Overview:
I will admit to the fact that I have not yet read the book, Little Dorrit, written by Charles Dickens and published in the 1850's. In this case, watching the series only made me want to read the book more, due to the intriguing yet very complicated plot (and sub plots), and somewhat rushed ending that left me with questions. Despite a few shortcomings, I could not stop watching this once I had begun, and wished that I could have all the disks out from Netflix at once. My review of this series will be from the perspective of a 19th century period drama fan, and not a historian; therefore I will not judge the historical accuracies (or anachronisms) of the series.
This is the cover of the DVD, which is interesting on its own. It looks considerably gloomier than the elaborately dressed characters standing against lush green landscapes usually depicted in Regency period movie adaptations. Just look at Pride and Prejudice (1995), or Sense and Sensibility (1995 or 2008) for example.
First off, I will warn you: this is not a Jane Austen movie adaptation! I am not familiar with Charles Dickens' work, but I can only assume that the book is as dark and gloomy as the movie. Did that make it hard to watch? Not at all. While I am a fan of Jane Austen (and have actually read a few of her novels), I can appreciate the other side of life in the 1800's.
The series portrays the life of Amy Dorrit, a young woman born and raised in a debtors' prison. Her story starts out far from the glamorous and sometimes scheming upper class, but she becomes entangled in it despite her simple, honest nature.
Characters:
The story centers around Amy and her family, but there are numerous other supporting characters whose lives are all tied together in some way, whether they are intimately acquainted or not. Even the characters that appear to have the smallest part, and only cross paths with the Dorrits coincidentally affect the story in a notable way. The characters are truly "characters", in that they seem almost exaggerated, yet some are very likeable despite this. There are "bad" characters, though most seem to stay within a moral gray area. They do good things, but they are in it for themselves; likewise, they do bad things but end up benefiting other people. In this way, they manage to be relatable and maintain some realism.
Left to right: Mrs. Clennam, a mysterious and cruel woman who is keeping a secret. Amy and Fanny Dorrit, sisters who are polar opposites. Arthur Clennam, set on helping the Dorrits and discovering his mother's secret. Mr. Dorrit, Amy's father who is weary and naive after living in prison and longing for freedom.
To add complication to the story, there are many more characters to make viewers wonder about their purpose in the story, and how they will ultimately affect it. There are elements of mystery surrounding Miss Wade, and her strange relationship with Tattiecoram, a young girl who was adopted by the upper-middle class Meagles family. Pet Meagles serves as a love interest for Arthur Clennam and a bit of a rival to Amy. A hint of danger is added by a ruthless and extremely creepy murderer named Rigaud, who attempts to deceive several characters under the alias "Blandois". While you may become confused while watching the story unfold, I think the confusion adds to the intrigue.
Costumes:
Ah...one of my favorite things about Regency period movies! Though this movie takes place a little bit after the "official" regency (about 1811 to 1820), many of the costumes reflect Regency style; empire waists, bonnets, and parasols to name just a few characteristics associated with 19th century fashion. I found the costumes in this movie particularly beautiful, and even the simple ones were elegant and well suited to their characters.
This is the outfit that Amy Dorrit wears throughout the beginning of the movie. It consists of a bonnet, a sort of pinstriped dress with a lower waist than those found in the Regency, and a cape. Capes were commonly worn throughout the Regency and into the 1820's. They added warmth to the thinner dresses. I like this outfit because of the analogous colors that are used, which create a sense of style while still being considerably shabby clothes compared to what Amy wears later in the series (hint hint). I love the cape, and think it suits her character better than a pelisse (a sort of long, thick coat with a waistline matching the height of the dress), which I think would look more mature lady-like. It also had interesting details, such as the little flaps on the shoulders, and the tassels hanging from the collar, which you can't really see in this picture.
