make one believe how easy he is to fall for.

Douglas Hodge gives his very conflicted role a real humanity and Paloma Baeza has a slightly underwritten character but plays her with plenty of fire and intensity. Anne Marie Duff allows one to sympathise with her while also reminding us of how she is no much better than those who have shunned her, while Jim Carter brings much joy in a wonderful performance that has gone under-appreciated. Allan Corduner is spirited though a little more wit wouldn't go amiss and Cheryl Campbell is her usual dependable self.

'The Way We Live Now' looks fantastic, with evocative scenery, interiors, buildings and costumes that are striking on the eyes all captured perfectly by photography that is both atmospheric and luminous. The music score could not have been a better fit and also a fine score on its own, while there are some delicious bits of humour in the script with the satirical elements sharp and gleefully exaggerated at times and leaving enough room for insight. The storytelling is absorbing and compelling throughout the length, everything being easy to follow without being simplistic or over-complicated, and the characters are intriguing and enjoyable if with more meat to them in the source material.

Overall, very good mini-series that had the potential of being even stronger. 8/10 Bethany Cox