The Way We Live Now (2001) User Reviews (32)

Very good mini-series that had the potential of being even stronger

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 25 October 2016]

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

The Way We Live Now IsFascinating

[cashelguy_59 · 9/10 · 22 February 2007]

The Way We Live Now is yet another British TV adaptation of the works of Anthony Trollope. Like The Pallisers and The Barchester Chronicles this is yet another mini-series to savor. The rich setting of 1870's London society is boldly brought to the screen. David Suchet gives the performance of his career as scoundrel Augustus Malmotte. Equally brilliant is Shirley Henderson as his daughter Marie. Henderson has emerged as one of the more spellbinding thespians of the last ten years. Why she isn't a major star when performers with a tiny fraction of her talent are on the A-list is one of those mysteries that will never be explained. Still, this is not quite up there in the same league with The Pallisers. Some of the characters are not that interesting. Unfortunately, Miranda Otto as Mrs. Hurtle and Cillian Murphy as Paul Montague are miscast.

The Way We Live Now is about greed (Victorian style)

[Red-125 · 9/10 · 19 February 2016]

"The Way We Live Now" (2001) is a four-episode BBC miniseries directed by David Yates. The book is based on a novel written by Anthony Trollope (1815 - 1882). Trollope was a brilliant Victorian novelist, but, unlike his contemporary Charles Dickens, Trollope's name is not nearly as well known in the 21st Century. However, the BBC has produced several of his works, and they are worth seeing.

This novel is Trollope's longest, and possibly his most complex. Someone has estimated that there are over 100 named characters, and subplots abound. However, all the plots and subplots involve Augustus Melmotte, a shady character with grandiose schemes. Melmotte has the uncanny ability to make people want to give him money. He wants the money because his goal in life is to be an English gentleman.

If there had been a weak actor playing Augustus Melmotte, the whole movie would have fallen apart. This movie hung together because David Suchet played Melmotte so well. You'll have to see the film to know just how completely Suchet takes over the role of Melmotte.

Most of the supporting cast was at the usual high BBC level. Matthew Macfadyen plays Sir Felix Carbury, the cad, very well. Paloma Baeza plays Hetta Carbury, his lovely sister who is everything Sir Felix is not.

I think that the two weakest actors were Cillian Murphy as Paul Montague, and Miranda Otto as Mrs. Hurtle. Paul Montague is supposed to be the perfect Victorian hero. He's an engineer, and he isn't driven by greed. He's driven by the goal of designing and building the Mexican railroad. (The Mexican railroad is the starting point of Melmotte's rise to financial power.) The problem is that Murphy doesn't look or act the part. His character is not that different--in appearance or manner--from Sir Felix Carbury. They are supposed to be at opposite poles, but they aren't.

Miranda Otto is an Australian actor who has been given the role of an American from Oregon. Otto has a strong Southern US accent, which doesn't work. It's certainly possible that Mrs. Hurtle was originally from the U.S. South, and moved to Oregon. However, her Southern accent doesn't sound right, and it's clear that she is struggling with it whenever she's on screen.

As an interesting side note, Mr. Brehgert, a Jewish banker, is acted by Jim Carter, who plays Carson the butler on Downton Abbey. He's in love with an elegant Englishwoman, and his religion stands in the way of their marriage. His bank lends money to Melmotte. That's another subplot that revolves around the mysterious Augustus Melmotte.

I enjoyed this miniseries, and I recommend it highly. Without Suchet it could have been a failure. With Suchet, it's a triumph. We saw it on the small screen at home, and it worked very well. (There are a few outdoor scenes that would work better in a theater, but most of them are fillers put into the movie to "open it up." The real plots take place indoors, and they work well on DVD.) Seek out this movie and watch it! You'll be glad you did.

An engrossing adaption from the Eng Lit specialists

[Philby-3 · 13 August 2002]

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.

Unique

[D.H. · 10/10 · 19 January 2003]

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.

Excellent!

[rabbott87 · 10/10 · 6 January 2002]

This adaptation of the novel is dramatic and exciting, whilst there is just a hint of humour. David Suchet portrays the monstrous character of Melmotte exceedingly well, but the main essence of brilliancy was contributed by Andrew Davies, who never ceases to amaze me with his marvellous screenplays, Pride and Prejudice being my all-time favourite. The supporting cast was stunning and the locations suited the scenes well. This is one of the best adaptations since Pride and Prejudice. Excellent!

Another triumph for Davies

[missrljane · 7/10 · 3 December 2001]

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.

