The Mystery and Suspence of Dickens

It isn't often that my husband and I spend every night in a given week watching television. But this week we did. Each night we turned on our gas fireplace, lit a couple of candles, and fed our latest addiction: Bleak House.

In September, both Girl Talk and Danielle recommended the 2005 BBC mini-series. I immediately put it on hold at our local library. Because of its popularity, we were finally able to check it out last week. And, because it is in such demand, we were only able to keep it for a week before we had to return it for the next person in line.

Bleak House is based on the Charles Dickens' novel by the same name. The drama is a satire on the 19th century British legal system. Yet for viewers the true meat of the DVD series is not in a legal battle, but in the mystery involving Lady Deadlock and a stack of love letters.

The series pairs up a classic story with contemporary cinematography. Transitional shots are quick and darting, while a fair number of shots within scenes are partially obscured by some object in the forefront, such as a branch from a tree. This effect gives some of the scenes a feeling of voyeurism; like the audience is quietly, secretly watching the story unfold. While the style works overall, after multiple episodes, the obscuring gets a bit old.

The story is confusing for the first two or three episodes because there are several threads developing simultaneous and a huge cast of characters. My husband wasn't sure what was going on at first, but I told him to hang on, that the numerous storylines were puzzle pieces that would soon began to fit together. As they did, we found ourselves hooked.

As far as casting goes, it's superb. While the only actors I recognized were Gillian Anderson (known for her role on X-Files) and Carey Mulligan (from 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice), I thought each actor in the series did a remarkable job. Some of my favorites include Anderson as Lady Deadlock, Burn Gorman as Mr. Guppy, Anna Maxwell Martin as Esther Summerson, and Hugo Spear as Sergeant George.

Each episode builds in suspense until the last two. Episodes 14 and 15 are spent wrapping up the story. Honestly, after all the mystery and suspense, I found the ending to be somewhat of a let down.

For any of you who love classics and mystery, Bleak House is a must. It's not only well produced, directed, and acted, but it's a story viewers can learn from. It's a tale that illustrates well the danger of secret sin, the law of sowing and reaping, and the powerful influence and impact a honorable woman such as Esther Summerson can have on those around her.

To Dream

Whenever the girls and I spend time with my family, I look forward to catching up on movies I may have missed at the theater. During this trip, I had the opportunity to watch The Greatest Game Ever Played and Dreamer, two films that focus on pursuing a dream in the face of fear, ridicule, and all odds. However, that’s not all the two movies have in common. Both stories also look at reconciliation between fathers and their children.

Since it first opened at theaters last fall, I’ve wanted to see The Greatest Game Ever Played. It’s the story of Francis Ouimet, the son of a common immigrant worker. He is far from a gentlemen’s heir and constantly reminded of this by those above him in the social ladder, as well as by his father. However, his social standing does little to discourage Francis from pursuing his dream: to play golf.

A caddy, Francis is offered the opportunity to play as an amateur in a golf tournament. While he has the encouragement and support of his mother, his father is dead set against Francis wasting his time in the chasing of his dreams. He wants Francis to accept that he is the son of a common worker and not try to fit into the world of gentlemen. At one point father and son strike a bargain. If Francis qualifies in the golf tournament, then and only then can he continue to play golf. If he doesn’t qualify, he must give up his dream forever and accept a common job. Francis’ pursuit of what his mother calls a “God-given gift he’s putting a voice to” creates a rift between father and son that, by the film’s ending, is reconciled.

Dreamer is the story of Cale Crane, her father Ben, and her grandfather, who they call “Pop.” Fired from his job for refusing to let them put an injured racehorse, Sonyador (a.k.a. "Dreamer") down in front of his young daughter, Ben finds himself unemployed and nursing a thoroughbred back to health. His goal of breeding Sonyador and selling the colt ends in disappointment when they learn that Sonyador is infertile. Yet, Cale never loses hope. In Sonyador she still sees a champion, despite the horse's once broken leg. Daily, she tells Sonyador how she sees her, reciting,
You are a great champion. When you ran, the ground shook, the sky opened and mere mortals parted. Part of the way to victory, where you'll meet me in the winner's circle, where I'll put a blanket of flowers on your back.

