I knew of the book and the fame of writer, so expected a meaningful experience. The film is meant to show the tragedy of existence, especially among the lower classes of London in the 19th century. I knew it was not an upbeat comedy.
There is a word, "verisimilitude" that I don't often use, but this film seemed to have been from a first draft of a screenplay with a single run through of the scenes. And then there's the background music, only it wasn't background but the volume and coarseness of it drowned out any subtlety of words or expressions of the characters.
Another aspect of a cinema is continuity, that not only the main drama, but the supporting characters individual parts fit sequentially and logically. You only notice this when it doesn't, like the very young woman that the lead character finally marries, had been said to be engaged to another, who just disappeared out of thin air.
We caught the film on TMC, and so no major financial investment, and if it appears again, and if you are not already feeling down and can handle this, give it a try. It will make you appreciate other films for the effort to make them what this film was the antithesis of.
There is a word, "verisimilitude" that I don't often use, but this film seemed to have been from a first draft of a screenplay with a single run through of the scenes. And then there's the background music, only it wasn't background but the volume and coarseness of it drowned out any subtlety of words or expressions of the characters.
Another aspect of a cinema is continuity, that not only the main drama, but the supporting characters individual parts fit sequentially and logically. You only notice this when it doesn't, like the very young woman that the lead character finally marries, had been said to be engaged to another, who just disappeared out of thin air.
We caught the film on TMC, and so no major financial investment, and if it appears again, and if you are not already feeling down and can handle this, give it a try. It will make you appreciate other films for the effort to make them what this film was the antithesis of.