The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders
Tags: intrigue, satire

Plot synopsis:
Moll is born in Newgate to a convict woman, who is transported immediately after giving birth. After being passed around, the child ends up with gypsies, from whom she runs away when about seven years old. She is taken in by the Mayor of Colchester and brought up in his household as "almost" one of the family. When they become young men both his sons are attracted to Moll and make advances to her. She succumbs to the eldest son, who promises her love and marriage and gives her money and presents, but then encourages her to marry his younger brother when the latter proposes to her. The parents are concerned but allow the marriage. After several years Moll's husband dies and she leaves Colchester and her children to seek a new and more exciting life in London. She mixes in society and finally marries a wealthy young man who has come into an inheritance. Intoxicated with each other and spending money for their enjoyment Moll and her new husband live a reckless and exorbitant lifestyle.
Her husband having disappeared after they have spent his fortune and the bailliffs arrive, Moll puts on her finery and goes in search of another wealthy husband. She attracts a young sea Captain from Virginia, who owns a ship and plantations and she too is attracted to him. They marry and Moll travels with him to Virginia. There she meets his mother, who, after some initial hostility to Moll gets on well with her. Several years later, and now with two children, Moll's contentment and happiness is destroyed when she discovers that her mother-in-law is actually her own transported mother and that she is married to her own half-brother. He and Moll separate and she returns to England. However, most of her possessions are lost during bad storms and she arrives with little income. Again, she spends her money on clothes and creating the impression that she is a wealthy lady and goes to Lancaster in search of a new husband - attracting one instantly.
Moll marries the love of her life, but after setting off on honeymoon soon discovers that neither of them has been telling the truth.
Alone and virtually penniless, Moll continues her life of crime. She meets fellow thief Lucy and they become partners in crime and best friends. After Lucy is caught and hanged, Moll's heart is not in her thieving and she is easily caught.

Review: One of the best I've seen.
Alex Kingston IS Moll Flanders.
Please, forget the cotton-candy version that has Morgan Freeman in the cast (though, I _adore_ Stockard Channing).
This is the real thing!
We get to see the real, harsh struggles of Moll in this adaptation, and how out of the muck and grime Moll finds herself.
There is no happy ending here, you can bet that, but at least you get a real story that is more appropriate to the times.
That is worth much more to me than a smiling happy face, in the end.
This is a real, gritty film - not cheap.
Highly recommended..
Archetypal Bodice Ripper.
The novel is the archetypal bodice ripper but the Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders is far more than that.
It is a well constructed, well acted, well directed period drama of the type the British TV Industry does so well.Alex Kingston is exceptional in the title roll, her defection to the States from the UK is a real loss and the cast list is like a who's who of British TV.
Particularly good is Diana Rigg.All in all my words cannot really do it justice, if you get the opportunity to see it then please do.
It is really well worth it..
Fun and moving social commentary.
You may find yourself watching this entire 4-hour movie all in one sitting like I did.
Although it is a Mobil Masterpiece Theater presentation, it is also available on video.
If you think you're in for some boring English drama, brace yourself, as it is very fast-paced, erotic, and often shockingly funny.
Alex Kingston (now on "ER") delves into this role with a ferocity we rarely see on the screen.
Although Moll does many bad things, we root for her the whole way.
Diana Rigg is also a hoot as a mother-in-law that reveals herself to be something more.
Daniel Defoe's condemnation of society as unforgiving of the monsters it creates is still as relevant today as when it was written.
As long as you have an open mind about sex, nudity and immoral behavior onscreen, prepare to be fascinated..
Entertaining version based on title character from Daniel Defoe , setting in the 18th century , London town.
A fun romp set from Daniel Defoe's 1722 novel focusing a poor orphan girl who seeks wealthy life in England .
Born in London's Newgate prison , at the beginning she becomes a house servant , and after that , Moll embarks on her first marriage , but being soon widowed and then she decides to make her own way and fortune as well as misfortunes .
As Moll (Alex Kingstone) is a beautiful female chased around every bedchamber in London town .
Moll Flanders (female derivative of Tom Jones) plots to get ahead through an advantageous series of romances and marriages .