The usual high quality BBC Victorian novel knock-off

[=G= · 8/10 · 11 January 2005]

"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+)

Andrew Davies at it again

[marspeach · 6/10 · 27 April 2011]

Well, I finished watching the 2001 miniseries, written by Andrew Davies. A lot was altered from the book and since I wasn't the biggest fan of the book, you'd think I would love it, right? Wrong! I know Andrew Davies is famous for sexing up all his adaptations but this was ridiculous, even for him.

I will admit, most of the actors were good with what they were given. The problem is, often I didn't like what they were given! Sir Felix as played by the lovely Matthew MacFadyen was portrayed as much more sympathetic as in the book and really isn't punished in the end. I think Davies was a little fond of the character, actually. His sister Hetta is unrecognizable from the book, being outspoken and free-spirited in the beginning- always giving her mother and brother a piece of her mind. I did find Hetta pretty boring for most of the book because she doesn't do much but it didn't really have any impact when she went against her family to be with Paul, since she was always so openly against them from the start! Mrs. Hurtle as played by Miranda Otto was horrible. The pitiful excuse for a Southern accent was grating to my ears. I found her character one of the most interesting in the book and still sympathetic, but not so in the mini. As for Paul Montague, they tried to make him a stronger character but I really didn't buy it from pretty boy Cillian Murphy. What were they thinking putting such an effeminate looking man in that part? I did like the casting of Lady Carbury, Roger Carbury, and Mr. Melmotte. The latter was very close to how I imagined him in the book. Shirley Henderson as her daughter, Marie, however, was just…bizarre, for lack of a better word.

So yeah, I was really not happy with this adaptation.

An almost perfect miniseries

[kispokot · 9/10 · 20 January 2012]

This dark drama/sometime comedy based on Anthony Trollop's novel is probably my favorite miniseries of all time. David Suchet and Shirley Henderson steal the show. Their acting and interpersonal dynamics are among the best to ever grace the screen. Matthew McFadden and Cheryl Campbel, too, are are amazing.

The musical score is brilliant -- a perfect fit.

The only flaw in this series is a major one -- the awful miscasting of Cillian Murphy as Paul Montague. Awful. His China doll complexion and blue eyes more resemble a Kewpee Doll than a man working in the rugged American west to build a railroad. He looks ridiculous in a cowboy hat, and his attempt at a cowboy swagger is cringeworthy. Murphy's miscasting is as glaring as that of Leslie Howard in Gone With The Wind. Both wonderful actors, just playing the wrong part.

Other than this flaw, The Way We Live Now is not to be missed!

Compelling, but doesn't quite satisfy

[claudecat · 6/10 · 19 March 2011]

"The Way We Live Now", a BBC/WGBH co-production, is powerful, and features some fine acting and well-written scenes, as well as lush settings and costumes, but it's obvious even to those who haven't read Anthony Trollope's novel that the story has been "jacked up" for modern viewers. On its own terms, the mini-series mostly gripped my attention, but I wondered if sections had been cut from the American release, because some parts of the story seem to be missing. For example, two characters who like each other in Episode 3 have already become engaged and estranged at the beginning of Episode 4--the actual proposal having been skipped over. The decision to cut such important plot elements in favor of unnecessary but atmospheric scenes (such as a wander with some characters through the forest on a fruitless deer hunt) was strange to me, but some viewers may prefer it. The director heightens many scenes by adding unnaturally loud sound effects, which will strike some as artfully intense, and others as vulgar.

As far as its faithfulness to the novel, director David Yates and screenwriter Andrew Davies appear to have followed a "simplify and exaggerate" policy, presumably to make the story and characters clearer and more likable to a modern audience. It was easy to guess that the young women in the miniseries are made feistier and more independent than they are in the 19th-century original, but I was surprised, upon reading the book, to find that Paul Montague (Cillian Murphy) is also much more diffident on the page than he is on screen. Some changes fit well into a modern worldview: the love of Roger Carbury for his cousin Hetta is, rightly by today's standards, characterized as patronizing and oppressive, though Trollope wouldn't see it that way. But strangely, the fascinating character of Mrs. Hurtle, who has some of the most interesting speeches in the book, is reduced to being a "Southern" temptress in Miranda Otto's odd performance (since Mrs. Hurtle is only connected with Kansas and San Francisco in the original, the choice to make her speak like Tallulah Bankhead playing Julia Sugarbaker is puzzling).

Andrew Davies' screenplay has some fine moments, and certain scenes shine. However, he gives the story the same invented ending as he's given at least one other miniseries based on a 19th-century novel.

All in all, recommended for fans of period drama--with qualifications.

One of the best BBC Drama's ever!

