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claudia1829things · 6 days

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"BLEAK HOUSE" (1985) Review

"BLEAK HOUSE" (1985) Review

In less than I year, I have developed this fascination with the works of Charles Dickens. How did this come about? I do not know. I have seen previous Dickens movie and television adaptations in the past. But ever since last year, I have been viewing these adaptations with a vengeance. And one of them turned out to be "BLEAK HOUSE", the 1985 adaptation of Dickens' 1852-53 novel.

Adapted by Arthur Hopcraft, this eight-episode miniseries conveyed the affects of Jarndyce v Jardyce, a long-running legal probate case involving the existence of more than one will. The heirs and their descendants have been waiting decades for the court to determine the legal will, for the sake of a large inheritance. Among those affected by the Jarndyce v Jardyce case are:

*John Jarndyce - a wealthy English landowner, who happens to be the proprietor of the estate, Bleak House. Jarndyce had inherited it from his uncle Tom Jarndyce, who had went mad waiting for a verdict on the case before committing suicide. *Richard Carstones - Tom Jarndyce's grandson and John Jarndyce's cousin, who also became one of the latter's legal wards, and a potential beneficiary of the Jarndyce v Jardyce case. *Ada Clare - Tom Jarndyce's granddaughter and Mr. Jarndyce's cousin, who also became one of his legal wards, and a potential beneficiary of the Jarndyce v Jardyce case. She and Richard, also cousins, became romantically involved. *Esther Summerson - one of the novel's main characters and orphan, who became Mr. Jarndyce's ward following the death of her previous guardian, Miss Barbury, who had also been her biological aunt. She joined the Bleak House household as Ada's companion and Mr. Jarndyce's housekeeper after he became the guardian of Richard and Ada. *Honoria, Lady Dedlock - the wife of baronet Sir Leicester Dedlock and a beneficiary of the Jarndyce v Jardyce case. She is also the younger sister of Miss Barbury and Esther's illegitimate mother. *Captain John Hawdon aka Nemo - a former British Army officer, who became an impoverished law writer and drug addict. He is also Lady Dedlock's former lover and Esther's illegitimate father. His penmanship on one of the Jarndyce v Jardyce affidavit attracts Lady Dedlock's attention. *Mr. Bill Tulkinghorn - Sir Leicester's ruthless lawyer, who noticed Lady Dedlock's reaction to the affidavit. This leads him to investigate her past and possible connection to Hawdon aka "Nemo". *Miss Flite - An elderly woman living in London, whose family had been destroyed by a long-running Chancery case similar to Jarndyce v Jarndyce. This has led her to develop an obsessive fascination with Chancery cases, especially the main one featured in this story. She quickly befriended Esther, Richard, Ada and Mr. Jarndyce.

As one can see, these characters represented plot arcs that connect to the Jarndyce v Jarndyce case. As one of the beneficiaries of the Jarndyce case, Richard becomes obsessed with the verdict. He seemed more interested in depending upon the Jarndyce verdict to provide him with an income rather than pursue a profession. This obsession eventually led to a clash between and Mr. Jarndyce, who has tried to warn him not to get involved with the case. Another clash formed between Lady Dedlock and Mr. Tulkinghorn, due to his determination to find proof of her past with Nemo and the conception of their child. A clash that proved to create even more damaging for a good number of people, than the one between Mr. Jarndyce and Richard. In the midst of all this stood Esther, who served as an emotional blanket for several characters - especially the inhabitants at Bleak House, a potential romantic figure for three men (ironic for a woman who was not supposed to be a great beauty), and the center of the Lady Dedlock-Nemo scandal.

For years, 1985's "BLEAK HOUSE" had been viewed as the superior adaptation of Dickens' novel. The first novel aired back in 1959. But a third television adaptation that aired in 2005 had managed to overshadow this second adaptation's reputation. But this is not about comparing the three adaptations. I am focusing only the 1985 miniseries. If I might be blunt, I believe screenwriter Arthur Hopcraft and director Ross Devenish created one of the better Charles Dickens I have personally seen. Granted, one might use the source material - the 1952-53 novel - as the reason behind the miniseries' top quality. But I have seen my share of poor adaptations of excellent source material . . . and excellent adaptations of poor or mediocre novels and plays. And I would find this excuse too simply to swallow. Hopcraft and Devenish could have easily created a poor or mediocre adaptation of the novel. Fortunately, I believe they had managed to avoid the latter.