Moll ulteriorly marries various lovers , and briefly finds happiness in America until she to be aware by her actual mother (Diana Rigg) that married to a brother , committing incest .
But Moll's plans are ruined again when she falls in love for a mysterious aristocrat , who results to be a wanted highway man (Daniel Craig) .
As she falls for an impoverished stagecoach robber and she flees from him .
Her ulterior life as a whore and thief leads her to drink and near suicide , despite the unwavering friendship of another robber female , and subsequently , things get dreary , landing in prison and a likely candidate for the gallows .
However , the ever-enterprising Flanders always finds her way .
Not surprisingly , love , cash and marriages conquer all .
As at the end , Sir James and lady Molly Seagrave became very rich and well respected citizens , one of the foremost families in America , and quite forgot their former crimes...
and rightly so .
We cannot always be wringing our hands over the past .
In truth , we do what we must , get by any way we can .
We are all on the Wheel of Fortune .
TV Mini-series in four episodes well played , compellingly made and adequately setting .
A series much after the style of ¨Tom Jones¨ and ¨Fanny Hill¨ with bag of incident and color .
This period piece turns out to be the 4th on-screen adaptation of Daniel Defoe's 1722 novel , though it misses of the lip-smacking period relish spoiled with abundant sexual scenes , nudism and mediocre photography .
Being pretty faithfully to Defoe novel in telling the fortunes and misfortunes of this lively hustler who eventually finds herself working at the brothel of greed and with a scheming landlady .
This adaptation moves the setting of the novel forward a few decades .
In the novel, adding up the dates reveals that Moll first goes up to London in the late 1630s , and begins her career as a thief in the 1660s ; in this series, however, these events are associated with Moll attending two plays "The Country Wife" (1675) and "The Way of the World" (1700) ; as the costumes are appropriate to this later period .
Nice acting from Alex Kingstone as the wickedly seductive Moll , a spirited heroine who becomes a robber , a prostitute , marries several times and eventually winds up in prison .
Alex Kingstone holds everything together with help a talented supporting casting .
As the secondary cast is frankly good such as Christopher Fulford , James Fleet , Diana Rigg , Tom Ward , Roger Ashton-Griffiths , Ronald Frazer and Daniel Craig who years later would star in the James Bond films .
Other films based on the bawdy , rousing retelling from Daniel Defoe's novel are the followings : ¨ The amorous adventures of Moll Flanders¨ (1965) by Terence Young with Kim Novak , Richard Johnson , Lilli Palmer , Vittorio De Sica , George Sanders , Leo McKern ; and ¨Moll Flanders¨ (1996) by Pen Densham with Robin Wright Penn , Stockard Channing , Brenda Fricker , John Lynch and Morgan Freeman as a dignified servant .
Furthermore , TV rendition (1976) ¨Moll Flanders¨ with Julia Foster , Kenneth Haigh , Barry Jackson and Ian Ogilvy ..
smutty, funny, and well-performed.
The story of Moll Flanders, thief and whore, is brought to the screen in four episodes written by period drama specialist Andrew Davies and performed by the peerless Alex Kingston.When we first meet Moll, she lives in the house of the Mayor of Colchester, coquettishly flirting with his two sons.
By the time we leave her she's been through five husbands, found the story of her origins, and turned to stealing and prostitution.
But will she ultimately triumph?
This drama is fairly explicit - there's nudity and sex scenes galore.
But Kingston is terrific as Moll and there are many other pleasures - Daniel Craig, Diana Rigg.
Put the children in bed early and enjoy a fun nd well-done adaptation for the grown-ups..
great movie.
I've seen this 4-part film at once (230 min.) and surprisingly it wasn't tiring or boring at all.
On the contrary, the movie caught my attention readily, as it tells this story very well.
Alex Kingston is great in the part of this young woman who struggles to be a wealthy gentlelady, even if it requires surrendering her virtue in any way.
It's a wonderful movie and I strongly recommend it..
An outline of the story of Moll Flanders, an excellent film..
This is a delightful tale of an orphan born in Newgate prison where her mother was waiting to be hanged.
This film is NOT to be confused with the disappointing film, "Moll Flanders", also released in 1996.
