"Fingersmith" (2005) is a BBC miniseries, directed by Aisling Walsh. It's adapted from a novel by Sarah Waters. The basic plot is the interaction of two women. One is Maud Lilly, played by Elaine Cassidy. The other is Sue Trinder, played by Sally Hawkins. The women come together from entirely different backgrounds. They have nothing in common except that they are both young and beautiful.Each one has her own tragedy. Maud is a gentlewoman, but has been raised by her harsh, perverted uncle. He specializes in pornographic novels, and he forces Maud to read them aloud to small groups of invited "sophisticates."Sue is a "fingersmith," which is English slang means a talented pickpocket. She has been raised in what is (literally) a den of thieves, run by Mrs. Sucksby, portrayed by Imelda Staunton. Sue has very little money and she can't read or write.The plot begins with treachery. Richard "Gentleman" Rivers (played by Rupert Evans), offers Sue an immense sum of money if she will help him swindle Maud. She accepts, and he and she arrive at the mansion of Maud's uncle. That's as much as I'll say about the plot, except to warn you that nothing is what it seems to be. It's a complicated tale, which flips back and forth when you least expect it to.Cassidy, Hawkins, Staunton, and Evans are all superb actors, and it's a pleasure to see them act and interact. As you would expect from the BBC, production values are high. The supporting actors, the sets, and the streets look real. We know that there are production people everywhere, just outside of the range of the camera, but, still, the sense of realism is there.We saw this film on DVD, where it worked well. It probably would be better in a theater-- most movies are. However, it was made for television and it looks good on the smaller screen. Important note: The 2016 Japanese/Korean film Handmaiden is based on the same novel. Being Korean substitutes for being lower class, and being Japanese substitutes for being among the elite. Most of the story is basically the same, although some revelations in the last third of the BBC production are not included in the Japanese/Korean production.I enjoyed both films, and it makes sense to see them both.

A quite superb rendition of a grand Victorian tale. A bit of Dickens, a bit of Collins and a bit of something entirely new. This story is about girls,not usually my cup of tea but I found FS utterly compelling.What's more I warmed to the plight and feelings of the ladies.I really didn't give a fig about the fate of the men in this show. I'm trying to remember,when was I last left utterly bewildered by a sudden turn of events at the end of Part One of a mini-series?Never,as I recall. But,rather like a cliff-hanger movie serial,all became clear as the tale thus-far, was recapped from another point of view. I really have no criticism of Fingersmith.I watch mini-series night and day and somehow had missed this one which I can now say,"is a jewel among mini-series",as it's heroines are amongst literary characters.

"Fingersmith" is divided into two episodes, and it is truly a hit and miss film. While watching the first episode, I thought I was experiencing one of the finest films ever made - it developed like a Dickensian novella courageously and poetically weaving a tale of lesbian love. Until just before the end of the first episode, I was fully expecting to give "Fingersmith" my highest recommendation.The organic kernel of the movie - as presented in the summary on this web site - is superb and of the highest quality. The movie goes off the tracks, however, at the very end of the first episode and never really gets back on track after that. There are too many plot twists which stretch the viewer's capability for suspension of disbelief past the breaking point. The film becomes much too impressed with its own cleverness and the second episode just feels inauthentic and overly contrived. It's almost an insult to the viewer's intelligence and a betrayal of the time so well invested up to that point. It also robs the film of its crux and primary dilemma, namely, after wrestling with her powerful feelings of love, her past loyalties and moral and ethical considerations, what decision will Sue Trinder make regarding the plan to defraud Maud? There's no doubt about it, simpler would have been much much better in this case. Nine stars for the first episode. One star for the second episode. Five stars overall. This could have been so much better.

Well, I recently found myself being recommended this BBC drama. Indeed, Fingersmith is very well acted, and directed. so I won't go into what's been stated repeatedly.However, I caution anyone reading these reviews prior to watching the movie. After watching this a number of times, it loses some of the initial "oh wow" glamor. I think the adaption really is for people who have read the book and can interpret the actions of the actors as hate, or tension or something of that nature. I think the one of the best parts of the movie (WARNING: SPOILER) is when Maud is looking at Sue asleep against the boat. This was undoubtedly the look of "I want you so bad it's driving me mad."(End Spoiler). That was one of the few moments of one definite emotion being expressed. Other than that, it was hard to tell just where the general feelings of guilt/deception/friendly care end and the attraction begins.Personally I thought it was good to begin with. But, then I read the book and it became much better. There really isn't that much expressed romantic tension between Maud and Sue, as much as tension about the 'horrible trick' they are playing.It's really not a romance, and that is good because it shouldn't be. This movie should be a tale of deception, and lies, with a side-note of blooming affection between the characters, that eventually becomes a pretty rose by the end of the tale.There have been a lot of comparisons to Tipping the Velvet (TTV), and for the most part I agree that Fingersmith was much better. However, I think that in terms of blatant sexual tension, TTV is the way to go. For a more explicit romance, definitely TTV. But, if you want something to watch over and over again and see a little more each time, Fingersmith.I give it an 8 out of 10, but really it's one of the best period drama's as well as pieces of lesbian cinema out there are of right now. However, on a grander scale, I think Fingersmith is very dependent on ones understanding from the book, and without it comes across as vague until the very end. Had it been a little less vague (a category TTV wins at) it would have definitely been a 10.