Madame Bovary - The Complete Miniseries

Rating:
Summary: Definitive Bovary
Review: This adaptation of Gustave Flaubert's sublime masterpiece 'Madame Bovary' is excellent. Presented as four fifty-minute episodes by BBC TV in 1975, it explores the entire novel in huge detail and is much better than the recent adaptation starring Frances O'Conor (although that was still good).

The exquisite Francesca Annis is perfectly cast as Emma, Flaubert's heroine/anti-herione. If, like me, you admire her in this, I would highly reccommend 'Lillie', an outstanding dramatisation of the life of Lillie Langtry with Annis in the title role - in my opinion, she is even better in that.

Despite Annis' great performance, I have to say it is Tom Conti who steals the show as Emma's long-suffering husband Charles. The rest of the cast is very good too, particularly Denis Lill, John Cater and David Waller.

A truly wonderful, flawless production - one to keep beside 'Anna Karenina' (BBC TV 1977), 'The First Churchills' (BBC TV 1969) and 'Pennies From Heaven' (BBC TV 1978).

P.S. I would very much like to see the earlier sixties' adaptation by BBC TV, starring Nyree Dawn Porter - hopefully that will soon become available, but I doubt it could possibly be as good as this one.

Rating:
Summary: Good performance by Francesca Annis
Review: This dvd does seem quite outdated, but then again, it is an old mini series. However, the excellent performance by the cast makes it worth watching. Francesca Annis does a great job of portraying the tormented Madame Bovary, who despite her humble beginnings, constantly craves for more passion, and the finer things in life, which her husband is unable to provide. The dramatisation is well-done, and the series on the whole is watchable.