Fanny Hill (TV serial)

Last updated

Fanny Hill
Genre Costume drama
Based on Fanny Hill
1749 novel
by John Cleland
Screenplay by Andrew Davies
Directed by James Hawes
Starring
Theme music composerRob Lane
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes2
Production
Producers
CinematographyJames Aspinall
EditorSue Wyatt
Running time106 minutes
Production companies BBC
Sally Head Productions
Original release
Network BBC Four
Release22 October (2007-10-22) –
29 October 2007 (2007-10-29)

Fanny Hill is a BBC adaptation of John Cleland's controversial 1748 novel Fanny Hill , written by Andrew Davies and directed by James Hawes. This is the first television adaptation of the novel. Fanny Hill was broadcast in October 2007 on BBC Four in two episodes. Fanny Hill tells the story of a young country girl (Rebecca Night) who is lured into prostitution in 18th-century London.

Contents

Plot

Fanny Hill (Rebecca Night) begins telling her story as a young woman who was born to poor but honest parents. She became orphaned after her parents died of smallpox. She has become alone on the streets knowing nobody, and with nowhere to go. She stumbles upon her friend Esther Davies (Emma Stansfield) while at her parents grave, who brings her to join a group of "working girls" under the madam, Mrs. Brown. Fanny naively accepts. When she arrives, she meets Phoebe (Carli Norris) with whom she experiences her first sexual encounter and where she discovered her interest in being a woman of pleasure. Fanny soon discovers she has her first client, Mr. Croft (Philip Jackson), who she expected to be young, handsome and rich. Upon meeting him, she discovered that he was rich, but she also found he was old, repulsive, and forcing himself onto her virtue. To no avail, Mr. Croft left in a storm of dust, demanding his money back. It is then that Fanny fully understands her purpose and the value of her virtue at Mrs. Brown's.

At a party later that afternoon, she becomes the center of attention because she had something that no other girl still had, her maidenhead. She meets Mr. H (Hugo Speer) for the first time, who was seemingly uninterested at the time because of her lack of experience. She was whisked away quickly, but not before being spotted by Charles Standing (Alex Robertson) who was immediately in love with Fanny and offered to take her away. After a night of dreaming of Mr. Standing, Fanny goes searching for Charles only to find him asleep downstairs. She accepts his offer to take her away, and they leave immediately.

Cast

Production

On 30 December 2005, Hannah Jones from the Western Mail reported that Andrew Davies would start writing a television adaptation of John Cleland's 18th-century novel Fanny Hill the following year. [1] Davies called the project "a labour of love", but thought the novel was entertaining and perfect for his style of adaptation, as it contains "some very racy bits". [1] In May 2006, Ben Dowell from The Guardian stated that Fanny Hill had been commissioned by BBC Fiction Controller Jane Tranter, and it would be produced by Sally Head through her own production company. [2] Davies admitted to having doubts as to whether a television adaptation would be commissioned. [3] He expressed his delight at introducing a new audience to the novel, while executive producer Eleanor Moran commented "Andrew's adaptation brings out the joie de vivre of the novel, and is full of his trademark good humour and naughty wit." [3]

Fanny Hill was directed by James Hawes, who previously directed Davies's The Chatterley Affair . [4] Hawes shot between five and eight minutes of screentime in a day, which was double the norm. He said it was a challenging shoot because of the limited budget. [5] Hawes explained that the budget was half what it would have been if the show aired on BBC One, forcing the crew to think outside of the box. [5] Filming lasted for four weeks. [5]

While Fanny Hill had been adapted for several films, the miniseries marked the first time the novel had been adapted for television. [1] [6] Fanny Hill aired as part of BBC Four's 18th century season and was accompanied by two documentaries, including The Curse of Success which told the story of Cleland and how he believed Fanny Hill ruined his reputation. [7]

70 actresses auditioned for the role of Fanny, this was cut down to eight and then two. [5] Upon learning she had an audition for Fanny Hill, Night went and purchased the book. [5] She was in the first group of actresses that were seen for the part. [5] Producer Nigel Marchant said Night stood out and called her a natural in the part. [5] Actor Alex Robertson was already in mind for the part of Charles, but his casting was not confirmed until they had cast Night as Fanny. [5] A couple of male actors read with Night and Robertson said that he had to go through two auditions. [5] Producers noted that he had the right chemistry with Night. [5]

