Middlemarch (1994 TV serial)
| Middlemarch | |
|---|---|
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| Written by |
George Eliot (novel) Andrew Davies |
| Directed by | Anthony Page |
| Starring |
Juliet Aubrey Rufus Sewell Douglas Hodge Patrick Malahide Trevyn McDowell Julian Wadham Robert Hardy Peter Jeffrey Michael Hordern |
| Theme music composer | Stanley Myers |
| Composer(s) | Stanley Myers (episode 1) Christopher Gunning (episode 2–6) |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | originally aired as 6, but 7 on the worldwide release |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Michael Wearing Rebecca Eaton |
| Producer(s) | Louis Marks |
| Location(s) |
Stamford, Lincolnshire, England Yeovil, Somerset, England |
| Cinematography | Brian Tufano |
| Editor(s) | Jerry Leon Paul Tothill |
| Running time | 75 minutes (x1) 60 minutes (x5) |
| Production company(s) | WGBH Productions for BBC |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC2 |
| Picture format | 14:9 |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | 12 January – 16 February 1994 |
Middlemarch is a 1994 television adaptation of the 1871 novel of the same name by George Eliot. Produced by the BBC on BBC2 in six episodes (seven episodes in the worldwide TV series), it is the second such adaptation for television of the novel. It was directed by Anthony Page from a screenplay by Andrew Davies, and starred Juliet Aubrey, Rufus Sewell, Douglas Hodge and Patrick Malahide.
In this version of the novel, Dorothea Brooke (Juliet Aubrey) attempts to satisfy her underdeveloped intellect through marriage to the Reverend Edward Casaubon (Patrick Malahide), a man twice her age. The marriage proves unsatisfying and ends with Casaubon's unexpected death. Dorothea eventually meets Will Ladislaw (Rufus Sewell), an event which leads to further complications.
For a full length summary see: Middlemarch plot summary.
In a 28 March 1994 review for The New York Times, Elizabeth Kolbert argued that the mini-series was a hit in Britain as it, "mesmerized millions of viewers here, setting off a mini-craze for Victorian fiction. In its wake there were Middlemarch lectures, Middlemarch comics, even a wave of Middlemarch debates. Authors and columnists argued in the London papers over whether Dorothea would, in fact, live happily ever after, whether Casaubon, if left alone, would have finished his great work and finally whether Will Ladislaw entered his marriage bed a virgin." In an 11 April 1994 review in Time magazine, John Elson also noted this fact, further stating that the series, "was a recent critical and popular success in Britain, leading to lectures and even debates on the novel. As a result of the show, a Penguin paperback of the novel topped best-seller lists for five weeks, and is still doing well. The town of Stamford, Lincolnshire, where exteriors were filmed, is preparing for a summertime influx of tourists."
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