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Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9780764001123
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
ISBN: 0764001124
Label: Starz / Anchor Bay
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Starz / Anchor Bay
Release Date: July 14, 1998
Running Time: 90 minutes
Sales Rank: 23572
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
Emily Watson is luminous and heartbreaking as the brilliant, stifled Maggie in the 1997 TV production of The Mill on the Floss. All her life, young Maggie has heard 'You're far too clever for a woman,' with her deep intellectual curiosity and thirst for knowledge. But in 19th century England, the options for clever women were few--and many believe this story, by George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans), was a thinly disguised autobiography of Eliot/Evans herself. 'I want there to be great things, beautiful things, in my life,' Maggie wails to her cousin Lucy. 'It's a sin, isn't it?' Later she finds a mantra she repeats often: 'It we deserve nothing, if we yearn for nothing, then we can't be disappointed.' In fact, Maggie (played unsentimentally as a young child by the captivating Lucy Borton) does yearn for education, stimulation, and witty interaction, which she must settle for finding, largely, in her home at the mill on the Floss River. As her family endures financial hardship, Maggie finds herself torn by love--for her struggling father; her headstrong brother, Tom; her childhood friend, Philip; and Lucy's fiancé.
It's her relationship with Philip that is the strongest metaphor for Maggie's life and choices. Played with depth and grace by The Tudors' James Frain, Philip is disabled with a hunchback, yet his intellect fires on every cylinder, and from their first meeting, Philip and Maggie form a deep bond. Philip's physical disability mirrors Maggie's own--of simply having been born in the body of a woman; each is limited by nothing but others' perceptions. Watson's Maggie, trembling with rage, realizes this and struggles daily, hourly, to make peace with the limitations imposed upon her. The film was shot in the sumptuous English countryside, and the beautiful expanses seem unchanged from Eliot's day. And Watson, fairly glowing with inner radiance, shines against even the loveliest backdrop. --A.T. Hurley
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Doro's Opinion
I thought this one was very depressing. Did not leave me feeling good about any part of it. I know it is considered a classic but I would not want to watch it again.
Rating:  - 1997 vs 1978
The 1978 miniseries is over 3 hours long. The 1997 movie is 1 hour and 45 minutes long. Yet, every event in the 3 hour version is in the shorter version. The reverse, however, is not true. Five crucial events of the story are visible in the 1997 (shorter) version but are missing from the 3 hour version:
(1) the first conflict between Mr. Tulliver and Mr. Wakem, in which Tulliver wins, then insults Wakem. This shows why Tulliver thinks he'll win again and is strung along by a lawyer ... Read More
Rating: - The cliff notes version of a classic
Mill on the Floss is an incredible novel, and arguably George Eliot's greatest work. All of the characters are extremely well-developed, the story is beautiful and the ending is heart-rending in its abruptness.
The masterpiece theatre adaption of this wonderful book left me feeling somewhat empty. The main story is there, but it is unable to make a connection with the characters in the brief two hours. A lot of scenes are missing, a lot of character development is absent, and the viewer is ... Read More
Rating:  - It's Worth Seeing
The movie was well done, and the acting is good. My personal thought is that the book is much better. Read the book for more insight into the characters and for a better scope of the whole situation. The ending (just like in the book) in unpredictable, which makes the movie worth watching.
Rating: - Excellently depressing
I've seen this movie on Masterpiece Theatre and was thrilled to find it on amazon. It is well worth buying. If you like Wuthering Heights..you'll like this movie too.
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