it is not an easy thing to do Charles Dickens without being tedious, in my opinion. The first few episodes of this are a little bit slow, but once it gets in full swing, it is a great production. The adaptation, the music, the pace, for the most part are excellent. The main exception being Gillian Anderson, who I expected to like, but couldn't. It seems to me that she thinks she is being understated in her stiff, aloof portrayal of lady Dedlock. She succeeds in looking beautiful and being mysterious, but I think it is over-acted. I have never seen someone try so hard to be stoic and restrained, with no appearance of the presence of the emotions that supposedly need to be held back so. It seems to me that stony unsmiling face with a slight pucker of the lips is a default she uses in lieu of any actual acting. I have nothing against her in general, but she has done something similar in both The Fall and x-files, and I think its beginning to be a gimmicky aloofness that doesn't always work. The other characters are superbly cast and well acted.

Acting is good. Sets, costumes, etc., are good. Mood is spot-on Dickens. BUT...the directing makes me crazy. It's like "Bleak House Meets Lord of the Rings."Shaky-cam shots, wild zooms, synthesizer swooshes and whams, over-the-top digital colorization. This story doesn't need all that sci-fi/fantasy production value, and in my opinion, it damages the series.When style gets in the way of content, it takes away from the story, and regrettably, that's what I feel happens in this adaptation. I really hope directors will step back from this new faddish style, which everybody is copying now, and get back to good storytelling.

I was wary about watching this because I find Dickens so hard to read. I'm still trying to make my way through this book but he is so wordy that it seems to take me forever and I usually end up giving up. Don't worry about any of that with this miniseries, though. It is EXCELLENT. It was long but it held my interest the entire time with suspense, drama, romance, and comedy. There's really something for everyone. The acting was also excellent. My one complaint, though it may just be due to my TV, was that some scenes were shot a bit too dark so it was hard for me to see what was going on.

No need to write a long review -- others here say it very well. This version of 'Bleak House' is simply one of the best films ever made.It is the best adaptation of any Dickens work that I can remember, going go back to the wonderful 'A Tale of Two Cities' and 'Great Expectations' of the Golden Age of Hollywood. What is the real core of Dickens' message is highlighted, and the dated dross of sentiment eliminated.Every single aspect of the production is of the highest excellence. There's really nothing more to say. A must-see, if anything is.