Reception

The first episode of Fanny Hill gave BBC Four its biggest audience when it was watched by 1.1 million viewers. It had a 5.3 per cent audience share, outperforming other digital competitors. [8] The second episode also had an audience of 1.1 million, with a 5.2 per cent share. [9]

The Guardian's Nancy Banks-Smith gave the serial a positive review, claiming that Fanny Hill "was unexpectedly fresh and charming". [10] Banks-Smith asserted that viewers would enjoy it, adding "And, if you don't, it's only two episodes long, so you won't dislike it for long." [10] Matt Warman from The Daily Telegraph was disappointed that Fanny was "not as conspicuously erudite as Cleland's novel", but praised Davies for giving her "real emotional depth". [11] Hermione Eyre, writing for The Independent , thought the miniseries "was more authentic than any period drama" she had seen on television that year and she called it "good-humoured". [12] Eyre added that her only problem with Davies's adaptation was a lack of little details found in the novel. [12]

Rachel Cooke from the New Statesman questioned whether Davies was "spread too thinly", as she was disappointed in the adaptation. She stated "All the sex was there, but Fanny (Rebecca Night) herself did not get to describe it, which meant that the joy of the book – it is her unrepentant lasciviousness that distinguishes her from, say, Moll Flanders  – was lost." [13]

For her work on the show, Lucinda Wright earned a nomination for Best Costume Design at the 2008 British Academy Television Craft Awards. [14]

Differences between the novel and adaptation

There are several differences between the text and the TV serial. In this BBC adaptation, Fanny Hill's on camera moments are direct in nature after the events she experienced, unlike the novel's epistolary, first-person account of her adventures to the unnamed "Madam."

In the serial, the man who Mrs. Brown first arranges to take Fanny's maidenhead turns out to be Charles' father, while in the text, the two men are not related. Also in the serial, Fanny is caught with William by Mr. H --- during their first sexual encounter.

In regards to Mr. H---, he appears multiple times in the BBC adaptation. In the novel, Mr. H--- appears at Mrs. Brown's brothel as well as the room that Fanny stays in after she leaves the brothel. However, there is no mention of Mr. H-- reappearing in Fanny's life at Mrs. Cole's (ordering the arrest of the prostitutes for having a secret brothel) as shown in the serial.

Within the novel, a man referred to as the "good natured Dick" by Fanny and the girls at Mrs. Cole's brothel, has been entirely replaced in the BBC film adaptation. Instead of being a man who appears to be mentally handicapped, the "good natured Dick" has been replaced instead by a man who is sickly and ends up living with the girls in the brothel until his death.

The end of the BBC adaptation has Fanny Hill coming home in a carriage when a man on horseback (revealed to be Charles) rides up beside the carriage and stops it. Fanny Hill and Charles then embrace and the movie soon comes to a close by showing Fanny narrating her happiness that follows. In the novel, Fanny is in her house and does not believe that she will see Charles ever again when, one day, there is a knock on the door in bad weather and two men ask to come in. One of the men turns out to be Charles and Fanny quickly embraces him. Unlike the film adaptation, the text continues after this scene with Fanny and Charles catching up. Shortly after, they engage in a string of sexual acts together that takes up most of the ending. At the end of both the text and the show, Fanny wraps up her experiences by remarking on pleasure and the morality of her situation.

Related Research Articles

<i>Oliver Twist</i> 1837–1839 novel by Charles Dickens

Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress, is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows the titular orphan, who, after being raised in a workhouse, escapes to London, where he meets a gang of juvenile pickpockets led by the elderly criminal Fagin, discovers the secrets of his parentage, and reconnects with his remaining family.

<i>Fanny Hill</i> 18th century erotic novel

Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure—popularly known as Fanny Hill—is an erotic novel by the English novelist John Cleland first published in London in 1748. Written while the author was in debtors' prison in London, it is considered "the first original English prose pornography, and the first pornography to use the form of the novel". It is one of the most prosecuted and banned books in history.

<i>Wives and Daughters</i> 1864–1866 novel by Elizabeth Gaskell

Wives and Daughters, An Every-Day Story is a novel by English author Elizabeth Gaskell, first published in the Cornhill Magazine as a serial from August 1864 to January 1866. It was partly written whilst Gaskell was staying with the salon hostess Mary Elizabeth Mohl at her home on the Rue de Bac in Paris. When Mrs Gaskell died suddenly in 1865, it was not quite complete, and the last section was written by Frederick Greenwood.

