Adaptations for These Times
November 24, 2008
The Way We Live Now (Anthony Trollope, 1875 / BBC, 2001)
Trollope’s keen understanding of money, manners and the social networks that they underwrite made him a favorite read of mine in graduate school. If you don’t have time to read the 1000+ pages, the BBC adaptation of The Way We Live Now is a decent substitute and well worth watching in the wake of the recent financial bailout. I highly recommend it. While the novel is, of course, far superior, the adaptation—especially Melmotte’s obscene dinner for the Chinese Emperor—tells a timely story of speculation and its consequences. As a bonus, we get to see the fine character actress Shirley Henderson steal the show in a leading role as Marie Melmotte.