From Bandhe Haath, which is turning out to not be quite as good as some of O.P. Ralhan's other works, although Mumtaz is deliciously plump and wonderful. Maybe part of the problem is that Ralhan didn't direct this one or perhaps Amitabh doesn't have it within him to capture the earnestness/angst over being good person yet being a criminal of a Dharmendra (Phool aur Patthar) or a Rajendra (Gehra Daag) or a Zeenat (Paapi) which make Ralhan's other films work so well. Amitabh in this era was more angry than contrite.

Oh, Fingersmith! The BBC mini-series was not as good as the book for a few reasons, but I enjoyed it anyways. I wouldn't recommend watching until after you've read the book, however, because one of the problems of the mini was the lack of characterization of all the characters except Susan and Maud. While I certainly appreciated all the attention lavished on their various dresssing and undressing rituals, the plot suffered for it. The other problem that makes the Fingersmith mini kind of mediocre are the many poor choices in blocking and/or editing. It seemed like every single shot was an over the shoulder at one character and then flipped to be over the shoulder of the other. When we did see two faces in the same shot, half the time one actor's back would be to the other! As a viewer, I should not be made aware of things like this.

That said, I really enjoyed the performances of the leads: Sally Hawkins as Susan and Elaine Cassidy as Maud.



In the novel, Maud describes herself as a book on a shelf, marked with her uncle's bookplate - her uncle being a sever Mr. Cassaubon type - just like every other volume. ( Some plot spoilers under here... )

And now, the pretty:

The most enjoyable part of the film, by far, was the delightful 19th century costumes and the festishizing of both the clothes and the ritual dressing and undressing.



( More pictures under here! )

Along with the steamy romance, Fingersmith has a couple of interesting things to play with: the Victorian idea of ladies being ruined with too much reading - Maud can read and Susan cannot - and just how things are complicated when everybody takes the word of a gentleman over the word of a lady. The latter plays well in the mini, as it is rather shocking to hear the men of authority just flat out refuse to believe Susan when she tries to tell them the truth. ( And finally... )