<i>The Old Curiosity Shop</i> 1840–1841 novel by Charles Dickens

The Old Curiosity Shop is one of two novels which Charles Dickens published along with short stories in his weekly serial Master Humphrey's Clock, from 1840 to 1841. It was so popular that New York readers stormed the wharf when the ship bearing the final instalment arrived in 1841.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keeley Hawes</span> English actress

Clare JuliaHawes, known professionally as Keeley Hawes, is an English actress. After beginning her career in a number of literary adaptations, including Our Mutual Friend (1998) and Tipping the Velvet (2002), Hawes rose to fame for her portrayal of Zoe Reynolds in the BBC series Spooks (2002–2004), followed by her co-lead performance as DI Alex Drake in Ashes to Ashes (2008–2010). She is also known for her roles in Jed Mercurio's Line of Duty as DI Lindsay Denton (2014–2016) and in BBC One drama Bodyguard (2018) in which she played Home Secretary Julia Montague. Hawes is a three-time BAFTA TV Award nominee, having been nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress for her roles as Lindsay Denton and Julia Montague, and a British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Dorothy Wick in the drama Mrs Wilson.

<i>Pride and Prejudice</i> (1995 TV series) 1995 British television drama series

Pride and Prejudice is a six-episode 1995 British television drama, adapted by Andrew Davies from Jane Austen's 1813 novel of the same name. Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth starred as Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, respectively. Produced by Sue Birtwistle and directed by Simon Langton, the serial was a BBC production with additional funding from the American A&E Network. BBC1 originally broadcast the 55-minute episodes from 24 September to 29 October 1995. The A&E Network aired the series in double episodes on three consecutive nights beginning 14 January 1996.

<i>Rebecca</i> (novel) 1938 novel by Daphne du Maurier

Rebecca is a 1938 Gothic novel written by English author Daphne du Maurier. The novel depicts an unnamed young woman who impetuously marries a wealthy widower, before discovering that both he and his household are haunted by the memory of his late first wife, the title character.

<i>Emma</i> (1996 TV film) 1996 television film directed by Diarmuid Lawrence

Jane Austen's Emma is an adaptation of the 1815 novel of the same name. It was adapted for the British television network ITV in 1996, directed by Diarmuid Lawrence and dramatised by Andrew Davies, the same year as Miramax's film adaptation of Emma starring Gwyneth Paltrow. This production of Emma stars Kate Beckinsale as the title character, and also features Samantha Morton as Harriet Smith and Mark Strong as Mr. Knightley.

James Hawes is a British television director. He has worked in British television drama since the mid-1990s, and has also produced documentaries for British and American television networks. His work has ranged across high-end period pieces and prime-time adventure drama, including the re-launch of Doctor Who and Enid, a biopic starring Helena Bonham Carter about the celebrated children's author Enid Blyton, which won Hawes a BAFTA nomination as Best Director at the 2010 ceremony.

<i>Bleak House</i> (2005 TV serial) British TV series or programme

Bleak House is a fifteen-part BBC television drama serial adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel of the same name, which was originally published in 1852–53 as itself a print serialisation over 20 months. Produced with an all-star cast, the serial was shown on BBC One from 27 October to 16 December 2005, and drew much critical and popular praise. It has been reported that the total cost of the production was in the region of £8 million.

<i>Wives and Daughters</i> (1999 TV series) British television miniseries

Wives and Daughters is a 1999 four-part BBC serial adapted from the 1864 novel Wives and Daughters: An Everyday Story by Victorian author Elizabeth Gaskell.

<i>Mansfield Park</i> (1983 TV serial) 1983 British television drama series

Mansfield Park is a 1983 British television drama serial, made by the BBC, and adapted from Jane Austen's 1814 novel of the same name. The serial was the first screen adaptation of the novel. Unlike Patricia Rozema's 1999 film, it is faithful to Jane Austen's novel. Jonny Lee Miller, who has a small role as Charles Price in this serial, played Edmund Bertram in Rozema's adaptation.

<i>Little Dorrit</i> (TV series) British TV series or programme

Little Dorrit is a 2008 British miniseries based on Charles Dickens's serial novel of the same title, originally published between 1855 and 1857. The screenplay is by Andrew Davies and the episodes were directed by Adam Smith, Dearbhla Walsh, and Diarmuid Lawrence.

