The year is 1874. A beautiful young woman determined to not fall in love with any man or have any fall for her. Her name is Gwen Harleth. She believes the world revolves around her and what she wants, she gets. Enter Mr. Grandcourt, an older man who is a duke with a vast fortune. He has the same attitude of Gwen, but he is assured he will also attain what he wants – Gwen. She runs away and determines to lose the favor of Mr. Grandcourt after finding out he has fathered three children with another woman who wants to be Mr. Grandcourt’s lawful wife.
While gallivanting in Europe, Gwen meets Daniel Deronda, an English gentleman who is the ugly duckling, so to speak, of his family. He never quite fits in with the rest and is not sure why. He’s studying classics at Cambridge when he decides to go on a rendezvous to find himself. He meets Gwen while she is gambling away everything she has. She loses it all and must return to England, but before she can do that, Deronda does Gwen a great favor which causes romantic tension between the two and ties them together like a spider’s web.
Trailer:
Deronda, while back in England, saves a Jewish singer from committing suicide and things get really sticky from there. She has no family that she knows of, but confides her troubles in Deronda.
This mini series may sound like a sappy bit of foolishness, but it is not. The main character appears to be Gwen, but it is not. The focus is on Daniel Deronda and his journey to find out who he is and who is real family are. He’s not just the English aristocrat who takes on too much in order to aid everyone around him for the better. This mini series is a far cry from anything having to do with Jane Austen. There is very little happy endings in this mini series. It’s all about what could have been, finding one’s self and making the right decisions in life.
This is the best performance I have seen out of Hugh Dancy. He played Deronda’s character strongly and passionately. I loved seeing the attitude, for the time, towards the Jewish people and how Mirah, the Jewish singer, tries to overcome her position in life. It was really interesting to see the stark difference between and English gentleman and that of the Jewish people, who lived in the despicable areas of London. I would highly suggest this mini series to anyone because it’s not romanticizing the era and the idea of could have been happiness. It takes a situation in these people’s lives and shows how they all are interconnected.
♥ – Erin