With eight episodes, Hopcraft and Devenish did an excellent job in conveying Dickens' exploration into the chaos of the legal landscape in 19th century Britain, especially cases involving the Chancery courts. One might consider the longevity of Jarndyce v Jarndyce rather exaggerated. However, I speak from personal experience that an extended length of time in such a case is more than possible. But what I thought the effect of Jarndyce v Jarndyce and similar cases in Dickens' story seemed very interesting. In Richard Carstone's case, I suspect his own hubris and upbringing had allowed the case to have such a toxic effect upon him. He had been raised as a gentleman. Which meant he was not expected to work for a living. But since he did not possess a fortune or an estate - like Mr. Jarndyce - Richard never lost hope that the court would rule the Jarndyce v Jarndyce case in his favor, allowing him to inherit a great deal of money. Although it took another case to send Miss Flyte mentally around the bend, I found it interesting that her obsession with Chancery cases led her to attach her interest to the Jarndyce case beneficiaries.

The Jarndyce case also produce a group of leeches in the forms of attorneys like Mr. Tulkinghorn and his obsession with assuming control over the Dedlocks and Mr. Vholes, who had sucked a great deal of money from Richard in exchange for his legal services. The series also featured the vicious moneylender Mr. Smallweed, who helped Mr. Tulkinghorn in the latter's campaign against Lady Dedlock; and Mr. Jarndyce's "friend", Harold Skimpole, who had not only encouraged Richard to pursue a greater interest in the Jarndyce case, but also had accepted a "commission" from Vholes to recruit the young man as a client. Would I regard William Guppy as a leech? Sometimes. I had noticed that one particular story arc was missing - namely the story arc regarding the philanthropist Mrs. Jellyby, her daughter and Esther's friend, Caddy and the Turveydrop family. This did not bother me, for I have never been a fan of that particular arc.

However, I also noticed that "BLEAK HOUSE" featured a few moments in which important plot points had been revealed through dialogue or shown after the fact. Audiences never saw Skimpole convince Richard to hire Mr. Vholes. Instead, Mr. Jarndyce had revealed this incident after it happened. The whole scenario regarding Dr. Allan Woodcock being a survivor of a shipwreck was handled as a past event revealed by the good doctor himself. Hopcraft's script never stretched it out in the same manner as Dickens' novel or the 2005 miniseries. Audiences never saw George Rouncewell's release from jail, for which he had been incarcerated for murder. Instead, Episode Seven began with George in jail and later, near the end, found him serving as Sir Leicester's valet without any information on how that came about.

"BLEAK HOUSE" featured a few other writing and direction decisions by Hopcraft and Devenish that I found . . . well, questionable. Why did the pair solely focused on Lady Dedlock in the series' penultimate episode and Richard and the Jarndyce v Jarndyce case in the final one? Would it have been so difficult for them to switch back and forth between the two arcs in those final episodes? I found Inspector Bucket's resolution to the story's murder mystery rather rushed. I would have liked to see Bucket eliminate suspects before solving the case. In Bucket's final scene with the killer, Hopcraft left out that moment from the novel when the latter had the last scathing word on British society, leaving the police detective speechless. This erasure dimmed the impact of Dickens' message and made the killer even more of a caricature. I had some issues with how Devenish directed certain performances. How can I put this? I found them a bit theatrical.

I have one last issue - namely Kenneth MacMillan's cinematography. I realize that in "BLEAK HOUSE", fog represented institutional oppression and human confusion and misery in society. Unfortunately, I feel that MacMillan may have been heavy-handed in utilizing this symbol in the series. It is bad enough that photography featured a fuzzy element that seemed popular in many period productions in the 1970s. But thanks to MacMillan's use of fog in the story, there were many moment in which I could barely see a damn thing. And I found that irritating.

