The Woman In White

I remember the version they did in the 60s or 70s with the gorgeous Alan Badel as Count Fosco, with white mice in his pockets.

Thanks, will download the first three episodes to watch.

I watched it last night, for those familiar with the "League of Gentlemen", I felt at times that Count Fosco wouldn't be out of place in Royston Vasey.

It's definitely improved since the first episode, and it does make you realise what life was like when women were just chattels - however nice their husbands might seem to other people.

Last night’s episode was a definite improvement. The scene where she refused to sign the document without reading it was v tense. It’s all going pear shaped for her!

Count fosco gives me the creeps

I just had to post on this thread. My grandparents loved books and used the library a great deal, and bought loads second hand. Us kids had free rein of them, and no-one told us anything was 'unsuitable'.
To this day, my cousin, my sister and I love Victorian melodramas and crime stories. The Woman in White is my absolute favourite - I first read it aged about 11 or 12, and spent ages working out the timeline!
I always say that it has 2 of everything: 2 heroines, 2 villains, 2 villainesses, 2 victims, 2 detectives, and, if you count Pesca, 2 heroes. Marian is one of the first (maybe THE first) woman 'detective' . It was very forward for its time. This is a decent adaptation, so far, especially Marian, not an easy part.

I am fully hooked on it. I don't find it spooky as such. It is just a story about a very nasty person who is manipulating every one around him and taking advantage of the awful situation of women who have few means of their own.

I've watched 2 episodes and am enjoying it. I like the relatively slow unravelling of the story and how beautifully it's filmed.
I bet Charles Dance enjoyed playing that hypocritical hypochondriacal character. He did it so well.

I first came across TWIW as a serial on the BBC World Service aeons ago, and was enthralled - World Service was a lifeline then, overseas, no TV.

Later read it as part of an OU Lit course.
Found the extra info very interesting. It was first published in serial form by Dickens in one of his cheap weekly magazines, which he started since he was fed up with publishers/the private libraries (no free ones then) who kept the price of books so high that most people could not afford them.

Wilkie Collins was a friend of his. Dickens' magazines enjoyed a huge circulation and were stuffed with advertisements so he could sell them cheaply - IIRC one of his sold for 2d. He was very commercially-minded.

TWIW caused a huge sensation at the time, at least partly because previously, the very popular 'Gothic' novels featuring dastardly men had foreign villains and were set abroad. TWIW featured a dastardly Englishman and the dastardly deeds were in England!

At least some of the upper/wealthier classes at time deplored the fact that the weak-minded poor/lower classes were able to buy and read (as they thought) such sensationalist rubbish.

The book has never been out of print.

And what will Glyde's secret turn out to be? In the last TV adaptation I saw the book's secret was deemed not shocking enough, so child abuse was substituted.

Cue for general rant about modern, "relevant" adaptations of classics in general. Are modern audiences deemed to be so dim that we can't work out eternal truths and contemporary parallels for ourselves?

Have watched three episodes now, am quite enjoying it although Laura is an annoying character ( even before she becomes a victim.)Why do adult women wear their hair down like children? Hardly historically acurate.Why does Laura float about in unstructured clothes, rather like white nighties? ?
Good acting from all and a good sense of menace.

I m still enjoying it p, is it the last one tonight? I don’t know the story so am ignorant as to the secret

Really gripping final ending. I was really worrying about how they would escape, in spite of knowing that they would! Charles Dance must have loved playing such a hideous character!

Must re -read the book, if only to see if Laura is such a drip as in this production.

Hard to imagine that women had so little in terms of basic rights and freedoms. I think the story is of its time, at times wanted to give Laura a good shake!

Well, that last episode was a satisfying conclusion. Kept me gripped. The bit with the parish register was interesting. I wonder how many fraudulent entries were actually made.

I'm sorry the story is ended and hope for more good dramas. I like romantic comedies. I liked the gallantry of Marian, she was a true heroine and I guess that Wilkie Collins felt for women's emancipation. I'm a little confused about why Sir Percival was so concerned about his parentage. Did he deserve to be burned to death? That was a scary scene!

Sir Percival would not have been Sir Percival if his parents were not married, house title, fortune would all have gone to a legitimate heir.
Wilkie Collins is a fascinating writer. He flouted Victorian conventions having at least 2 mistresses and he was addicted to laudanum.

What , if any , was the hold the Italian had on Sir Percival ? He did not know his secret so that was not it and why was the uncle so horrible to the sisters ? Did he know his brother's secret ?

Thanks Trisher. And I second Floradora's questions.

Thoroughly enjoyed the television adaptation, acting was superb.
GD, year 7, has it as her set book in English. I needed to know the story so that we can discuss it, love the way GC just take it for granted that we have read everything.