It isn't long before Sonyador rises to the occasion. As a result of a little girl's refusal to stop believing Pop and Ben are reconciled. And the ties between Ben and Cale are strengthened as never before.

Both films are examples of what filmmaking should be. The Greatest Game Ever Played and Dreamer are about the story. Pure, undefiled story. These movies don’t clutter themselves with profanity, with sex, with violence. They are simple, yet at the same time these stories contain a depth that many times is lacking in films.

At the center of both films is the biblical truth that “for as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7), or as pop psychology would call it, “the self-fulfilling prophecy.” Both Francis and Cale succeed because they have they don’t allow discouragement and ridicule to influence how they view themselves, or in Cale’s case how she views Sonyador. These movies provide a powerful message for us as viewers. In them we are encouraged to pursue the dreams God has placed in our hearts. And as we do, to never take our eyes off of how God sees us.

I'm looking forward to adding both of these movies to our film collection.

The Movie Vault: A Classic Chick Flick

Ah, Anabel Sims, a classic chick flick heroine. A character to be admired by women and feared by men. Admired for her go get 'em (or should I say "go get him") spirit and unwavering persistence. And feared for her "go get him" spirit and unwavering persistence. Yes, that's right, when watching Every Girl Should Be Married, the 1948 film starring Cary Grant as Dr. Madison Brown and Betsy Drake as Anabel Sims, most women can't help but giggle in delight at the same story elements that make men shudder. But, it wouldn't be a good chick flick if men really enjoyed the film, now would it?

By today's standards, the most fitting description for Anabel would probably be "stalker." But, not by 1940's standards. No, instead she's merely a very determined woman set on catching the man she knows she's meant to marry. At one point in the film she states, "Do you know something about being a girl? You can just never give up. You have take every single little defeat and twist it around and around until it turns into a great big victory."

But, for those of you who don't buy that and prefer to think of her as a stalker, then at least think of her as a harmless one. After all, it's not like she's sitting outside Dr. Brown's window, watching his every move. Although ... she does manage to find out his shirt size, where he eats dinner each night of the week, what his favorite menu items are there, and just about everything else about him. How's she obtain this information? Why it's simple, through his tailor, the head waiter at his favorite restaurant, his barber, his secretary, and just about everyone else he comes in contact with on a regular basis. Her explanation, "Well I haven't done a single thing that isn't legitimate for a girl." And, she is quite the resourceful woman. Now, who can't admire that?

This movie does contradict the belief that a man should be the one to pursue while the woman the one to respond. Anabel is certainly the pursuer in this film, at one point explaining her actions with, "Well, I know its dreadful. But this is the kind of thing that men force us to do." Dr. Brown, on the other hand, goes from being initially passive and disinterested to down right avoidant. Yet, for every woman that's ever encountered a passive man, this film is welcome therapy.

One of my favorite scenes in the movie is Anabel's visit to Dr. Brown's office. She has already spotted him in her favorite coffee shop and the chase is on. Not knowing that he's a pediatrician, she makes an appointment for herself. Dr. Brown thinks she has a little one at home. Needless to say, the conversation that follows is hilarious line after line of misunderstanding.

Variety magazine's November 10, 1948 issue called the film "one of those rare comic delicacies that are always in good season at the box office," while the New York Times' December 24, 1948 edition described Betsy Drake as "display[ing] a refreshingly natural comic spirit in this fanciful girl-gets-boy lark" while also showing "a surprisingly perseverance in pursuing the dictates of the plot." Every Girl Should Be Married is one of those films I love watching again and again. So much so, that it's set on "keep until I delete" on my TiVo, ready to be enjoyed at a moment's notice.