[Midsomerlover · 8/10 · 27 December 2007]

This is, by far, one of the best BBC Drama series that I have ever seen in my entire life. Although the story takes a while to start off, the series and especially the end will not disappoint you. I am no fan of the BBC costume drama's (they have made so many, I almost lost the count) but since I was a Poirot fan and therefore a David Suchet fan, I gave this a try and as I said, I was surprised by the effect it had on me.

The acting is at it's very best, and my attention again goes to David Suchet in particular, because he kept amazing me every time I saw him on screen in the role of Augustus Melmotte, I can't find the words to say how perfect his acting is. Not much actors get close to perfection... but David Suchet most certainly does.

Matthew MadFadyen, Cillian Murphy, Miranda Otto and a whole range of other actors also deserve to be praised. Just as the brilliant David Yates and the memorable music of Nicholas Hooper.

If you have never seen this series, don't hesitate for a moment and buy it on DVD. I'm sure you will agree with me ;) .

Ancestral Authenticity Counts

[huscarl69 · 6/10 · 2 March 2014]

My friends and I were watching this on Netflix, and we couldn't understand why they picked a girl to play a daughter to an English woman that was so obviously NOT English herself. We were saying, "her skin tone is off, and she looks almost Mexican???". Turns out, Paloma Baeza is this. What is wrong with picking English people to play English parts? Will an all white authentic cast make the show evil or racist? Shame on the directors of this film! This actress ruined the authenticity aspect of the show. Please take the time to contact directors of shows like this, and let them know you are hurt they do not choose authentic English people to play English parts. Outside of this, the show was very well done! David Suchet plays such amazingly convincing roles. From good guys, to bad guys... and everything in between.

Like Fingernails on a Chalkboard

[michael-1012 · 1/10 · 29 May 2005]

Trollope's novel is filled with wonderful dialog and marvelously complex characters, but don't expect to encounter any of that here. It's all been thoroughly dumbed down, thanks to scriptwriter Andrew Davies who somehow got the idea he was capable of improving upon the original when he sat down to do the adaptation. There are so many places in this film which must leave a Trollope-lover gasping in disbelief, but I can mention one them without spoiling anything for those who haven't seen it. Davies' interpretation of the title phrase, "The Way We Live Now", which is twice forced into the mouths of characters in the film, though it appears not at all in the novel, does not refer to the corruption of nineteenth century English society, but simply means that relationships are difficult and things are complicated. Please.

Competent adaptation of very long book

[cameront · 10 December 2001]

One of Trollope's longest tomes, 'The Way We Live Now' is a tale of greed and downfall in London during the 1880's boom. It tells the tale of a visiting conman, Melmotte, who decides this time to stay in his chosen destination after having been forced to leave Vienna in haste after causing another of the financial scandals in his long career. With many characters and subplots, this is a hard book to adapt to the screen. The BBC has managed a competent interpretation nontheless, squeezing the whole thing into only five hours.

David Suchet as the protagonist, Melmotte, is excellent: a dark and charismatic foil to the foppish aristocrats who disdain all about him except his money. His daughter, Marie Melmotte, is particularly sweet. Apart from a few quirks like Mrs Hurtle's bizarre American accent (did American ladies really talk with a Jerry Hall drawl in the nineteenth century)? this is an extremely pleasing production.

True title, word for word

[begob · 9/10 · 12 July 2017]

A crooked financier brings the youth of high society London under his spell, until they all discover they're not so innocent ...

Brilliantly witty adaptation of a sophisticated, layered story. The screenplay picks out all the strengths, as the fortunes of three families intersect. Suchet gives a great performance as the ubermensch villain, backed up in every scene with a playful score and trollish food mastication.

The period detail is immaculate, but the editing captures Trollope's humour and avoids any over earnest romance. It also feels modern, just like the novel, in pointing out the theater of London finance - so much show with little substance, and a grim outcome for those who take it seriously. Yet the final montage opens up all sorts of possibilities, and gives a sense of hope.

The performances are excellent. Some complaints about the southern American accent, but it sounds good to me, and the actress nailed her opening scene with menace. Cillian Murphy does come across a bit flappy, so his immaturity as a young actor is the only real weakness.

Score and sound effects are wonderful. And the writing, direction, editing are seamless.

Overall: More than a period drama.