Aside from a few quibbles, I had no real issues with the performances featured in "BLEAK HOUSE". One of those quibbles proved to be the performances for some of the secondary cast members. How can I say this? The exaggerated and wooden performances for some of the cast members brought back memories of some of the minor actors' bad performances in 1982 miniseries, "THE BLUE AND THE GRAY". I must admit that I did not care for Pamela Merrick's portrayal of Lady Dedlock's French maid, Madame Hortense. Her performance bordered and then surpassed the lines of caricature - as some British actors/actresses tend to do. Charlie Drake's portrayal of the moneylender Smallweed tend to waver between a pretty solid performance and pure caricature. Although there were moments when I found her portrayal of the eccentric Miss Flyte a bit hammy, I must admit that Sylvia Coleridge gave a well-done performance. Chris Pitt's performance as Jo, the crossing sweeper boy struck me as very poignant. Yet, at the same time, he seemed so passive that at times, I found it difficult to believe he had survived on the streets on his own, for so long. Jonathan Moore, whom I had remembered from the 1988 television movie, "JACK THE RIPPER"; did an excellent job of conveying the ambitious and self-interested nature of law clerk William Guppy. However, his portrayal of Guppy seemed to lack the character's comedic nature. Denholm Elliot gave a very interesting performance as Esther, Richard and Ada's guardian, John Jarndyce. On one level, I found his portrayal of the kind-hearted Mr. Jarndyce as first-rate. Excellent. But there were moments, including the character's famous quote following Jo's death, when Elliott's Mr. Jarndyce seemed to resemble one of those "angry young men" characters from a John Osbourne play. I found those moments very odd.

However, there were performances that did not leave me scratching my head. Colin Jeavons and Anne Reid gave very competent performances as the grasping solicitor Mr. Vholes and George Rouncewell's close friend Mrs. Bagnet, respectively. Ironically, Jeavons had portrayed Richard Carstone in the 1959 adaptation of "Bleak House" and Reid had portrayed Mrs. Rouncewell in the 2005 television adaptation. Both Suzanne Burden and Lucy Hornak gave solid performances as Esther Summerson and Ada Clare. And yet, both actresses managed to rise to the occasion with some brilliant moments. Burden's moment came, following Esther's realization that she had survived the smallpox. As for Hornak, she gave an excellent performance during Ada's soliloquy about her love's growing obsession with the Jarndyce case. Brian Deacon gave a passionate performance as Dr. Allan Woodcourt, the penniless doctor in love with Esther. Ian Hogg gave a very solid, yet commanding performance as Inspector Bucket. I really enjoyed Sam Kelly's warm portrayal of the law-stationer, Mr. Snagsby. Bernard Hepton gave one of the most colorful performances of his career as the alcoholic rag and bone shopkeeper, Krook. Dave King gave a very solid performance as the loyal, yet intimidating and conservative former Army sergeant George Rouncewell. I found George Sewell's performance as Sergeant Rouncewell's older brother, the wealthy Mr. Rouncewell not only entertaining, but very memorable. I thought Robin Bailey did an excellent job portrayed the haughty and proud Sir Leicester Dedlock.

But there were four performances that really impressed me. One came from Philip Franks, who did an excellent job of conveying Richard Carstone's emotional journey from John Jarndyce's warm and friendly young man, to the more embittered one, obsessed with the Jarndyce case. T.P. McKenna gave a delicious performance as Mr. Jarndyce's self-involved friend, Harold Skimpole, who proved to be quite the emotional (and financial) vampire. I thought Peter Vaughan was superb as the Dedlocks' sinister lawyer, Mr. Tulkinghorn. I was amazed by how Vaughn managed to combine the character's dedication to protecting his client Sir Leicester and his penchant for assuming control over others. If I had voted for the best performance featured in "BLEAK HOUSE", I would choose Diana Rigg's portrayal of the tragic Honoria, Lady Dedlock. I believe the actress gave a brilliant performance as the mysterious, yet complicated baronet's wife, whose cool demeanor hid a great deal of emotions and a personal secret. I am shocked and amazed that neither she, Vaughn, McKenna or Franks had ever received any accolades for their performances.

In fact, I am surprised that "BLEAK HOUSE" had only received BAFTA nominations (and won three) . . . and they were in the technical/arts category, aside for the Best Drama Series/Serial. No Primetime Emmy nominations, whatsoever. Was this eight-part miniseries the best adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1852-53 novel? I cannot answer that question. Granted, it had its flaws. But what television or movie production did not? But I cannot deny that "BLEAK HOUSE" was a first-rate miniseries that deserved more accolades than it had received, thanks to Arthur Hopcraft's screenplay, Ross Devenish's direction and an excellent cast led by Suzanne Burden, Denholm Elliott and Diana Rigg.