Fanny Dorrit is the more sophisticated of the two, and wears clothing that is fashionable and flashier. Her green spencer has nice details on the shoulders, which I think were popular in the 1820's, and overall it's very matchy. She also wears a pinstriped dress in this picture, interestingly, though her outfit definitely outshines Amy's in the style department. She has a cute little reticule hanging from her arm, which she might have carried petty cash in (or pretended to!). I believe her bonnet is called a poke bonnet, and is more cylindrical than Amy's. She carries herself as a very fashionable lady, and looks down on those who are less so. I think the color green suits her personality. I am not sure why, but maybe it has to do with it being a colder color, and its negative associations.
Here Amy has had a bit of a makeover so to speak, though she remains in character in the sense that she is still more understated than Fanny. I rather like her burgundy dress though, which compliments her complexion nicely, rather than Fanny's dull greenish one. The puffy sleeves and ridiculous hair are characteristics of the 1820's, and remind me of the fashion in Wives and Daughters (BBC 1999). Both their necklines are a bit square, which is another historical indicator, though this style appeared at earlier times throughout the regency as well.
Here is another puffy sleeve dress, with even more pronounced puffiness, which I don't particularly like. I also don't like the weird band across her forehead, though I saw this in Wives and Daughters as well, so it may have been fashionable in the 1820's for some reason. Mrs. Merdle is definitely a character who would be at the height of fashion, and has a nasty personality similar to Fanny's. It's funny how Mr. Dorrit's coat matches her dress, almost as if she planned it that way...hmm.
In Conclusion:
I know I have not really given you a synopsis, and that's because I want you to watch it for yourself. I hope I have not spoiled anything, but it really is interesting how the plot eventually works out. I did not feel it was predictable, though in hindsight I can see how it could be. I don't think that anyone could predict exactly how things worked out though, and when I thought I knew what was going on someone would do something that would make me say "Wait...what?" If you like movie adaptations of Jane Austen or Elizabeth Gaskell novels, I am confident you will like this. Just think of it as the quirky yet lovable cousin who dresses in black and has lots of facial piercings. I guess what I'm saying is...it's different. I am tired...
I will admit to the fact that I have not yet read the book, Little Dorrit, written by Charles Dickens and published in the 1850's. In this case, watching the series only made me want to read the book more, due to the intriguing yet very complicated plot (and sub plots), and somewhat rushed ending that left me with questions. Despite a few shortcomings, I could not stop watching this once I had begun, and wished that I could have all the disks out from Netflix at once. My review of this series will be from the perspective of a 19th century period drama fan, and not a historian; therefore I will not judge the historical accuracies (or anachronisms) of the series.
This is the cover of the DVD, which is interesting on its own. It looks considerably gloomier than the elaborately dressed characters standing against lush green landscapes usually depicted in Regency period movie adaptations. Just look at Pride and Prejudice (1995), or Sense and Sensibility (1995 or 2008) for example.First off, I will warn you: this is not a Jane Austen movie adaptation! I am not familiar with Charles Dickens' work, but I can only assume that the book is as dark and gloomy as the movie. Did that make it hard to watch? Not at all. While I am a fan of Jane Austen (and have actually read a few of her novels), I can appreciate the other side of life in the 1800's.
The series portrays the life of Amy Dorrit, a young woman born and raised in a debtors' prison. Her story starts out far from the glamorous and sometimes scheming upper class, but she becomes entangled in it despite her simple, honest nature.
Characters:
The story centers around Amy and her family, but there are numerous other supporting characters whose lives are all tied together in some way, whether they are intimately acquainted or not. Even the characters that appear to have the smallest part, and only cross paths with the Dorrits coincidentally affect the story in a notable way. The characters are truly "characters", in that they seem almost exaggerated, yet some are very likeable despite this. There are "bad" characters, though most seem to stay within a moral gray area. They do good things, but they are in it for themselves; likewise, they do bad things but end up benefiting other people. In this way, they manage to be relatable and maintain some realism.