<i>Miss Austen Regrets</i> 2007 television film by Jeremy Lovering

Miss Austen Regrets is a 2007 biographical drama television film directed by Jeremy Lovering and written by Gwyneth Hughes. It stars Olivia Williams as Jane Austen, with Imogen Poots, Greta Scacchi, Hugh Bonneville, Adrian Edmondson and Jack Huston. It premiered on 21 August 2007 on BBC 1 in the United Kingdom and on 3 February 2008 in the United States by PBS' drama anthology television series Masterpiece as part of The Complete Jane Austen, the US version of The Jane Austen Season.

Rebecca Night is an English actress who starred in the title role of James Hawes's BBC Four adaptation Fanny Hill. Night and Stockard Channing co-starred as Jessie and Thelma in Marsha Norman's Pulitzer-Prize-winning play 'night, Mother at Hampstead Theatre. On her performance, described by lead theatre critic Mark Shenton: "Night is like a young Julia Roberts... with natural stage chops... It turns out to be a riveting, revealing evening."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruth Sheen</span> English actress

Ruth Sheen is an English actress. From the late 1980s, she has appeared in British television shows, films and plays. A participant in the films of Mike Leigh, she won the European Film Award for Best Actress for her performance as Shirley in Leigh's High Hopes (1988).

Fanny Hill is a 1748 novel by John Cleland. Several adaptations have been made of the novel, including:

<i>Fanny Hill</i> (1964 film) 1964 film by Russ Meyer, Albert Zugsmith

Fanny Hill is a 1964 American – West German historical comedy film directed by Russ Meyer and starring Letícia Román, Miriam Hopkins and Ulli Lommel. Filmed at the Spandau Studios in Berlin, the film is an adaptation of the 1748 John Cleland novel of the same name.

<i>Northanger Abbey</i> (2007 film) 2007 television film directed by Jon Jones

Northanger Abbey is a 2007 British television film adaptation of Jane Austen's 1817 novel of the same name. It was directed by British television director Jon Jones and the screenplay was written by Andrew Davies. Felicity Jones stars as the protagonist Catherine Morland and JJ Feild plays her love interest Henry Tilney.

<i>Sense and Sensibility</i> (2008 TV series) British drama television series

Sense and Sensibility is a 2008 British television drama adaptation of Jane Austen's 1811 novel Sense and Sensibility. The screenplay was written by Andrew Davies, who revealed that the aim of the series was to make viewers forget Ang Lee's 1995 film Sense and Sensibility. The series was "more overtly sexual" than previous Austen adaptations, and Davies included scenes featuring a seduction and a duel that were absent from the feature film but are suggested in Austen's book. Sense and Sensibility was directed by John Alexander and produced by Anne Pivcevic. Hattie Morahan and Charity Wakefield starred as Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, two sisters who go on "a voyage of burgeoning sexual and romantic discovery".

References

  1. 1 2 3 Jones, Hannah (30 December 2005). "Welsh writer to give Fanny Hill fresh exposure". Western Mail . Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  2. ↑ Dowell, Ben (8 May 2006). "Davies turns to raunchy 18th century classic". The Guardian . Retrieved 29 March 2014.
  3. 1 2 "BBC Four gets turned on to Andrew Davies' steamy adaptation of Fanny Hill". BBC. 13 July 2007. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  4. ↑ "Fanny Hill – the ultimate kiss and tell story". BBC. 1 October 2007. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Head, Sally; Hawes, James; Davies, Andrew; Night, Rebecca; Robertson, Alex; Marchant, Nigel; Aspinall, James; Roger, David; Wright, Lucinda (2007). The Making Of (DVD). FremantleMedia.
  6. ↑ "BBC Four Autumn 2007". BBC. 25 September 2007. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  7. ↑ Dowell, Ben (25 September 2007). "BBC4 season to back Fanny Hill". The Guardian . Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  8. ↑ West, Dave (23 October 2007). "'Fanny Hill' is most-watched BBC4 show". Digital Spy . Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  9. ↑ West, Dave (30 October 2007). "'Doc Martin' dominates Monday for ITV1". Digital Spy . Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  10. 1 2 Banks-Smith, Nancy (23 October 2007). "Last night's TV: Fanny Hill". The Guardian . Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  11. ↑ Warman, Matt (23 October 2007). "Matt Warman reviews Fanny Hill (BBC4)". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  12. 1 2 Eyre, Hermione (28 October 2007). "Review: Andrew Davies has changed the habit of a lifetime and cut back on the sex scenes". The Independent . Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  13. ↑ Cooke, Rachel (25 October 2007). "The really wild show". New Statesman . Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  14. ↑ "Television Craft Awards Winners in 2008". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. 11 May 2008. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.