Nicely done

[hshowe · 10/10 · 12 April 2006]

Not as boring as the James adaptations, first rate performances with the usual aristos pretending money isn't everything, and the promise of America shimmering on the horizon. Cillian Murphy and Miranda Otto both have their stardoms explained by these roles, as does Matthew Mcfadyen posing as a "waster". Shirley Henderson does a great job gluing you to the screen, what will she do, the daughter of a wealthy Jew one day, the disgraced orphan the next. This movie does a really fantastic job showing what Historical London of the period must have been like. The "Jewish problem" is worked on a little bit, and also the promise of the great tycoon fortunes to be made in America. Don't miss the big dinner seen- wow everything is actually laid out on the table.

Loved it

[selffamily · 9/10 · 8 May 2008]

I fell across the DVD of this purely accidentally when I was perusing the shelves in our little country library. What a masterpiece! Love Trollope, but haven't read this one yet, so that is a joy in store. I was glued to this - hardly found the energy to go to my day job - and was very rude to anyone who tried to interrupt me. David Suchet is a wonderful actor, as are many of the cast. So nice to see so many of the quality British actors who don't appear in every UK movie to emerge. The mangled accent of Mrs Hertle have been abused enough, let's just say she didn't quite make it. And the Miller won his lass! It was fascinating to see the issues and prejudices of the era handled and brought out into the open, and the ravings of the desperate Melmutte at the end could almost make you sorry for the monster that he was. Ably executed, horribly addictive, and a total pleasure.

Since this review, I have read the book. What a disappointment the DVD is by comparison - obviously the book is nearly 800 pages, so one was expecting cuts, less characters etc, but why was Paul Montague sent to Mexico when he never went in the book, and Ruby Ruggles!! She never did THAT in the book either - and was living with her grandfather, not her father. I understand certain changes, but my argument with major changes is why use the book at all if you wish to write your own story?

A great pity, because this is an excellent production which must have been aimed that those who would never read Trollope.

a fine unsung actor

[stuhh2001 · 8/10 · 20 April 2002]

Rather than a review of this wonderful addition to the Masterpiece Theatre library, I'd like to single out praise for a member of the cast, the wonderful Jim Carter as Mr. Brehget, the Jewish banker.

You saw him as the father in "The Singing Detective", and as one of the actors outrageously dressed as a woman in "Shakespeare In Love". He is a big bear of a man who looks like he belongs in a wrestling ring as the villian, rather than on a stage doing Victorian drama. In the looks department to be kind ,let's say he will never be mistaken for Cary Grant or Tom Cruise. But the thing that gets me is how gracefully he moves and speaks. He very rarely has many lines to say, but listen to that glorious voice. If you taped the show, replay it to see what I mean. Here is a guy, who before he says a word, our inner computer says, "What is this big lumbering ox doing here"? Then you'll see a sweet graceful performer who never fails to delight me.

A little gem

[gummitch-2 · 9/10 · 7 April 2012]

I admit I had never heard of this TV movie until a few weeks ago, as it never arrived on Italian TV. However I managed to buy the British DVD and I must say I'm glad I did. It's set in 1870, but the similarities with our own age are staggering, you're going to laugh and shiver at the same time... Trollope's characters are simply hilarious and the acting is amazing. Such an ensemble is quite remarkable even for British TV. Suchet of course, who's nothing short of mephistophelic and truly mesmerizing. MacFayden is excellent too as the annoying fop. Shirley Henderson and Paloma Baeza are always fine. I've read many inane comments about Cillian Murphy being "miscast" or "not looking like a young engineer". I pray you, how a young engineer should look like? His character is a ward of a man who's 50, of course he's young. I don't think Murphy was chosen because of his pretty face, but because even at 24 he was a very accomplished actor. He brings innocence and integrity to Paul Montague, adding also a wild flash in his eyes that suggests a dangerous past. Yes he's young and delicate looking, but is this a fault? Do looks determine what roles should a great actor play? I think it's nonsense. Watch the movie, you won't regret it.

Doomed by casting errors

[MetaLark · 4/10 · 9 July 2002]

Admiration for the abilities of screenwriter Andrew Davies led me to watch this miniseries. However, I'd have to call this a wasted effort on his part. Not having read the Trollope work on which it is based, nor having any desire to read it after viewing this film version, I can't say whether it is faithful to the original. But the main characters were generally too bizarre and unlikable for my taste, and two of the casting decisions--the parts of Paul Montague and Mrs. Hurtle--were positively grotesque.

Paul Montague, the apparent hero of the piece, was supposed to be an American engineer, a person of some experience and expertise; no doubt the role called for a youngish man unaccustomed to smoky business dens, but this actor made him look like a fresh-faced adolescent--it's asking too much to suppose he could be believable in such a role. And trust me, no normal woman would fall in love with a character so effeminate--that's preposterous.

