great film. edgy. feminist manifesto - written by a man! suspenseful - many plot twists. great actors.l want to give this 4 stars but they're not sticking. excellent!!

I thought this was a pretty good adaptation. Obviously the book is going to be more detailed but I thought this did a good job of capturing the flavor and essence of the book in 4 hours. Great sets and costumes, though many disturbing images. I thought the acting was excellent, particularly the two leads, with some great small parts, too. As another commenter has noted, not for the faint of heart. Even apart from the different time period, Downton Abbey this aint.

I loved this. The acting, sets, portrayal of the subject matter, creative use of background music and sounds; all excellent. Very different from what I expected and it stayed with me for a long time after. Not for the sensitive or those offended by nudity and sex.

Great cast and intense drama

A look at Victorian England that has nothing to do with nostalgia but reveals it to be a class obsessed cruel society that victimized women, children and the poor while the upper classes got richer and more powerful. Unfortunately, this mini series is just not very good, despite having all the "whistles and bells" we have come to expect from English mini series, great costumes and sets, good cast etc. it just didn't engage this viewer. Also it has a very weird sound track and background noises that often sounds like wind in the rooms and sometimes like a flock of ducks overhead. One star rating.

Not for the faint of heart, but an engrossing look at the underbelly of Victorian society, complete with lust, hypocrisy and betrayal. Acting is wonderful and the costumes and sets create a world at once hideous and hypnotic.

Grim depiction of life in Victorian London contrasting the middle/upper classes with the working class. Well cast, with Romola Garai playing Sugar, a legendary prostitute who moves out of a brothel and into a tenuous position as a mistress then governess in the home of her lover. Irish comedian Chris O'Dowd gives a surprisingly good performance as Sugar's lover. A scorching commentary on the vulnerable positions of women and the poor and uneducated in Dickens' time.