Middlemarch

One of the greatest books ever written leaps to life in this lavishly filmed BBC production, seen on Masterpiece Theatre. You'll share the frustrations of George Eliot's heroine (Dorothea Brooke, portrayed by a luminous Juliet Aubrey) whose desire to add meaning to her life conflicts with 19th-century provincial English culture. A turbulent, romantic epic shot on location in England and Italy. DVD special features include a fascinating reader's guide.

Middlemarch is a story of provincial life on the brink of momentous change: the Industrial Revolution will split the town into two opposing factions, the conservatives and the progressives. It is also a deeply moving saga of a group of people striving to give meaning and value to their lives:

Dorothea, an innocent idealist who misguidedly marries the ageing scholar Casaubon, who proves to be a jealous and impotent failure.

Will Ladislaw, a restless artist who falls passionately in love with Dorothea and unexpectedly gets caught up in the Political Reform Movement.

Tertius Lydgate, an ambitious young doctor thwarted by political intrigue and the endless demands of his pretty, shallow wife.

Fred Vincy, son of the Mayor, in love with Mary Garth, his social inferior.

Nicholas Bulstrode, the banker with fanatical religious beliefs and a secret to hide.

Dorothea Brooke	---	Juliet Aubrey
Rev. Edward Casaubon	---	Patrick Malahide
Dr. Tertius Lydgate	---	Douglas Hodge
Rosamond Vincy	---	Trevyn McDowell
Arthur Brooke	---	Robert Hardy
Will Ladislaw	---	Rufus Sewell
Bulstrode	---	Peter Jeffrey
Celia Brooke	---	Caroline Harker
Caleb Garth	---	Clive Russell
Fred Vincy	---	Jonathan Firth
Mary Garth	---	Rachel Power
Voice of George Eliot	---	Dame Judi Dench

Written by George Eliot
Adapted by Andrew Davies
Directed by Anthony Page
Produced by Louis Marks
Original Music by Christopher Gunning, Stanley Myers
Cinematography by Brian Tufano
Editing by Jerry Leon, Paul Tothill
Costume Design by Anushia Nieradzik

“Sumptuous to look at, immaculately scripted and illuminated by performances of rare human warmth.” -Daily Telegraph

Many of the bustling street scenes were filmed on Barn Hill, a charming 18th-century cobbled stone street nestled behind All Saints Church in Stamford, Lincolnshire, England.