Fingersmith - The BBC Mini-Series

Dark deeds and intrigue abound when petty thief Sue Trinder (Sally Hawkins) helps con man Richard Rivers (Rupert Evans) defraud a wealthy heiress, Maud Lilly (Elaine Cassidy), of her inheritance. But Trinder's plans are thwarted when she falls in love with Lilly. The tale twists as the young women are separated but come to realize the strength of their passion for each other in this BBC adaptation of Sarah Waters Booker's novel.

In 2009 I had the pleasure of reading the book version. It was my second Sarah Waters, but it remains my favourite. Even though it is a bit of a mystery and I had solved a couple of them ahead of time, I was still gripped by the story. I loved the book and it has remained with me very well. When I am finally caught up with Waters I am going to go back and reread it. I had no idea, though, that there had been a mini-series made. When I happened upon it back when I first joined Netflix, I was intrigued, but also a bit scared. I have a hard time watching movies based on favourite books. More often than not, I have lots of problems or have to pretend that the book and movie are separate entities in order to enjoy it.

I decided to give it a try, though, and I am very happy that I did! There were obviously a few things taken out and such, but nothing was overly changed. The mystery was still there. Even though I had read the book, so knew where the movie was headed, I was still captivated and glued to my seat. When I started it I had only planned to watch a bit just to get a feel for it, but I ended up watching the first half. This completely destroyed my reading time. I kept wanting to know what happened next, even though I all ready knew. And, I have to say, which is a big deal for me, I actually enjoyed the romance quality of both the book and the movie. It was unconventional and sweet. While being a central aspect, it was still rather understated. And, obviously, there is so much more going on.

As to the acting, I thought it was very well done for the most part. Not to mention Rupert Evans is rather nice to look at. They all played their parts really well, though, and it honestly felt like I was watching the book come to life. I was a bit worried last night that the only reason I liked the movie was because I expected to hate it, but after finishing it, I know that I love it. I was freaking out all day thinking I wasn't going to be able to fit it in, but it all ended well. I finished and decided that I really wanted to watch it again very soon, so I am going to share it with the cc. I was trying to explain it all to him today and there is just too much to talk about. Not to mention I don't want to reveal too much.

Bottom-line, I really enjoyed this movie and am very happy that I took a chance on it. I now really want to read Sarah Waters!