And--bless my soul--Mrs. Hurtle; at first I was intrigued, thinking she was supposed to be a woman POSING as an American southern belle, a suspicious character in fact. I was astounded when it became apparent that she REALLY was supposed to be from the South; her accent was truly appalling, a caricature. A southern accent is generally so easy to mimic, it seems as though they must have searched hard for someone who couldn't do it. It was so gawd-awful that I still awaken sometimes in the middle of the night with her belabored diphthongs echoing in my nightmares.

If these two mistakes had been less glaring, it is possible that the strangeness of the Melmotte characters might have been more tolerable. They certainly were interesting, and very well acted by David Suchet and Shirley Henderson. The latter has a particular gift for playing neurotic women, but she also was able to endow Marie Melmotte with some sweetness, and in the end, some sympathetic traits.

4/10

a great performance by David Suchet

[Sleepy-17 · 22 April 2002]

We're still talking at home about David Suchet's performance, he's repulsive, horrifying, lying, charismatic, ugly, likable, credible and incredible. If he had been in an A movie, he could of had all the awards. I thought there weren't any actors like this around anymore. His character is Citizen Kane combined with Dracula, and he inhabits it with a vengeance. And the story! It seems to always be consciously paralleling the dot-com or Enron debacles, but isn't that what business has been like ever since stocks began?

Brilliant study of a promoter and his victims, with some surprises.

[richard-693 · 10/10 · 22 April 2005]

Anthony Trollope wrote the novel, but the TV mini-series was adapted by the brilliant Andrew Davies (also Pride and Prejudice). The book is a deep and witty dissection of the financial world of get-rich-quick. The mini-series catches Trollope's wit and lets us see what we could only imagine in the book. Few adaptations of classic fiction came off better than this one...maybe this is the best ever. The characters and themes are as contemporary as any story of financial disaster in the Wall Street Journal. Like MACBETH, THE WAY could successfully be set in modern times because it is a modern story; a timeless story. In this production, the sets, costumes, horses and trappings of London in the 1870's enrich the story. We watch THE WAY often and every showing reveals details we missed, but which delight.

Unusually thoughtful and well-acted show

[Laight · 8/10 · 10 January 2022]

There isn't all that much of a plot here, and the writers weren't given the opportunity, given time constraints, to include a lot of what makes this one of Trollope's best books. But what does make this show very much worth watching is the acting (with only two exceptions). David Suchet gives one of the best performances of any novel adaptation -- his Melmotte is simply riveting. Equally terrific is the under-rated Shirley Henderson, making her character the most complicated, unpleasant, and yet totally sympathetic. She's incredible. Also outstanding are Matthew Macfayden as an unsympathetic rake and Helen Schlesinger, managing to steal every scene she's in with just her facial expressions. Jim Carter does his usual excellent work, as does Richard Cant, Douglas Hodge, and, well, almost everyone else.

The only exceptions to the excellent performances are Cillian Murphy and Miranda Otto. Murphy excels at playing dark and villainous characters, but he's just too offbeat, his face too exotic, to work as the hero of this show. Otto is just outright bad, as she doesn't seem to understand that a Southern accent isn't an affectation, it's the way people actually talk in various parts of America. Her attempt at an accent ranges from a Texas accent to a Louisiana accent to a Virginia accent to nothing at all.

Still, two lackluster performances in a show where everyone else is superb is quibbling. Twenty years after its filming this show is very much worth watching.

BBC's Stable of Actors

[[e-mail] · 8/10 · 3 November 2007]

If you watch Masterpiece Theatre with any frequency, you will long since have noticed that the BBC, which provides Masterpiece Theatre with its best material, seems to have access to an inexhaustible supply of superior actors -- mostly, though not all, British stage performers and mostly British trained. "The Way We Live Now" gives more proof of how deep BBC's acting bench is. David Suchet, the star of this series is familiar to American audiences for his portrayal of the fussy and fastidious Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, created by Agatha Christie. The character he plays here could not possibly be more different than Poirot. He is a crude, unethical financier who seems large physically though Suchet is on the small side. Supporting Suchet is a sizable cast of actors, most of whom are complete unknowns to American audiences. They are all good and several of them are excellent. Where were Helen Mirren and Judi Dench before they became stars in Hollywood? Learning and applying their craft in Britain. Perhaps it is the acting schools and the repertory companies that turn these actors out in such profusion. Perhaps it is the quantity and quality of theaters and stage companies that give them opportunities unavailable in the U.S. Whatever the reason, the overall strength of the cast is what distinguishes this British TV series as it generally distinguishes British-made films from their American counterparts. American films may be superior in other respects but not for acting that merges effortlessly into the role.