Wives and Daughters

Molly, the no-nonsense daughter of a widowed village doctor, is forced to cede the running of their household to her new stepmother, who is not quite as evil as Cinderella's but is a lot more supercilious. The stepmother's daughter, Cynthia, is another addition to the household, and Molly becomes her steadfast friend, even though Cynthia puts Molly in difficult situations and admits that she has never loved anyone in her entire life, including her mother. Everywhere, men fall swooning before the beautiful Cynthia, and Molly watches with alarm as Cynthia charms Roger, the second son of Squire Hamley, with whom she is infatuated. Complexities arise as ... well, watch the film.

What makes this film so enticing is the fine screenplay by Andrew Davies and the absolutely splendid acting by the entire company. You will enjoy detesting Francesca Annis (so memorable in "Lillie Langtry") as the stepmother who raises gold-digging to new heights, carefully evaluating each of Cynthia's suitors on the sole criterion of his ability to enhance her status and her bank balance. Michael Gambon ("The Singing Detective"), skillfully portrays the hot-headed squire, whose bark (worse than his bite) has tragic consequences. And Molly is played to perfection by Justine Waddell, who, while portraying the placid exterior of a country doctor's genteel daughter, can reveal her emotional interior with the merest twitch of an eyebrow. Ian Carmichael ("Lord Peter Wimsey") is sparingly used, but is, as always, enchanting. Supporting characters are played with consummate artistry, and the costumes and settings will dazzle you in an England in which, remarkably, it does not rain until the last scenes.

This production has characters that are not depicted as stereotypes - as in life, the leading roles occasionally falter and make bad judgments, and the flawed characters have their good points. This film will scoop you up and deliver you right into the middle of a world that looks and sounds different from ours, but that feels very, very familiar. "Wives and Daughters" is a winner!


Finally!!   April 20, 2004
This movie was fantastic. I finally found another movie as good as the 1995 production of Pride and Prejudice!! This movie is very well developed, and provides all the love, friendship, enemies, secrets, longing, chemistry, grief and happiness needed for a good tale. I got into this movie right away, and I couldn't wait to finish it to see what would happen. I've never read the book, but I am interested in it now. I will watch this movie again and again. Thank you so much for selling this on DVD Amazon!!


Another great BBC series   April 17, 2004
pdte (Mobile, Al United States)
We bought this on the strength of other reviews here, and the awesome Pride and Prejudice series. It is great. If you enjoyed P&P, you will enjoy this.


Wives and Daughters: A Winner   April 15, 2004
Sincerae B. Smith (Georgia, USA)
My aunt rented Wives and Daughter for me as a thank you for my loaning her movies from my private collection. When I first saw the title, I thought it was from a novel by D. H. Lawrence or Jane Austen. I was wrong of course, for it is from a neglected English novelist named Elizabeth Gaskell. Wives and Daighters is now one of my favorite BBC productions.

Wives and Daughters is set in the fictional town of Hollingford in England. The story centers on a young girl named Molly Gibson and the people, good and bad, selfish and unselfish, shallow and deep, bigoted and tolerate, worldly and innocent, peers and the working class,and principaled and gossipy who come into her life. At the beginning of the story, Molly is being raised by her widowed father, Dr. Gibson, a caring and vigilant man. When he decides to remarry when Molly is a teenager, sparks fly. Molly has to cope with a stepmother and
step sister, Cynthia. Cynthia was educated in France, where the only thing she seems to have picked up is fashion and flirtation. She flirts, but she doesn't seem to realize her affect on men. Molly who is pretty, but not seductively buxom and glowing like Cynthia. She is loyal to her troubled step sister. She is silent and long suffering even when the young man she loves, Roger Hamley falls for Cynthia.

Eventually all works out for good. Wives and Daughters draws an excellent picture of country life and manners in Victorian England. It is a coming of age tale with a cast of memorable charcters. Their conversations define them.

I loved the warm smile of Roger Hamley the budding young scientist whom Molly loves, played by Tom Hollander. His character's heart is just as warm. I have been a fan of Francesca Annis since I first saw her in the Masterpiece Theater production of Lillie back in the late 70s, when I was in high school. As Molly's stepmother she is shallow, pretentious, but still almost as beautiful as she was over 25 years ago.

I fell in love with Wives and Daughters so much that I had to get my own copy of the series on DVD. The photography and costumes are beautiful. Wives and Daughters is a winner!


Loved It!   January 28, 2004
T. Merrill (Phoenix, AZ USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

If you liked Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, then you will love this one. A clean romance, great story, and overall a wonderful film.