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The Way We Live Now
- Debuted:
- 11 November 2001
- Directed by:
- David Yates
- Written by:
- Andrew Davies, adapted from the Anthony Trollope novel
- Cillian plays:
- Paul Montague
- (a young upper-class British engineer)
- The CillianSite Rating:
- 7.8
- Cillian's Performance:
- 7.8
- Fan Must-See Rating:
- 7.8
Synopsis:
When nouveau riche robber baron Augustus Melmotte (David Suchet) crashes 1870s London society in this BBC miniseries, the snooty yet impoverished aristocracy cannot afford to ignore him despite his Jewish heritage and questionable business history. Sir Felix Carbury (Matthew Macfadyen), a baronet without a penny (or shred of honor) to his name, makes a play for Melmotte's unusual, intense daughter Marie (Shirley Henderson), hoping to bring Melmotte's fortune to his family, but more importantly, to the card table. His upstanding sister Hetta (Paloma Baeza) has been promised to their cousin, but falls for his ward, Paul Montague (Cillian Murphy), who is secretly trying to break off his engagement to an American woman (Miranda Otto). An engineer, Paul wins Melmotte's backing in a Mexican/American railway venture, only to find that Melmotte is more interested in spending investors' money than in building a railway. As these and other members of London's elite battle over pieces of Melmotte's pie, alliances are made and broken, and it is discovered that in the way we live now, one can have love, money, or dignity, but not all three at once.
Cast also includes Cheryl Campbell, Rob Brydon, Michael Riley, Douglas Hodge, Anne-Marie Duff, and David Bradley.
