Paul Dombey (Julian Glover) dotes on his son. The third in a line of successful businessmen, Mr. Dombey wants his son to take his place in the firm someday and expand the family fortune. Unfortunately, his obsession with his son and his business are to the exclusion of everything else - including his sweet, patient daughter Florence (Lysette Anthony). As time goes on, Mr. Dombey's neglect of Florence turns into a deeply ingrained dislike. But when tragedy strikes again and again, will Mr. Dombey be able to turn to her for help or will his pride or her wounded heart keep them apart?
Pros: The story kept me interested, although it could wander a little bit sometimes. Florence is a very Dickens-y heroine - very sweet and kind, but with a heavy burden to carry. The side characters can be funny, especially Captain Cuttle (Emrys James). It would really be a great re-make (so long as they handled a couple of parts in the story with grace and dignity - something I highly doubt).
Cons: This is so a 1980s BBC movie. The costumes and makeup are so-so, but the lighting and the sets and some of the props are not very good. Neither is the sound; some characters speak a lot louder than others. Oh, and Mr. Dombey's son is not a very good actor. During a lot of the early scenes I caught myself wondering "And what's the point of this scene?" I think almost every scene becomes important to the story at some point in the movie, but some of them seem pretty pointless at the time. Finally, viewers don't get emotionally involved, which is a must for any movie. (Yes, it is; who doesn't want to feel excited during an action/adventure movie, or creepy-crawly during a spooky movie?) Finally, the climax scene (at least, I suppose it was the climax scene) was really odd. A friend and I each interpreted it a different way. *Spoiler Warning* Did the bad guy commit suicide or was it an accident? I think it was an accident; my friend thought it was suicide. Either way, it was a pretty lame and confusing part.
Note: Based on the book by Charles Dickens.
My Rating: T (thematic elements)
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