Vanity Fair (1967) was a BBC TV mini-series directed by David Giles. The script was based on the novel by William Thackeray.
Thackeray's novel--written in 1847-184--is a satire in which he exposes the underside of English social life of his day. In fact, the subtitle was "Pen and Pencil Sketches of English Society."
The novel is set during the Napoleonic wars. The plot is somewhat complicated, so, if you don't know the novel, I'd suggest reading a summary of it before you see the film. Basically, it follows the lives of two friends, Becky Sharp and Amelia Osborne after they leave boarding school. Sharp has no money at all, and must live by her wits. Amelia comes from a reasonably wealthy family, but they suffer financial setbacks and--ultimately--bankruptcy.
Any movie adaptation of Vanity Fair will rise or fall on the skills of Becky Sharp. In this film, Susan Hampshire portrays Becky, and she is excellent. The role of Becky needs to be played by someone who is beautiful, and Hampshire qualifies on this dimension. However, Becky must not only be beautiful, she must also be intelligent, witty, and, when necessary, deceitful. Hampshire was born to play Becky.
Amelia is Becky's opposite. She's also beautiful, but she's shy, demure, and not as smart as Becky. Marilyn Taylerson does well in the role. I've never seen her on screen before, but I think she was very talented.
Because this is a BBC movie, production values are high. The film was made for television, it works well on the small screen. As I write this review, the movie is carrying an excellent IMDb rating of 7.5. (However, there are only 40 ratings so far.) I strongly recommend that you see this movie. (Also, that you rate it after you see it.)
