Dickensblog

Only had time to watch a little bit tonight, but I wanted to keep the momentum going, so here's a post on that little bit!

We're back to rushing again, as Louisa gallops through her scene at Stephen's house like someone stuck a burr under her saddle. I do wish they'd had a little more runtime to work with. However, Stephen and Rachael's farewell scene, though quick, is genuinely moving.

I don't think I've said much about Christien Anholt as Tom yet — he conveys the character's sullenness and recklessness very convincingly, and he and Harthouse play off each other well. That is, they do until Bounderby comes charging into the scene like a rhinoceros. Also, the dynamic among Louisa, Bounderby, and Mrs. Sparsit is very well done.

Incidentally, I really like the way they've dressed Louisa, in muted colors and severely cut dresses, with hair pulled straight back. And Beatie Edney is giving a powerful performance when they allow her some time to breathe.

Oh good, they kept Mrs. Gradgrind's line about a pain somewhere in the room! That's one of my favorites. The special effects in the scene are regrettable, though. In trying to show the lapse of time, they use a quick cut from night to day that makes it look like God flipped on a light switch.

There's a nice little subtle to nod to Dickens's metaphor of a staircase, as Mrs. Sparsit watches Louisa descending an actual one to meet Harthouse. Again I wish we'd had more runtime — the scene between Louisa and Harthouse, and then the one between Louisa and Gradgrind, are strongly acted and striking, but they could have been even stronger if they had been led up to more gradually.

I'll try to finish tomorrow.