Left to right: Mrs. Clennam, a mysterious and cruel woman who is keeping a secret. Amy and Fanny Dorrit, sisters who are polar opposites. Arthur Clennam, set on helping the Dorrits and discovering his mother's secret. Mr. Dorrit, Amy's father who is weary and naive after living in prison and longing for freedom.
To add complication to the story, there are many more characters to make viewers wonder about their purpose in the story, and how they will ultimately affect it. There are elements of mystery surrounding Miss Wade, and her strange relationship with Tattiecoram, a young girl who was adopted by the upper-middle class Meagles family. Pet Meagles serves as a love interest for Arthur Clennam and a bit of a rival to Amy. A hint of danger is added by a ruthless and extremely creepy murderer named Rigaud, who attempts to deceive several characters under the alias "Blandois". While you may become confused while watching the story unfold, I think the confusion adds to the intrigue.
Costumes:
Ah...one of my favorite things about Regency period movies! Though this movie takes place a little bit after the "official" regency (about 1811 to 1820), many of the costumes reflect Regency style; empire waists, bonnets, and parasols to name just a few characteristics associated with 19th century fashion. I found the costumes in this movie particularly beautiful, and even the simple ones were elegant and well suited to their characters.
This is the outfit that Amy Dorrit wears throughout the beginning of the movie. It consists of a bonnet, a sort of pinstriped dress with a lower waist than those found in the Regency, and a cape. Capes were commonly worn throughout the Regency and into the 1820's. They added warmth to the thinner dresses. I like this outfit because of the analogous colors that are used, which create a sense of style while still being considerably shabby clothes compared to what Amy wears later in the series (hint hint). I love the cape, and think it suits her character better than a pelisse (a sort of long, thick coat with a waistline matching the height of the dress), which I think would look more mature lady-like. It also had interesting details, such as the little flaps on the shoulders, and the tassels hanging from the collar, which you can't really see in this picture.
Fanny Dorrit is the more sophisticated of the two, and wears clothing that is fashionable and flashier. Her green spencer has nice details on the shoulders, which I think were popular in the 1820's, and overall it's very matchy. She also wears a pinstriped dress in this picture, interestingly, though her outfit definitely outshines Amy's in the style department. She has a cute little reticule hanging from her arm, which she might have carried petty cash in (or pretended to!). I believe her bonnet is called a poke bonnet, and is more cylindrical than Amy's. She carries herself as a very fashionable lady, and looks down on those who are less so. I think the color green suits her personality. I am not sure why, but maybe it has to do with it being a colder color, and its negative associations.
Here Amy has had a bit of a makeover so to speak, though she remains in character in the sense that she is still more understated than Fanny. I rather like her burgundy dress though, which compliments her complexion nicely, rather than Fanny's dull greenish one. The puffy sleeves and ridiculous hair are characteristics of the 1820's, and remind me of the fashion in Wives and Daughters (BBC 1999). Both their necklines are a bit square, which is another historical indicator, though this style appeared at earlier times throughout the regency as well.
Here is another puffy sleeve dress, with even more pronounced puffiness, which I don't particularly like. I also don't like the weird band across her forehead, though I saw this in Wives and Daughters as well, so it may have been fashionable in the 1820's for some reason. Mrs. Merdle is definitely a character who would be at the height of fashion, and has a nasty personality similar to Fanny's. It's funny how Mr. Dorrit's coat matches her dress, almost as if she planned it that way...hmm.In Conclusion:
I know I have not really given you a synopsis, and that's because I want you to watch it for yourself. I hope I have not spoiled anything, but it really is interesting how the plot eventually works out. I did not feel it was predictable, though in hindsight I can see how it could be. I don't think that anyone could predict exactly how things worked out though, and when I thought I knew what was going on someone would do something that would make me say "Wait...what?" If you like movie adaptations of Jane Austen or Elizabeth Gaskell novels, I am confident you will like this. Just think of it as the quirky yet lovable cousin who dresses in black and has lots of facial piercings. I guess what I'm saying is...it's different. I am tired...
I eagerly anticipate your compare/contrast blog after you finish the book!
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