Bleak House cover art

Bleak House Details

2005 Certificate PG
  • Rated:
  • 80
  • from 8114 members

Acclaimed writer Andrew Davies turns his talents to one of Charles Dickens' most brilliant novels - arguably the greatest ever depiction of Victorian London. Fresh and imaginative, yet faithful to the original, this thrilling fast-paced adaptation is shot with a contemporary edge. At its heart is the story of the icily .. Read more

Starring Gillian Anderson, Charles Dance, Charlie Brooks, Liza Tarbuck
Director Justin Chadwick, Susanna White
Genres Audio Descriptive, Drama

Sign up Bleak House DVD, Blu-ray, HD DVD

Buy from LOVEFiLM Shop

loading loading...

Bleak House

Acclaimed writer Andrew Davies turns his talents to one of Charles Dickens' most brilliant novels - arguably the greatest ever depiction of Victorian London. Fresh and imaginative, yet faithful to the original, this thrilling fast-paced adaptation is shot with a contemporary edge. At its heart is the story of the icily beautiful Lady Dedlock, who nurses a dark secret, and the merciless lawyer Tulkinghorn, who seeks to uncover it. The generous John Jarndyce, struggling with his own past, and his two young wards Richard and Ada, are all caught up, like Lady Dedlock, in the infamous case of Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce, which will make one of them rich beyond imagination if it can ever be brought to a conclusion. As Tulkinghorn digs deeper into Lady Dedlock's past, he unearths a secret that will change their lives forever, and which is almost as astounding as the final outcome of the Jarndyce case.

Starring Gillian Anderson, Charles Dance, Charlie Brooks, Liza Tarbuck, Johnny Vegas
Director Justin Chadwick, Susanna White
Studio 2 ENTERTAIN VIDEO
Run time DVD: 7 hrs 45 mins
Blu-ray: 7 hrs 45 mins
HD DVD: 7 hrs 45 mins
Certificate Certificate PG
Genres Audio Descriptive, Drama
Language DVD: English, English Audio Description
Blu-ray: English
HD DVD: English
Hearing-impaired English
Released DVD: 20 Feb 2006
Blu-ray: 11 Feb 2008
HD DVD: 11 Feb 2008
Production year: 2005
Format DVD

Bleak House (3 discs) (2005)

Sign up Bleak House DVD, Blu-ray, HD DVD

Or you can rent each disc individually:

  • Most helpful member's review of Bleak House

    View all
  • 30 out of 36 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 4 stars

    BBC at its best

    This was a brave venture by BBC to serialise Bleak House much as Dickens wrote it i.e. in episodes.The transfer to tv written by Andrew Davies(also did the much acclaimed Pride and Prejudice)is excellent and completely faithful to the text.The cast reads like a whos who of the british theatrical establishment and all of the performances are exellent.Watch out for some great unexpected cameos e.g.Johnny Vegas as the sly drunkard landlord.

    The plot of Bleak House is one of Dickens most complex revolving around the drawn out court case between Jarndyce v Jarndyce alongside numerous sub plots.Despite this the storyline is very gripping and draws you in like a modern thriller.

    My only gripe about the production is the camera work which is often jerky or handheld and can be a bit distracting.Nevertheless after being rationed to 1/2 hour episodes its good to have the whole series pulled together on dvd.

    If you missed it on tele rent it now.It will not disapoint even if you dont think you are a Dickens fan.

      • Peter Carr from Folkestone Kent
  • Most recent members' review of Bleak House

    View all
  • 1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    A stunning Dickens classic

    With Samuel West, Alun Armstrong and Gillian Anderson et al as its stars, this classic by Charles Dickens could not fail to mesmerise. From the start we are swept along by a plethora of intricate sub-plots all woven around a central and seemingly eternal law suit involving the discovery of a final will. Greed, sex and murder are the spices that give this brilliant adaptation its unique flavour.

      • Paul Birkin from Halifax, West Yorkshire
  • News and features

    View all
    The Other Boleyn Girl

    The Other Boleyn Girl

    • 03 Mar 2008

    Anne (Natalie Portman) we've all heard of, her sister Mary (Scarlett Johansson), not so much. But it was Mary who first slept with Henry VIII (Eric Bana), and (according to Philippa Gregory's best-selling historical novel at any rate) she even bore him a son. In one of the more risible scenes in what is for the most part a brisk but decorous melodrama, Henry is distracted from the birth by Anne's peevish promise that, yes, his love will be reciprocated, if only he will make a decent woman of... Read more

  • More like this

    View all

Rating breakdown

8,114 Member ratings
  • 100
2,300
  • 90
1,311
  • 80
1,688
  • 70
1,011
  • 60
690
  • 50
407
  • 40
218
  • 30
188
  • 20
200
  • 10
101

Related user collection

Buy from the LOVEFiLM shop


    • Bleak House - HD DVD Version
    • HD DVD: £27.93
      Free Delivery
    • RRP £34.29 (you save: 19%)
    • From the fog and squalor of Victorian London to the idyllic tranquillity of rural England, Dickens' tale of tragedy, intrigue and love, and stinging satire on the English legal system, is faithfully ...

    • Bleak House - BLU-RAY Version
    • Blu-Ray: £13.93
      Free Delivery
    • RRP £34.29 (you save: 59%)
    • From the fog and squalor of Victorian London to the idyllic tranquillity of rural England, Dickens' tale of tragedy, intrigue and love, and stinging satire on the English legal system, is faithfully ...

    • Bleak House
      Acclaimed writer Andrew Davies turns his talents to one of Charles Dickens' most brilliant novels - arguably the greatest ever depiction of Victorian London. Fresh and imaginative, yet faithful to the original, this thrilling fast-paced adaptation is shot with a contemporary edge. At its heart is ...