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justmeinadaze · 2 years

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Playing the Game (Steve X Plus Size Reader)

A/N: "I'm not gonna do it. I was only thinking about it....O.o...I did it."

Since Joe Keery has decided to invade my dreams I bare you this piece. We still have a confident, beautiful curvy reader here :) Never forget that no matter what you look like big, tall, short, small, etc that you are beautiful <3

Warnings: Fingering (*sings* on the passengers side of my best friends ride), Daddy/Sir kink for sure. Dom Steve/ sub (brat) reader. I will expand on this more in future chapters. This is actually my first time with this dynamic so be gentle!

Word Count: 2500

Steve crashes his entire body down onto the sofa, throwing his head against the back.

“Why did this seem more exciting a couple of years ago?”

When Robin invited him to go with her to a Hawkins Halloween party hosted by some of the graduates from his high school class, he thought it might be fun. Between still working at the video store, his most recent break up, his dad constantly breathing down his neck, and the feeling of his life generally going nowhere, he thought a night full of fun distractions would make him feel better. Robin detached from him as soon as they arrived to go find the girl she was crushing on and after aimlessly wondering around for about an hour, he decided he would settle for just getting ridiculously wasted. He grabbed a cup full of “punch” and settled in the spot he currently found himself in.

“Probably because a lot of these people seemed less annoying a couple of years ago.”

Steve’s head shot up as he turned to see you sitting on the opposite end of the couch. How had he not noticed you? Had you been there this whole time? Contrary to his simple Halloween costume (Riggs in Lethal Weapon), you had obviously put more effort into yours. You were wearing this black corset that hugged tightly around the extra curves on your body. The garment was pushing your breast up and drew attention with the lacy bow tied in front of it. Your matching mesh leggings flowed down your chunky, beautiful thighs, topped off with leather flats on your feet. Your hair was pulled back into a ponytail and atop your head were some pointy cat ears. You had a mask just over your eyes with whiskers near the nose. You smiled over at him making his heart melt. Did he know you? He’d like to if he didn’t.

“How long have you been there?” Steve asked.

“Um, pretty much since the party started.” Your eyes shift towards him and he looked away a little guiltily. “Oh, don’t worry, Steve Harrington. I spent my high school career being invisible to most of these people especially you, I’m sure.” You raised your red cup in his direction as a salute.

“I’m sorry. I…” was all he managed to stutter out making you giggle. You pulled your mask to your forehead. Your eyes were done with black eye shadow but at least he could see you a bit better.

“Y/N. We had 4 years at Hawkins High together. A few classes here and there. I actually know your friend Eddie Munson. I was a part of his Hellfire club for a couple of years.” He didn’t respond or make any kind of movement to even affirm that he was listening to what you were saying. He was so transfixed by you. He eyes scanned over you from head to toe. When you spoke, he watched your lips move wanting to press them against his. When your hands raised, he wanted to grab them and hold them against the couch by your wrists. In the middle of your sentence, you had crossed your legs, making him wonder what they would feel like wrapped around his waist.

As you laughed at him your whole body jiggled causing him to let out a shaky sigh. You pulled your masked back over your eyes and rose from the couch. Wait? What happened? He didn’t want you to leave. You walked towards the back of the couch and leaned your head down till you were right up against his ear.

“It’s ok, Daddy. I wouldn’t remember me either.”

His eyes swiveled around to meet yours and you coyly smiled at him. “Nice seeing you again, Harrington.” Steve was completely frozen in place as he watches you walk away, his groin straining uncomfortably against his pants.

#############################################

“Come on, Steve. You got this, man. Let’s go.”, he chants to himself in the mirror of the bathroom. You may have won this round but you had completely thrown him off guard. He needed to show you that he was confident enough to play your game. That he was still King Steve even though he no longer ruled the halls of Hawkins High. He exited the bathroom and immediately went on the hunt to find you. He peaked his head in every room he could, praying you weren’t already in the ones that had moans emitting from them.

