I was just wondering why this message board is so unpopular and practically deserted. I have just watched Middlemarch recently and really enjoyed it (though I have never read the book). When I then looked the series up on IMDb, I was expecting at least some discussion and was very surprised to see only two threads. Why is it that these message boards are lacking in any discussion, considering that 264 people have rated this series? It just seems strange to me.
shareIt's probably because there's nothing negative to say. We all loved it, it was beautifully done, the acting was perfect...
People could discuss some of the finer points, true, I think when something is just fine it's left alone and admired from a distance.
But to start a discussion, what did you think of the casting? I thought it was impeccable but my sister didn't like Dorothea.
I am yet to read the novel so I cannot judge if the cast is close to all the characters in the novel. I intend to read it soon but I'm starting a different novel by her first (Silas Marner).
But I can tell you what I thought of the charcters. I loved Will Ladislaw, probably the best out of everyone.
I really didn't like Rosamond. She was annoying and was always complaining to Dr.Lydgate. She was probably supposed to be like that but I found her extremely irritating. I also didn't like Mr.Casaubon. Apart from the fact that he was slightly scary, I hated the way he treated Dorothea. I could never understand why he ever married in the first place.
Why did your sister not like Dorothea?
She didn't like her voice and way of speaking. She thought she was too old, subdued and lifeless. The actress who played Dorothea was slightly older than the character, who is 20 when the book starts.
I think everyone loves Will Ladislaw! Apparently this was Rufus Sewell's break-out role.
Believe it or not, Rosamund is worse in the book than in the show. I disliked her more than I disliked Casaubon; actually I didn't really dislike him, I felt sorry for him. Dr. Lydgate is the most tragic figure in the story.
I must definitely read more George Eliot.
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I didn't like Rosamund either I thought her completely selfish and mean to Dr.Lytgate especially when she went horse-riding with his horrible cousin when she promised not to...I didn't think Dorothea's voice was annoying it was Mr.Cassaubon who was!But I am still to read the book.
shareMr.Casaubon scared me. He was really pale and he was always losing his temper!!! The part where Dorothea see's him after he's dead really creeped me out....
shareOh yeah I screamed 'cause it was so scary.. I wouldn't want to live there!!
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What do you mean you wouldn't want to live there? It wasn't like he was haunting the place. It was just her memory of him. Fair enough, the house would remind her of him but I don't think she minded that much. In fact, I think she was happier in the house on her own after he died than when she was living there with him.
I just don't think I would want to live in the same house as the dead man..He was scary enough alive as it was!!
shareSomehow, I don't think they left him lying around in the house to rot. Therefore, (unless, in a bizzare twist in the story, the house was turned into a graveyard) she wouldn't be living in the same house as a dead man.
shareI mean when he pops out of the ground in visions of Cassaubon!!!Obviously I didn't mean he was lying around the house!!!And I meant that she was living in the same house that her recently deceased husband once lived in...I agree with the little face I give up!!!!
shareActually I am here to see if anybody even liked this. I am a big fan of Austen, Dickens, Thakeray, etc. I have read Mill on the Floss but not Middlemarch. I watched it last night and really loathed it. Just...what? Meh. Bunch of wallowing, shiftless babies. No one wants to take responsibility for his/her situation. Everyone makes stupid decisions and wallows in their circumstances instead of diving in and changing. Dorothea is admirable, but ... please. Stop with the big eyes and the O I Wish I could have a purpose in this life-ing. That she gets up the gumption to decide to marry Mr. Supposed-to-be-fiery-and-charming is a miracle. Fred. I hate Fred. Lazy. Wastes an education. Borrows money from Mr Overseer. What a total loser. Oxford!! And THEN he decides he does not really want to be a parson. Ungrateful brat. Rosimunde, well, that Dr. Do-Good (who looked a lot like Will Farrel) puts up with even one breech of trust is enough to condemn him as weak. No one in that town pays a bill on time? Ever heard of living within your means? Ever? As to any romance between Dorothea and Will...O Please. Are we supposed to believe that? It was like a dish of warmed over oatmeal. Are these actors (or the director, or the script) so bad that they cannot convey anything? Milquetoast.
The book HAS to be better than this.
Trust me the book is MUCH better than this. I know it's a cliche that the book is always better than any adaptation, but this particular version fails on several levels. However, it's not quite as bad as you've made out!
The truth is a bully everyone pretends to like.
The characters in Middlemarch are fully portrayed, more than can be done in a miniseries. If you found Mr. Casabon, Rosamond, and Dorothea not likable, that's exactly what the author intended. Not everybody likes everybody else. If you read the book, you will come to see that they are just humans with lots of foibles. The book is well worth the time spent--even a 2d reading.
shareI was somewhat disappointed by the happy ending. I was expecting something more bleak. But I suppose I prefer tragic endings. They are so much more romantic!
~Uva uvum vivendo varia fit.
I was also surprised that this wasn't more popular. What a lot of different ideas have been posted on this thread so far - forgive me if that sounds obvious, I'm reasonably new to IMDb so am still getting used to it! I haven't read the book yet, though I intend to once I'm finished the book I'm reading just now. (It's also one of the texts being studied in the literature course I'm taking in February, so it'll work in my favour!)
I'm a big fan of period drama & this had been recommended to me, so I watched it last week & thought it was great. Will & Dorothea were my favourite characters, & yes, Casaubon was scary! (Love those earlier messages about him lying rotting in the house, btw!) I didn't dislike him though, I felt sorry for him - I'm sure he did have a genuine affection for Dorothea, as professed in his proposal letter, but his work was always going to come first. He shouldn't have married at all.
Catriona x
"Fate shuffles the cards and we play" (Schopenhauer)
I liked it. There was quite a bit of discussion--Boston-- regarding the program, when it US debuted in '94 (pre-I-net).
Since there will be a Mendes directed film version coming out in '09 --with a likely high-profile cast-- I'd imagine this story will be much talked about again, if on another board.
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