Clarissa (British Mini-Series)
Picture: C
Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Episodes: C+
A uppity soap opera, Clarissa (1991) is about the
title character (Saskia Wickham) becoming the target of just about everyone
around her who wants to use her to either get at her or gain wealth or other
advantage. Her family wants her to
marry some idiot with money, while another seducer (Sean Bean in a wacky
hairpiece and/or hairdo that will take a while to get used to) has his own
increasingly dark scheme in mind.
The problem is that the work is very plodding, then when
more serious sequences show up (including a rape scene), it implodes in its own
fluff. It is honest about how many
people are capable of being worthless bastards, but does not deal with that
aspect of the story, which is the real story here that never gets told. The novel may be a classic, but this TV
version misses the mark. Too bad. Sean Pertwee
The full frame 1.33 X 1 image looks like it was shot on
16mm film and look fairly good because of it, but is a bit softer than it
should be. The Dolby Digital 2.0 is a
simple stereo that sounds fine, but has occasional warping in the music score
that is distracting. All the extras are
on DVD 1 and include some cast filmographies, production notes, stills,
outtakes, screen tests, and text about author Samuel Richardson.
- Nicholas Sheffo
