A critical inspiration to both M.R. James and Bram Stoker, the Irish author Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (1814-73) is best remembered today as one of the most significant writers of supernatural fiction of the 19th Century. His seminal tale Green Tea (1869) established both the psychological ghost-story and the occult-detective trope, while his novella Carmilla (1872) was the first vampire story to attain the status of a literary classic. However, in addition to his short fiction, Le Fanu also penned a number of sensation novels in the mode of Wilkie Collins, and it was for these that he was best known during his lifetime. Although the novels lack any overt supernatural element, they are rooted firmly in the Gothic tradition—the atmosphere laden with mystery, madness and the ultra-mundane.
Le Fanu’s most critically successful novel was Uncle Silas, first serialised in the Dublin University Magazine in 1864. It’s the only one particularly well-remembered today and has been adapted for screen on three occasions: first as a feature film starring Jean Simmons in 1947; then as an episode of Thames Television’s Mystery and Imagination series in 1968; and finally as a three part serial for the BBC in 1989. This latter dramatisation was retitled The Dark Angel, doubtless to better advertise its Gothic nature, although the moniker does not really have any connection with the content. Nonetheless, with a running time of three hours it is the most faithful attempt to recreate the novel in a filmic medium; and whilst the production is certainly flawed, it is probably the most successful.
The plot is familiar enough: following the death of her father, the young heiress Maud Ruthyn is despatched to live with her Uncle Silas, a notorious libertine and suspected murderer, until she attains her majority. Now sunk into dissipation, and crippled by debt, the still charismatic Silas plots to steal Maud’s inheritance with the help of his boorish son Dudley and the monstrous governess Madame de la Rougierre. It is standard sensation novel fare, replete with all the cliches of the genre—including opium addiction, locked rooms, hostile servants, a contested will and the gaslighting of the heroine. Although the viewer can see exactly where the plot is going, the sinister detail accumulates gradually and it is not until the final episode that the full desperation of Maud’s predicament is clear.
Fortunately, the production is suitably lavish and it does not stint on the Gothic melodrama. To achieve an ominous and oneiric atmosphere, frequent use is made of soft focus, motion blur and Dutch angles—almost to the point of excess. However, it is the performances which are really compelling, and whilst Beatie Edney is merely sympathetic as Maud, the villains steal the show utterly. With his cadaverous cheekbones and mesmeric eyes, Peter O’Toole is perfectly cast as Silas, his portrayal capturing both the dissolution and dominance of the man. But even he is upstaged by Jane Lapotaire, who as Madame de la Rougierre plumbs the very depths of grotesquery. When either one is on screen, it is possible to overlook The Dark Angel’s predictability and revel in its overripeness instead.
Produced by BBC Television : 4th – 18th January 1989
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