Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

SteinMo What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

Sienna-Rose Mclaughlin The movie really just wants to entertain people.

begob A wealthy Victorian bride and her half-sister become the victims of an abusive marriage, and their only salvation lies in uncovering a mystery from the family's past ...Brave attempt to cover a complex story in a relatively short run time. Some of the adaptations work very well to fold events and characters into a streamlined plot, but others take too many liberties. The main drawback is that the malevolent Count Fosco is reduced to a few scenes of haughty guffawing, and his back-story is completely erased. This does improve in some ways on the 1982 TV series, with some conviction added to the dialogue, but can't really compete.The writer has beefed up the roles of the half-sister and the lover, and the actress gives a strong performance. Sadly, in spite of all the streamlining, the end has to rely too much on exposition to lead us out of the labyrinth.Overall: Well produced but bit off more than it could chew.

TheLittleSongbird Judging from the vehement hate this version of The Woman in White has gotten on Amazon, seeing as the book is a masterpiece and how outstanding the 1982 version with Diana Quick was, I was expecting this adaptation to be bad. After seeing it, it is better than it's given credit for though the 1982 version is far better, which was very faithful, was more consistently acted and had a perfect length and pace. Those who say that as an adaptation the 1997 version is very unfaithful are right with some names changed, physical appearances not matching and Glyde's real motivation for persecuting Anne not making much sense here. However adaptations do deserve to be judged on their own, and on its own while very flawed the 1997 version is not that bad. The book is big and its complexity is difficult to adapt, so the attempt is at least laudable.It could have done with being longer(125 minutes is not enough I don't think) and could have slowed down, that way the story and characters would have had more complexity and intricacy. The voice over agreed was not needed and added nothing, and not all the casting works, both due most likely to their roles being half-realised/developed. James Wilby was rather dull and not oily enough for Sir Percival Glyde, he is charming and aristocratic, which is just one part of his character, but from personal perspective he never believed as a main villain/criminal. And Simon Callow- also suffering from the worst of mismatched physical appearances, too thin- is too mannered and civilised for Fosco, quite possibly one of literature's most interesting villains, the intelligence is there, the evil doesn't register, at least to me.However, it is a beautifully made adaptation. The scenery, sets and locations looking splendid, there is an eeriness but also like a postcard-come-to-life quality and make-up, costumes and hair that looks authentic. The photography is seamlessly composed, like looking at a painting. The music score is an underrated one, it was only mentioned in like 3 or 4(out of 58) reviews on Amazon, it is very magnetic and has an eerily haunting quality that matches the tone adeptly. The dialogue does have flow, sounds very intelligent and thoughtful and makes an effort to make the characters believable(especially Marian, Madame Fosco and Farlie). The story is not as intricate- there could have been more of a danger if the villains convinced and were developed more- but still has that Gothic touch, is fun and tense and the romantic angle is tender.So while it loses the book's complexity and doesn't make as much sense there is evidence of good, solid storytelling. The British Museum scene is tense in a subtle way and through body language too, and the climax is chillingly hair-rising. Most of the cast do work. Tara Fitzgerald commands the screen brilliantly, bringing out Marian's strong-willed and passionate qualities. Justine Waddell is a softer, more trusting and sympathetic contrast as Laura, almost fairy-like, and Susan Vidler is a touchingly vivid Anne even with some of her lines being on the deadpan side. Kika Martin's Madame Fosco is harrowing and Adie Allen in a role that even when condensed has shades of Rebecca's Mrs Danvers has the right sinister touch. And Ian Richardson, who was one of the high points of the earlier adaptation of The Woman in White, gives an interpretation of Mr Fairlie that has actually grown while keeping the essence of the character. He is every bit the nervous wreck but also appropriately condescending and self-centred with a touch of humour.Overall, for a better version adaptation-wise, it's best to watch the 1982 version, judging it on its own it is decent and is not wholly deserving of the vitriol it's gotten. 6.5/10 Bethany Cox

rubyslipper Wilkie Collins' "The Woman in White" is a great read--a creepy and funny mystery novel with multiple narrators, one of which is one of the strongest female characters I've ever come across in Victorian fiction. Unlike some of the other IMDB critics of this film version, though, I read it only after seeing the BBC production. While I thoroughly enjoyed the film, its plot is almost totally different from the novel. It made me wonder if the writers had read two Wilkie Collins novels and decided to combine them, taking the character names from one and the plot twists from the other.The look of the production is impeccable--gorgeous costumes, lovely English country houses, and a use of light and shadow that perfectly captures the pervasive disquietude. I especially liked that two of the scariest scenes took place in broad daylight, in light-colored places, instead of such customary gothic locales as dark, cobwebby dungeons. The BBC's recent Victorian productions have all striven for an accuracy of period detail (no more beehive hairdos worn with hoopskirt gowns)--that includes dirt and squalor, along with sumptuous furnishings. The Pre-Raphaelite art angle, though not in the book, is neatly tied in, too.And the acting is excellent. Tara Fitzgerald and Justine Waddell seem to have cornered the market on these period pieces, and Fitzgerald in particular, is perfect as Marion, the steely but loving sister of the soft and sweet Laura. Ian Richardson (the diabolical MP Francis Urquhart in the "House of Cards" trilogy) is brilliant as the girls' hypochondriac uncle, thrown into paroxysms at the sound of loud noises. Simon Callow is Count Fosco, the villain who kills with a caress. He and Marion are worthy opponents; don't miss the scene in the British Museum, when she glares at him over an Egytian sarcophagus and subtly lets him know that she is onto him.One flaw in the production is the irrelevant voice-over at the beginning and end of the film, but it is not serious enough to mar one's enjoyment of this film.

Oriel Although I still prefer the 1948 film version, which is more satisfyingly developed (in spite of an ending that comes out of nowhere), this newer version of Wilkie Collins's mystery has a lot to offer. Tara Fitzgerald and Justine Waddell are excellent as the two very different heroines, and Simon Callow is, as always, delightful (if not as deliciously repulsive as Sidney Greenstreet in this role). The mystery, romance and suspense begin to take a moody, even depressing turn in the second half, but this is still, overall, a satisfying film for fans of gothics, visually compelling and more than a little haunting.