He finally found you, of all places, standing next to Robin. Your eyes were full of sincerity, completely focused on her as you listened to her ramble.

“I can do this. I can just go up to her right? Just say something like ‘Hello. I’m Robin. Do you like movies. I like movies.’ No, that’s so stupid. Oh my gosh.”

“Robin!” you laugh gently, placing your hand on your back. “Just be yourself. I’m telling you! You are amazing, beautiful, and adorably geeky.” She flashes you a nervous smile as she wobbles on her toes. “She’ll love you. But you’ll never know if you don’t go talk to her!”

“She’s right, you know?” Steve’s voice cuts through the commotion of the room as your eyes meet. You take note of his difference in demeanor causing a smile to spread across your face.

“Oh, shut up.” Robin turns to you. “He always says stuff like that but he doesn’t know. He doesn’t understand. I do wish I had his confidence though.” She peers past you to make sure her crush is still there.

“You do. It’s in there. Trust me. Now go before I do something that makes you gag.” She scoffs at your threat almost challenging you to try. “Oh, okay.” You push her lightly back, stepping forward towards Steve. “You know what Steve? I never noticed how gorgeous those eyes are. You want to meet me in the backseat of your car later?” You bat your eyes at him as he looks down at you, smirking.

Robin starts making vomit sounds with her mouth as she pushes between you two. You smile fondly after her as she walks away. Slightly, you turn your head to look at Steve and notice he’s still grinning at you.

“You ok there, Harrington? Do I need to call an ambulance?” You bring your cup to your lips and take a drink. Right as the warm liquid hits your throat, you feel Steve’s presence at your side. His warm breath tickles your ear.

“I’ll take you up on that offer if it still stands.”

You turn your head to face his. He’s so close to you your lips are practically hovering under his.

“I don’t remember offering you anything.”

“Oh?” His eyes open wide with amusement. “Something about the backseat of my car?”

You openly laugh, but Steve doesn’t reciprocate. He doesn’t even move an inch as he continues staring down at you. The smile he was wearing, now slowly disappearing.

You narrow your eyes to his as you straighten you back making yourself as tall as could. “You can’t handle me, Steven.”

“You don’t know what I can handle.” He moved slightly forward into your space, placing his hand on your lower back. You can feel his cock through his pants brush up against your center causing you to lick your lips and press them together. Steve leaned his head to the side of yours till you were both practically cheek to cheek. You could smell his cologne as your nose hung over his shoulder. He smelled so good. When he spoke again is tone came out husky and low, almost vibrating into your ear.

“Don’t ever call me Steven again.”

“I can’t! I just can’t.” Robin shouted shuffling quickly back towards you two. Steve, almost too casually, straightens back up and takes a step away from you. “Maybe next time. Next time I’ll try. Y/N, are you ok?”

No, you were not okay. Your legs felt like they were made of gelatin. You could feel the wetness pooling in your panties. You were not prepared for Steve fucking Harrington to respond to you the way he did. You had danced this tango before with many men and they all came prepared with the same attitude. “Oh baby. I can rock your world. I can do anything you need. All you have to do is ask.” You didn’t want to have to ask. You wanted to be told. You needed someone who could control your bratty attitude and then treat you like a queen.

“Huh? Yeah, I’m good. I think the alcohol is finally hitting me.” You pull Robin in for a hug, resting your chin on her shoulder. “It’s ok, babe. You’ll get her next time.”

Steve looked at you and genuinely smiled. He liked watching how you were with his friend. You may be sassy but you seemed to really care about her well-being and something about that made his heart beat even faster for you. You deserved to be treated with the same kindness and caring you showed to other people. He desperately wanted to be the one to do that for you.

“Hey Steve. How many drinks have you had?” you ask him.

“Just the one. Why?”

“Robin, would you mind if he takes me home?”

“Yeah sure. I’m going to hang out for a bit longer. I can get a ride with Wheeler. I think I saw her curls around here somewhere.” Robin takes a quick scan of the room. You reach into your clutch and hand Robin your car keys.

“Take my baby. I’ll swing by during your shift tomorrow and grab it from you.” You reach over and loop your arm into Steves. “Onward, Harrington!”

