'Little Dorrit,' part three

I have here in my notes, "Flintwich doesn't pronounce his name right!" That was before I checked the book and realized that, in fact, the name is Flintwinch, and I've been reading it wrong for the past ten or fifteen years. *Blush*

Poor Affery trying to pour the tea is a scream! I do like the way Mrs. Clennam is overcrowing Rigaud/Blandois. Not that I'm a fan of her character at all, but he needs to be overcrowed, and frequently.

Hmm, nice little scene there with Arthur and Frederick Dorrit. I wonder exactly how much Frederick is supposed to know? (The book isn't quite clear on that, if I remember correctly.) Not much, I suppose, or he'd be like the butler in Spider-Man 3 blurting out, "Oh, guess what, I knew everything all along and could have set everyone straight long ago!" But you never know; Frederick is supposed to be pretty lost in the fog all the time, so it's just possible he knows quite a lot and it would never even occur to him to reveal it. And now I'm probably saying too much for those of you who don't know the story, so we'll leave that topic there. . . .

Oh, here goes Arthur with the "I'm old and she needed someone younger" bit. Glad they got that in there. He doesn't seem to be dwelling on it to the extent that he does in the book, but he does need to at least mention it to indicate what's going on in his mind.

Drunk Pancks is a sight to behold! I am loving this guy. His character development has been wonderfully done.

Mrs. Merdle is much better in this scene with Mrs. Gowan. This elaborate little masquerade suits her better than the spitfire act she was doing in the scene with Fanny. I like the Mr. Merdle/parrot scene too (though I kept waiting for the parrot to bite him, as in the book. I'm kind of glad it didn't. I hate watching animal attacks of any kind, even staged ones).

It occurs to me that poor old Pancks really needed the Internet. Imagine how much faster and easier his search would have been!

Mr. Dorrit hasn't changed one bit since learning he was free. Very well done take on his character. At the same time, while it would be very out of character (and while it's very un-Christian of me to say so), I really can't help wishing Arthur would beat the snot out of Tip.

I'm so, so glad that Amy woke up from that faint in time for one last look at Arthur. Awwwww.

It's been coming for a while, but I've officially decided that Eddie Marsan as Pancks is the best supporting actor in the cast. There are lots of greats, doing terrific work, but he's just outshining everybody.

Fanny is hilarious on the trail! Hard to blame her; I can't imagine hiking through the Alps in all that Victorian getup! Meanwhile, Pet and Henry look like the British version of American Gothic. Honeymoon's over, I take it.

That's a magnificent little scene with Mrs. Plornish, Casby, and Pancks. I love the composition of it outside the fence there, with Pancks standing looking like a statue the whole time. 

Poor Amy! I swear that family is going to torture her to death among them. I do like that they seem to have made her a little more observant of the scenery around her. I can totally understand her homesickness and her pining for the loved ones she left behind -- one of them in particular -- but there's so much beauty around her I like to see her enjoy it a little anyway. Maybe it's only because I want so badly to visit Venice myself!

Mom and I are starting to wonder why they put her in purple almost all the time. It's a pretty color and all, but enough's enough. (We both continue to like Arthur's top hat, however.)

They've tinkered with Amy's first letter -- the original one was better. Ah, here's Arthur writing back to her. Good. In the book she told him not to write because she knew her family would throw a fit about her getting letters from old friends, but I prefer the idea of their writing to each other and her keeping it secret. And I like Amy and her Uncle Frederick sharing their little secrets together. It's sweet.

The five Ps -- Papa, potatoes, poultry, prunes, and prism! Glad they kept that. It's a classic. I wish they'd had Mrs. General expand on the concept of "surface," though. Dickens spent rather a lot of time on it; it's hard to grasp when there's only one reference and it just breezes by like that. 

Lord, how I'd loathe having Blandois in my house. Like a giant filthy animal. Poor Pet.

Interesting how the Dorrits' constant references to Amy acting like a "servant" shows up her strength and independence as opposed to the rest of them. Whoa Frederick with the "To hell with the family credit!" Good scene there. Though I wish he could have lost the stutter for a moment -- would have been a little more effective. Incidentally, while she's at it, you'd think Mrs. General would do something about Fanny's accent -- it seems odd for her to be looking down on everyone else while she continues to speak like a Cockney.

Aw, I miss Edmund's gondola chasing Fanny's through Venice. Almost knocking over the statue was funny, but Edmund going head over heels in the boat was much funnier. 

Poor Lion! (I seem to be pitying a lot of characters in this installment.) There's a chilling cliffhanger if ever there was one. . . .

Comments

[Integrity]

Hello W-fan. Sorry, I only know your user id from FSU. I have been faithfully reading your blog since you shared the information with me a few weeks back.

I have not read Little Dorrit. How are Amy and Arthur trading letters without her family's knowledge?

I too was wondering why Mrs. General hardly ever corrects Fanny.

As a dog lover, I was so very sad for Lion and the Gowans. I'm hoping Blandois "gets his" in the end.

Love Pancks and agree about Marsan - wonderful!

I look forward to seeing how the story ends, but will miss it when the series is over.

[Gina]

Hi, Integrity! Thanks for commenting!

In the book, Amy only dared to write to Arthur twice, and he didn't write to her at all, as per her instructions ("it is best for no one to write to me"). I love that they have him writing to her here -- it helps give the sense that they're still connected during the separation -- but I don't know how she would manage to keep it secret, unless she kept an eye out for the coming of the mail every single day!

[Kaye Dacus]

Mrs. General didn't correct Fanny in private, but I did notice that Fanny's accent when they went to visit Pet seemed much more polished--only a little of the Cockney came through on a couple of words (like Amy's name).

I'm currently reading Bleak House (as I'm using it as a cultural touchstone in a novel I'm writing), but am looking forward to reading LD when I finish BH. Your running commentary on each episode of LD have been wonderful!

[Gina]

Thanks very much, Kaye!

[christopher harris]

Gina, reading your synopsis of the third installment was just as wonderful and entertaining as watching it! My wife and I sat down and watched Episode 3 last night and were once again mesmerized. I am simply amazed at how faithful Davies' script has been to the novel! One of the poignant moments to me was Little Dorrit's enchantment with nature as they were all trekking up the pass to the monastery in the Italian Alps. You could almost see that after her entire life in the Marshalsea and the streets of London, she was trying to absorb every green leaf and ray of sunshine in the wilderness around her. As you mentioned above, the "secret" and very comfortable relationship she has with Uncle Frederick is so touching and loving.

I can't wait to purchase the DVD and spend hours just watching this carefully from start to finish on a rainy day!

Have a great day, Gina; and keep up the great work!

[Beth]

Great site. I am a Dicken's fan (Bleak, Expectations, Curiousity, etc) but put LD down last year and never picked it up again. Now I am very close to finishing it while enjoying the TV series.

[Jun]

Are you on FSU too? Is that figure skating universe? If not, forgive my curiosity.

[Gina]

Yes and yes! :-)

[Jun]

What I small world! I don't post there very often, but when I do, I'm under the ID "Jun Y". :-)

jun

[Christy]

"It's been coming for a while, but I've officially decided that Eddie Marsan as Pancks is the best supporting actor in the cast. There are lots of greats, doing terrific work, but he's just outshining everybody."

I completely agree. Mr. Pancks was amazing.
I kept thinking Flintwinch's name was Flintwich, too. And that was after first watching the movie and then reading the book.