In the 1800s, an abused woman didn't have a lot of options. She couldn't get a divorce, all her property and her children belonged to her husband, and society turned a blind eye unless she actually got murdered.
And this haunting idea is at the heart of "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall," a miniseries that brings to life Anne Bronte's classic novel. Pastoral beauty and simple village life are stained by the flashbacks to grotesque physical and mental abuse, and the story rests on an excellent trio of performances by Toby Stephens, Tara Fitzgerald and Rupert Graves.
A mysterious woman and her young son move into the remote Wildfell Hall, without telling anyone of their arrival. Though the villagers are initially curious and welcoming, they eventually become hostile to Mrs. Helen Graham (Fitzgerald) because she doesn't act like a proper Victorian lady -- she's prickly, blunt, reclusive and opinionated, and seems incredibly protective of her young son Arthur. Furthermore, they suspect that she's having an affair with her landlord Mr. Lawrence (James Purefoy).
Yeoman farmer Gilbert Markham (Stephens) is immediately attracted to Helen, and manages to get under her armor enough to strike up an odd little friendship with her. But his ex-girlfriend Eliza spreads noxious rumors about Helen and Mr. Lawrence, and Gilbert becomes jealous.
After he knocks Lawrence off his horse, an angered Helen gives him her diaries -- which reveal the horrifying, abusive marriage that she escaped from. As a naive young girl, she married the dashing rake Arthur Huntingdon (Graves), but soon learned that he was an abusive drunk who wanted her just for sex, and eventually loathed her for disapproving of his ways. Though Helen has escaped him, he's determined to get her and his son back...
Anne Bronte's "A Tenant of Wildfell Hall" was an incredibly controversial novel in its time, and the miniseries more than does it justice. In fact, at times it ramps up the horror of Helen's grotesque marriage, such as when Arthur nearly rapes her while she is pregnant, or when she is forced to listen to her husband having sex with his longtime mistress.
It's a stark contrast to the pastoral, weathered prettiness of the village; while Grassdale Manor is full of flickering firelight, rich colours and luxurious cloth, the countryside is full of mossy stones, grey skies and rolling grassy hills. Despite all the gossip, the countryside is a cleansing, purifying force.
The entire first episode is devoted to stoking the mystery of who Helen is and why she's here, without giving any answers -- although there are plenty of hints (the spinning bird, her reaction to a Punch and Judy show). Once she gives her diaries to Gilbert, the backstory unfolds like a poisonous flower blooming, even as Gilbert goes to Grassdale to make a last impassioned plea to Helen.
The cast in this miniseries is simply superb -- Stephens as a clear-eyed young farmer whose honesty and kindness attract Helen despite her bad experiences, and Fitzgerald as a fierce young woman who is determined to protect her son. They have a subtle, powerful chemistry in every scene they're in together, and you end up wanting nothing more than for them to end up together.
On the other hand, Graves plays a monstrously sadistic man who draws in a young girl with his charm, then sprays her with hatred when she doesn't magically change to become just as depraved as he. Perhaps he's most hatable in two scenes -- when he teaches his young son to kill innocent animals, and when he grins sadistically at Gilbert after Gilbert fails to convince Helen to leave with him.
"The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" is a magnificent literary adaptation -- the acting is magnificent, the direction excellent, and the story a powerful one that still resonates today.
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