############################################

Steve parks the car in the deserted parking lot outside of your apartment building. He steals a glance at you to realize you were already staring at him. He leans back in his seat and tosses you a sly smile.

“You didn’t need a ride, did you?”

Your own Cheshire grin spreads across your face as you turn to face the windshield. “No, I didn’t.” You turn back to face him. “Harrington, don’t play with me if you aren’t all in.”

Steve reaches his hand over and caresses your check softly. His fingers trace your lips sliding down to your throat. He gently runs the tip of his fingers along the sides of your neck making you swallow down moan. Almost abruptly he tightens his grip around your throat and pulls you towards him making you grunt against your teeth. Steve rubs the tip of his nose along yours.

“Who said I’m not?” he asks sounding like you insulted by merely suggesting. You reach out your hand and place it on the back of his neck, aggressively pulling him in for a kiss. His grip on your throat loosens as he slides his hand to your cheek. You let him go as you start to pull away but his hand keeps you in place. “Say it again.”

“Say what?”

He lets you go but you don’t move from where you are. You feel him lean past you and open the glove box. He ruffles around for a bit before finding what he wants and slamming it shut. Suddenly something cold touches your thigh and tears through the material around your legs. You look down right as Steve closes the pocketknife and throws it in the backseat. With both hands, he tears a hole up to your panties, and slides one of his big palms through to move the now drenched fabric blocking your pussy. His other hand reaches up, grabbing you behind your head and pulling him back towards his face.

“Say it, again.”

When you don’t answer he forcefully shoves his middle and ring finger into your entrance, making you cry out at the sudden intrusion.

“Steve!”

An agitated sigh escapes his lips. “Wrong.” He starts thrusting his fingers at a brutal pace.

“Harrington.” You moan out unable to think straight as you feel yourself getting close to that edge.

“I think you’re doing this on purpose to make me angry.” The squelching sound of his hand pumping into you is almost pornographic. You feel yourself start to tighten around him as you near your climax. At that moment, Steve suddenly stops moving causing your eyes to snap open.

“Say. It. Again.”

It suddenly hits you what he wants to hear and you let out a bit of a breathy laugh. You lean into him and placing your forehead against his, you slide your tongue along his bottom lip.

“Please, Daddy. Don’t stop.”

“Good girl.”

He starts thrusting into you with his fingers again as you grind your hips against them. Steve’s lips glide down to bite and suck at the skin on your neck. You grip your hand into his hair pushing his lips further into your flesh. Your other hand shoots down to his wrist as you feel the coil in your tummy snap. You try to push his hand away but he forces is fingers deeper into you as you ride out your high.

When he finally removes his hand and pulls away from you, you fall back in your seat panting. The sound of him sucking his fingers causes you to turn and watch him. He notices and gives you a wink.

“You taste good.”

You can’t help but smile at him. If someone had asked you junior year of high school if you ever saw yourself in the passenger seat of Steve Harrington’s car being fingered by the king himself you probably would have laughed in their face. You two had always moved in different circles and he never seemed to pay you any mind. You also kind of thought he was a stuck-up daddy’s boy.

The feeling of warmth on your knee brings you back to the present. Steve had rested his hand on your leg and was looking at you now, not with lust, but care.

“Are you ok? Do you need anything? I think I have some water or something in the trunk.”

“Steve!”, you playfully giggle at him as you place your hand over his. “I’m good. I came. I didn’t come back from war or something.” He starts laughing along with you.

As you bend down and start to gather your things, he quickly gets out of the car jogging to your side to open the door. You get out and eye him up and down.

“What? I’m a nice guy. Speaking of, um, I can pay you back for those.” He points down at your leggings.

“Oh, don’t even worry about it. They were like 50cents at a thrift store.”

He holds out his elbow and you grin as you loop your arm in his. Steve walks you up to the door of your building and opens it for you.

“Hey Y/N. Can I, um, have your phone number?”

A smile spreads across your beautiful face and you slowly back into the Elevator behind you. “Of course. If you can find it.”

He shook his head as he walked back to his car. You weren’t going to make this easy but thankfully he liked a challenge.

#steve harrington #stranger things #joe keery #joe keery smut #steve harrington smut #daddy steve #dom!steve harrington #sub reader #brat reader #steve x plus size reader #fan fiction

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