Adaption of George Eliot's novel. When a respectable weaver is wrongfully accused of theft, he becomes a virtual hermit until his own fortune is stolen and an orphaned child is found on his doorstep.
Acting
Ben Kingsley's transformation from hollow-eyed outcast to besotted father
Production
Gritty rural England that actually looks lived-in, not postcard pretty
Director
Giles Foster
Ben Kingsley
Silas Marner
Jenny Agutter
Nancy Lammeter
Patrick Ryecart
Godfrey Cass
Freddie Jones
Squire Cass
Jonathan Coy
Dunstan Cass
Patsy Kensit
Eppie
Angela Pleasence
Molly
Rosemary Martin
Dolly Winthrop
Robert Putt
Ben Winthrop
Jim Broadbent
Jem Rodney
Tony Caunter
Mr. Snell
Michael Bilton
Mr. Macey
Nick Brimble
Bob Dowlas
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This BBC adaptation was filmed in just three weeks on a shoestring budget, with Kingsley reportedly taking the role specifically because he wanted to play against his Gandhi typecasting.
Eliot's novel was wildly popular among Victorian factory workers despite its rural setting—readers saw their own alienation in Silas's exile from community.
GB
