The Way We Live Now (2001)

“The world is changing fast and some of us understand it better than others.”

The marvelous BBC adaptation of Anthony Trollope’s novel The Way We Live Now is a must-see for fans of British television costume dramas. This version, directed by David Yates, and with a screenplay by Andrew Davies captures the essence and spirit of the novel. The 300-minute film, divided into four parts, explores human greed, corruption and hypocrisy through various characters and their intrigues.

Central to this multi plot miniseries is Augustus Melmotte (played with savage ferocity by David Suchet). Melmotte arrives in Victorian England amidst rumours of financial shenanigans that led to the downfall of a European bank. Various members of the British upper class gather to discuss Melmotte, and while some vow to shun the newcomer, others believe that Melmotte has the Midas Touch and will make fortunes for his friends.

Melmotte’s domestic situation is unpleasant. His wife is a pug-toting nincompoop who has no notion of how to act in civilized society, and his daughter, the very peculiar, hostile and diminutive Marie (Shirley Henderson) is rumoured to possess a sizeable dowry. Given Melmotte’s lavish lifestyle and his excessive speculation, some suspect that Melmotte is a fraud, but most of polite society take Melmotte at face value. And since Melmotte says he’s a millionaire, and acts like a millionaire, that means that his daughter must be one of the most eligible heiresses in England.

One of Marie’s most persistence suitors is Sir Felix Carbury (excellent performance from Matthew Macfadyen), a useless wastrel whose utter fecklessness sticks out even in the circle of his like-minded friends. Confident that his superior charm and good luck will win the day, Sir Felix haphazardly courts Marie while simultaneously seducing a country wench who lives near his cousin, Roger Carbury’s (Douglas Hodge) estate. Sir Felix’s long-suffering mother, novelist Lady Carbury (Cheryl Campbell) pampers her spoiled son while pressuring her daughter Hetta (Paloma Baeza) into marrying Roger. A wealthy marriage will save the fortunes of the Carburys–an impoverished but titled family who can’t even pay their wine bill.

Hetta, however, has a mind of her own, and she’s attracted to Paul Montague (Cillian Murphy). An engineer by trade, he plans to build a railroad in America that is to be financed by Melmotte’s company. Their romance is further complicated by Paul’s liaison with a notorious American woman, Mrs. Hurtle (Miranda Otto).

The acting in this drama is superb, and while the story may not quite end the way we would chose, this is still a delightful adaptation. Clever photography and film editing underscores Trollope’s comic tone, and the film maintains a light playfulness in spite of its depressing undertow. The story continually emphasizes the idea that England is changing, and that this is The Way We Live Now. And apparently not all changes are for the better. The younger generation, of which Sir Felix is a leading light, is seen as a pack of spoiled, useless brats who spend their nights gambling and boozing while their parents gamble with shady business ventures, and agonize about the family estate and ways in which to cover expenses. Yes, there’s progress underfoot–but not all progress is good, and Melmotte’s crafty, ambitious, and unprincipled schemes epitomize all that’s wrong with the age.

The film works so well mainly thanks to the knockout performances of Shirley Henderson as the desperately lonely, hysterical Marie Melmotte, and David Suchet as the grasping, monstrous Melmotte–an intelligent man who uses his brain to defraud others through shady speculation. Crafty Melmotte becomes seduced by the idea of becoming an English gentleman, and in this fashion, he’s destroyed by his own greed–allowing his fantasies of belonging to the gentry to override his self-serving cunning (”They should be grateful to me that I decided to become an Englishman, but they’re not”). Toad-like at times, he grunts and groans, surveying all of the greedy upper class who grovel at his feet. With appalling table manners, the venture capitalist Melmotte knows how to throw a party, and the bottom line is that we all tend to conveniently overlook the glaring faults of the most appalling people when those faults are gilded with money and influence.