From the Page to the Screen
Set over a tumultuous ten-year period 100 years ago, this miniseries tells the story of an honorable Englishman coping with his growing disillusion at the end of one privileged era and the beginning of a new, egalitarian one. As the comfortable certainties of Edwardian England begin to give way to the chaos and destruction of WWI, aristocrat Christopher Tietjens puts principles first by marrying Sylvia a pretty, manipulative socialite who gives birth to a child who may not be his. While enduring his new wife’s whims and overt indiscretions, Christopher finds himself inexorably drawn to a young suffragette, Valentine Wannop, but refuses to give in to their mutual passion or end his marriage with Sylvia. The onset of war, combined with the advent of feminism at home and communism in Russia, ushers in far-reaching changes for the English status quo, and gradually erodes the constraints that have kept Christopher tethered to his aristocratic past.
Christopher Tietjens and his wife Sylvia have the ability to come off as unlikable and even annoying characters. He is a man who could have been portrayed as spineless—or even a shadow in the story of his own life. She has the ability to come off as an arrogant spoiled rich socialite, one that is instantly unlikable. Even Tietjens love interest, Valentine Wallop, has the ability to come off as an annoyingly naïve girl, greener than the first shoots of summer grass.
However, in this co-production (HBO and BBC) the characters work and credit should go to the writer, Tom Stoppard and the brilliant acting team of Benedict Cumberbatch, Rebecca Hall, and Adelaide Clemens.
Cumberbatch’s Tietjens is the stuff dreams are made of. While he doesn’t fit the physical description of Ford’s character, the essence of ‘the Last Tory’ is alive and thriving in Cumberbatch’s portrayal. He makes the viewer become invested in the outcome; you feel his disillusion with his marriage, his longing for Valentine, and the deep sense of honor to do what’s right. And he does it so well that it builds the character up. Although let me say that there are still times when you want to throw something at him and shout, ‘just divorce the trollop and move’, but in all fairness, I felt that way when reading the novel as well.
I will admit I was a bit hesitant to purchase this DVD for the shear reason of fearing that I would not like Sylvia and this particular character would mar the entire movie for me. It has nothing to do with the actress playing her—I am a fan of Rebecca Hall.I have never been overly fond of the character of Sylvia. in my mind she was a spoiled trollop content to sleep her way around the world, then blame her husband—who may or may not be the father of her child—for ignoring her. Yet Hall’s portrayal makes a believable Sylvia come to life. I may not thoroughly like her—and still at times want to slap her—Hall makes you see that, even though it’s Sylvia’s doing, she like her husband is not overly thrilled with her marriage.
Parade’s End by
Ford Maddox Ford