The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister [DVD]

A story of extraordinary courage – 4 StarsThere is a lot I liked about ‘The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister’, including:● The acting was of a very high standard – Maxine Peak’s performance in the lead role was outstanding.● As with all BBC productions, the sets are awesome – you need to watch it more than once to fully appreciate the attention to detail.● Clever passages of dialogue contributed to understanding the risks associated with Miss Lister’s lifestyle – it shows her as a woman of great courage and resilience.● I liked that the film doesn’t restrict itself to defining Miss Lister by her sexual orientation alone – it includes reference to her academic and business achievements, and reveals her varied interests that ranged from shooting to horticulture.● I found it to be well balanced in its portrayal of this complex woman – it certainly doesn’t put her on a pedestal.● The closing credits give a brief summary of what became of several of the characters.Just one downside for me:● Anne Lister was a great traveller – I was disappointed that apart from a brief reference about planning a trip to Paris, none of her travels were covered in this film.Overall, this was an informative and entertaining film – Worth watching.

Maxine Peake is a wonderful actress who fully invests her formidable skill in the role of Anne Lister. Main actress - or main actor - is the greatest draw for me, in choosing a film. The powers making this film were very fortunate to secure the contribution of Ms Peake, one of England's most incisive acting talents.Happy to say that all the rest of what makes for a fine production is here too, meeting the standard of Ms Peake's performance. The casting and acting of secondary characters, male and female, is individually and collectively superb. (What a difference pervasively good casting makes to any production.) The photography, of the interiors (mainly Shibden Hall) and the chilly Yorkshire outdoors is dustily gorgeous and quietly soulful. (England at its disappearing best, maybe.)I watched 'Disobedience' just before I watched 'The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister'. 'Disobedience' is another promising film about so-called transgressive love, with wonderful actresses in the two main roles. But 'Disobedience' has a persistently held-back quality that pervades - and I think blights - that film from beginning to end. 'The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister' has no such restraint, even when it deals with precisely that subject matter - restraint. It's much the braver, cleverer, better film.With this dvd come the extras of a documentary about Anne Lister by Sue Perkins (who's as engaging as always, but a little too mocking in my opinion), and an interview of Maxine Peake by the director James Kent, a calm and collected type of man who gets out of his own way. I'm already seeking other films or dramas which Mr Kent directs.An easily justified 5/5.

This is a well made introduction to Anne Lister and gives viewers a feel for what she was like and an overview of her life, personality and passions etc, focusing on some main events.I'd seen it when it was first on tv but mainly bought the dvd for the documentary which is on it as an extra. Hosted by Sue Perkins she discovers the 'real Anne Lister' and to me this is reason enough for buying the dvd. She takes you through Anne Lister's entire life, giving you a more in-depth overview of who Anne was and why she wrote what she did in her diaries, by visiting the places Anne Lived and visited. It gives you a more personal feel and connection to her, as opposed to the main feature. For people interested in Anne Lister, 'Gentleman Jack' (the new BBC series about Anne Lister) is absolutely brilliant but focuses on only one year of Anne's life (1832) so until series 2 can be made, this is a nice way of people to see a broader view of Anne Lister's life. I'd also recommend reading one of many books about her, mainly by Helena Whitbread or Jill Liddington. Anne was a fascinating person and it's so great that more people are able to learn about her, thanks to dvds like this one

I was initially unsure about this when I bought this DVD and did so on the strength of Maxine Peake playing the lead role, but I was quickly reassured, it is a well acted and moving story of lesbian life in the upper echelons of nineteenth century Yorkshire society. It is steeped in the atmosphere and prejudices of the time and is a joy to watch. The film is based on the original secretly coded diaries of Anne Lister which were discovered in her home, Shibden Hall in the 1930s. The diaries, detailing her romantic affairs were encoded in a combination of algebra and ancient Greek. The film was shot on location in several places including Shibden Hall and the North York Moors. Moving performances by Maxine Peake (Anne Lister), Anne’s lover Mariana Belcombe (Anna Madeley) and Anne’s ex Isabella ‘Tib’ (Susan Lynch). There is jealousy, possessiveness, bitchiness and wild romps behind the closed doors of Anne’s Shibden Hall all adding to the mix. Such fun to watch, will watch it again sometime soon.

As a factual story portrayed in drama; it was tempting to over dress this tale. This take on the story really got to the bones of the story and the characters; and left you feeling you had been party to their lives and emotions. Having seen the more recent Gentleman Jack; I was worried that this would spoil both dramas; but rather it was such a different slant that it was well worth the money.

I loved this. Maxine Peake gave a very convincing performance as a lesbian who loves deeply. I won't spoil the story by giving anything away, but there are lots of twists and drama, and on my part a lot of outrage on her character's behalf. The sex scenes were realistic and passionate and the ultimate love story was sweet and fulfilling. Great stuff!