Tom Jones: Episode 1.5

The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling: Episode 1.5
BBC
7 December 1997
Historical Comedy, Romance
DVD
B+

After more drama, Tom and Sophia find their happy ending, and the series ends as well as it started.  This episode is more focused and features more of such characters as Squire Allworthy, Aunt Western, Jenny Jones, and indeed Henry Fielding himself.  It's a nice touch to make the blind judge in Tom's case Fielding's real-life brother, beyond the symbolism of course.  Characters are punished or rewarded as they deserve, with Blifil sniveling and blaming others, and Partridge looking relieved that Mr. Allworthy has finally admitted the injustice done to Tom's supposed father.  (Beesley plays his own father in flashbacks.)  Overall, this adaptation averages out to a B and I recall the 1960s movie paling in comparison.  Also, as a fan of Honour (the character) I was pleased that she gets more to do in this last portion of the story than in the novel, where Fielding just pushes her aside with one admittedly funny farewell letter.

Tom Jones: Episode 1.4

The History of Tom Jones: Episode 1.4
BBC
30 November 1997
Historical Comedy, Romance
DVD
B

Lady Bellaston and Lord Fellamar scheme against Sophia and Tom, so that it's almost a relief (to Sophia and the viewer) when her father shows up and carries her off, even though he's still determined to marry her off to Blifil, who also arrives in town, with Allworthy and Dowling.  Meanwhile Tom arranges for Nightingale to marry Nancy.  This is a darker episode than the others, although still of course with comic relief, mostly from Partridge.  Gang Leader Simon Smith would return for the final episode.

Tom Jones: Episode 1.3

Decadent Lady Bellaston

The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling: Episode 1.3
BBC
23 November 1997
Historical Comedy, Romance
DVD
B-

In this episode, we're introduced to Mrs. Miller and her daughter Nancy (Celia Imrie and Kelly Reilly, the former being the future Una Alconbury in the Bridget Jones movies), as well as a highwayman who turns out to be her brother (Roger Lloyd Pack, who would go on to be Barty Crouch in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), cousin in the novel, and her tenant Jack Nightingale (Matt Bardock).  More significantly, we meet Sophia's cousin Lady Bellaston, with a performance by Lindsay Duncan that is definitely the highlight of this episode where characters arrive in London and adjust to city life.  With her friend Lord Fellamar (Peter Capaldi, yes, that Peter Capaldi), she will create much unhappiness for Sophia and Tom, but Duncan does a marvelous job with this villainess.

You'll notice that we've again gone down a notch in the grading.  While there are things I like, including the remarks about London and the increase in nudity (mostly male), I do have to go below a B because of the scene where a drunken Partridge rolls onto Honour and she says no several times, before hitting him.  It's played for laughs, and happens during a riot at the theater, but it leaves a bad taste, especially knowing that the characters will end up together.  Partridge in the novel does some foolish and wrong things, but he never tries to take a woman against her will, and to have a comic relief character attempt it in the miniseries is a misstep dramatically and otherwise.

Tom Jones: Episode 1.2

The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling: Episode 1.2
BBC
16 November 1997
Historical Comedy, Romance
DVD
B

This episode introduces Mr. and Mrs. Fitzpatrick (Richard O'Callaghan and Michelle Fairley), and Fielding helpfully tells us that Mrs. F is Sophia's cousin.  They add to the farcical complications, especially when they show up at an inn the same night that Tom goes to bed with "Mrs. Waters," whom Fielding tells us is Jenny Jones, unlike in the book where this is a surprise revelation fairly late.  (But then they'd have to disguise Camille Coduri heavily for viewers not to make that connection.)  Tom also meets his supposed father, Partridge.  I'll note here that, unlike in the novel (where Partridge ends up with Molly Seagrim), the Partridge/Honour ship is set up in this episode, as if he's charmed by her putting on airs.  Kathy Burke is perfect in the role, maybe older than I imagine when I read the book, but managing to be more endearing than annoying.  I also should note that James D'Arcy gives an understated performance as Blifil that nonetheless shows why Sophia hates the very idea of marrying him. 

This episode is just an hour, but that's not why I give it "only" a B, rather than a B+ like the previous episode.  There's a little too much yelling and ranting, especially but not limited to Brian Blessed.  Part Two picks up where the previous one left off, with many of the characters on the road to London, but easily sidetracked, literally and figuratively.

Tim Stern, who was on one episode of Paul Merton, the Series, plays Mr. Harris.  Julian Firth, who had the very different role of Bicky on Jeeves and Wooster, plays Northerton.  And Doreene Blackstock makes her first appearance as Mrs. Fitzpatrick's maid Abigail.

Tom Jones: Episode 1.1

The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling: Episode 1.1
BBC
9 November 1997
Historical Comedy, Romance
DVD
B+

This first part of a five-part miniseries runs an hour and a half and covers everything from the finding of the foundling to his departure from his foster father's estate in disgrace.

Regular cast:

• Max Beesley as Tom Jones
• Brian Blessed as Squire Western
• Kathy Burke as Honour
• Camille Coduri as Jenny Jones
• Ron Cook as Benjamin Partridge
• James D'Arcy as Blifil
• Frances de la Tour as Aunt Western
• Christopher Fulford as Mr. Square
• Brian Hibbard as George Seagrim
• Sarah Kestelman as Mrs. Wilkins
• Sylvester McCoy as Mr. Dowling
• Samantha Morton as Sophia Western
• Tessa Peake-Jones as Bridget Allworthy
• Brian Pettifer (who was on one episode of Paul Merton, the Series) as Parson Supple
• Richard Ridings as Reverend Thwackum
• John Sessions (several years after his Whose Line Is It Anyway? appearances) as Henry Fielding
• and Benjamin Whitrow (Mr. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice a couple years earlier) as Squire Allworthy

Also, Laura Harling, who plays Young Sophia, was the younger version of Samantha Morton in Jane Eyre as well.

Simon Burke adapted the Fielding novel and, while not a word for word adaptation of course, it manages to capture the flavour of the classic story.  Having Sessions narrate as Fielding, onscreen in period costume, is a clever touch, helping to not only keep some of the (quite extensive) narration but also give us someone who reacts to the onscreen antics with indulgent amusement.  Sessions, who was stage-hogging and literary on Whose Line, is perfectly cast, although the characters interrupt him far more than Paul Merton, Tony Slattery, and others ever did.

The casting is overall solid, with characters looking straight out of Hogarth and sounding (I imagine) as they would've on the 18th-century stage.  Beesley and Morton don't look like Fielding's descriptions (one thing I particularly remember about Sophia is her lustrous black hair) but they inhabit the characters satisfactorily.  The best performances are those of Whitrow, using his Mr. Bennet sanity and dryness as the least cartoonish character, and of de la Tour, who manages to both plausible as the sister of scenery-devouring Blessed and a very human aunt.

The direction by Metin Hüseyin manages to go back and forth among slapstick, romance, pathos, and what you will.  The scene of Blifil's father falling off a cliff is not in the book, but we've already grown to despise him so much in his few minutes onscreen that it's OK that the fall is drawn out, with a visual punchline that the book he dropped was Statistics on Mortality.  

Music, costumes, everything is well done.  Possibly the best literary adaptation for television that I own.  (And on a level with novel, reviewed here: http://rereadingeverybookiown.blogspot.com/2011/12/tom-jones.html.)  We'll see how the other episodes hold up....