This excellent 1996 miniseries begins with a flourish, with Helen Graham (Tara Fitzgerald) and her servant secreting Helen's son out of a house, ending up at a decrepit manse in Yorkshire, Wildfell Hall. Though the Widow Graham is invited into the insular village society, she is cold and aloof, sometimes bitingly so. That doesn't stop her from catching the eye of local farmer Gilbert Markham (Toby Stephens). There's also a supposed secondary love interest (at least from Markham's standpoint) in Wildfell's landlord Mr. Lawrence (James Purefoy), though any fan of the Brontë's or any other English romantic novelist will see the actual denouement of that relationship coming almost as soon as it's introduced.

Graham is obviously troubled by something in her past, evident not only in her boorish behavior but made explicit in quick-cut flashbacks which seem to point almost to some Satanistic ritual behavior, but which in typical romantic florid overstatement turns out to be something a bit more mundane, albeit shocking (especially to 19th century readers). When Markham's current girlfriend, the daughter of the local Reverend, does not like the competition she is receiving from Graham, she starts a vicious rumor mill that quickly destroys Graham's reputation in the village, though truth be told her previous behavior did little to recommend her to begin with. This sets in motion a star-crossed lovers scenario that, despite the Brontë pedigree, is actually not as cut-and-dried as the elder sisters' work sometimes can be.

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall at almost three hours is leisurely and well-developed, allowing more than adequate time to show various shadings of character. While one might fault Fitzgerald's characterization as being single faceted to begin with, the joy in watching something this long is finally seeing in later episodes a whole different aspect to the character and one which sheds light on her current predicament. The miniseries follows the original novel's conceit to a large degree by being split into three sections, the first largely told from Markham's point of view (moreso in the novel than in this adaptation which focuses, and rightly so, on Graham), and then the second two parts revealing the backstory of Graham's tribulations through flashbacks culled from her diaries which she has given Markham to read, leading back to a "present-day" denouement where various strands of the plot come to head. These sections provide a field day for Rupert Graves as Graham's ne'er-do-well husband.

The miniseries has a beautiful and sylvan visual flair that highlights the rugged beauty of the Yorkshire countryside, helping to paint a picture of these people made physicaly sturdy and perhaps emotionally hard by their surroundings. It also explores the stifling mores of the time, both in terms of the society at large, especially with regard to marital roles, and also in the more individual terms of an English village. All of the supporting cast is superb, from Kenneth Cranham as the duplicitous Reverend Millward to Miranda Pleasance as his equally duplicitous daughter Eliza to cute Jackson Leach as Graham's son Arthur, who seems to be in life-threatening woes just a few times too many. But the film belongs largely to Fitzgerald and Stephens, who depict the ups and downs of their tempestuous relationship with passion and conviction.

For anyone who hasn't gotten their Brontë-fill worth with repeated viewings of Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights or Sense and Sensibility, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall will provide solid entertainment with a distinctly different flavor that might make little sister Anne a new favorite of longtime Brontë fans.

The DVD

Video:
Why oh why is this unenhanced? Though hampered at times by some muted colors, this is one exquisite looking miniseries, with good sharpness and beautiful vistas of the English countryside. The unenhanced 1.78:1 image begs for anamorphic enhancement.

Sound:
This is also a very nice soundtrack, with good separation and an absolutely lovely score by Richard G. Mitchell, who writes some gorgeous choral music which sounds like Celtic group Anuna riffing on tunes by Hildegard von Bingen. There are also English subtitles available.

Extras:
None are offered.

Final Thoughts:
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall has none of the "coincidences" which sometimes mar the work of the elder Brontës, along with a surprisingly modern viewpoint on women's rights and marital relationships. Any fan of Jane and Charlotte is certainly going to love Anne as well. Recommended.

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"G-d made stars galore" & "Hey, what kind of a crappy fortune is this?" ZMK, modern prophet