This ambitious Masterpiece Theatre production is a sprawling miniseries with a simply enormous cast of characters. Dickensian in scope, the adaptation of Joseph Conrad's 1904 novel "Nostromo" is successful in developing important themes of greed, amorality, and corruption in the exploitation of a fictional Latin American country by the European and American entrepreneurs.
Conrad is especially successful in portraying the instability of the Latin American governments that are rife with corruption directly tied to the industrialists and entrepreneurs who plunder their natural resources. In "Nostromo," it is the mining of silver that is the evil force that corrupts both the political and personal dimensions of the characters. The crucial relationship is that of Charles and Emilia Gould, who travel from England to revive the silver mine that has been closed since the death of Charles' father.
The obsession of Charles with the mine erodes his relationship with Emilia. But many other characters are also drawn to the silver like a magnet. Even the seemingly incorruptible Nostromo gets caught up in the frenzy of wealth to the degree that he is unable to escape the allure of the silver.
With a fine cast led by Colin Firth (Charles Gould) and Claudio Amendola (Nostromo), the film faithfully recreated Conrad's compelling narrative. The final segment tended to drag and seemed anticlimactic. But the filmmakers remained true to their source.
Conrad is especially successful in portraying the instability of the Latin American governments that are rife with corruption directly tied to the industrialists and entrepreneurs who plunder their natural resources. In "Nostromo," it is the mining of silver that is the evil force that corrupts both the political and personal dimensions of the characters. The crucial relationship is that of Charles and Emilia Gould, who travel from England to revive the silver mine that has been closed since the death of Charles' father.
The obsession of Charles with the mine erodes his relationship with Emilia. But many other characters are also drawn to the silver like a magnet. Even the seemingly incorruptible Nostromo gets caught up in the frenzy of wealth to the degree that he is unable to escape the allure of the silver.
With a fine cast led by Colin Firth (Charles Gould) and Claudio Amendola (Nostromo), the film faithfully recreated Conrad's compelling narrative. The final segment tended to drag and seemed anticlimactic. But the filmmakers remained true to their source.