Gypsies take the infant, Moll, to a small town where she is raised by a wealthy family with two sons.
One is her first love, but he passes her to his brother who marries her.
After he dies, she marries a businessman, who leaves her when his fortune is depleted.
Moll then marries a ship's captain, who takes her to his prosperous Virginia plantation.
She learns a shocking family secret so she returns to England alone to begin a new life.
She meets and marries again, but this time her true love, Jemmy, is not what he appears.
He has no fortune and makes a living as a highwayman.
They part and she marries again.
When the next husband dies, she is left a pauper.
In desperation she becomes a thief.
She is imprisoned in the place of her birth, awaiting the a sentence to be carried out.
Moll is a survivor.
Will she cheat the hangman?
I enjoyed this film very much because of its refreshing blend of drama and humor..
Local PBS Station Chopped it up!.
Years ago when this aired on Baton Rouge's WLPB PBS station it was HEAVILY edited!
Only after someone reminded me that it was being re-shown on WYES in New Orleans UNCUT I eagerly tuned in!
Totally changed the entire direction of the movie!
I don't think stations should be allowed to run cut movies.
Show it at a later time but don't hack up good movies, especially a classic just for someones Puritanical nonsense!
Have to say...even cut up as it was the first time I saw it, it was still a 10..
Entertaining but flawed.
Entertaining but flawed screen version of Dafoe's novel.
Kingston is excellent as Flanders and the rest of the cast does well also.
The claustrophobic sets and many close-in shots add to the personal (and earthy!) nature of the story.The only problem I have with the movie is the pacing (I didn't read the book, but most movies based on books seem to have this same problem).
Some sequences are given too much screen time and other elements are glossed over.
The "theme" is given more importance than the story, which is a shame because there are some really good things here..
I love this movie..
I love this movie, it's excellent.
I give it a 10.Alex Kingston is great.
Sexy and funny.
Her best performance..
Explicit Warning Needed.
Good story.
I am glad I didn't invite the kids to watch with me.
Should have been warned though.
"The more things change, the more they stay the same," is the thought I had after viewing the 18th century set drama.
Loved Diana Rigg..
Moll Flanders F***athon.
At least the host of PBS's MT admits that liberties were taken with the original work.
A potentially poignant film is - per usual- smeared with cinematic fecal matter so predictably painted like graffiti in a subway.
The larger picture of the societal ills particular to 17/18th century England is marred by pornography (almost to the point of comedy).
I think I've seen more of Alex Kingston's nips than my own in the last six months.
What should have been the Les Miserables of England is reduced to wanton balderdash, having negated the seriousness of the underlying theme.
Though beautifully filmed, the audience's intelligence is mocked by bottom feeder's fodder.
It seems the producer's M.O is H.L. Mencken's slight, "No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people." Fortunately, many may read the book to find out the real story - and actually learn something.
My copy is now on order..
Sweat Hog Officianados Gather Round.
This time old Hollywood got it right.
The Kim Novak Moll Flanders version played tongue-in-cheek with an attractive heroine and suggested content was entirely more appreciable.
It was a female Tom Jones and well done as such.
The rendering here starts off on the wrong foot with a repulsive sweat hog of a heroine not credible by any stretch as even attractive, much less alluring to gentlemen.
Just a fleshy bar maid sort.
Many a kitchen or parlor maid could be done up as well.
But we have this flared nostril milch cow being offered as a temptress.
Everything after that is a farce rendered in ribald distaste.
Totally gag version.
Pulp trash.
Avoid..
Delightfully Funny.
ITV's hilariously funny, very bawdy and occasionally moving adaptation of Daniel Defoe's tale about an ordinary woman trying all she can to make her mark upon the world in vice-ridden 18th century London, "'The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders" is a TV production not to be sniffed at.
Alex Kingston stars as the titular heroine, who plays the character with remarkable integrity and gusto, exactly how she is meant to be.
The production spares no details of Moll's dubious careers, and succeeds in angering and moving the audience to tears within minutes of each other.
Top class actors, accurate costumes and wonderful settings combined with a tight script results in an intoxicating concoction of televisual brilliance.
This adaptation made in 1996 is still as popular as ever, and the new Moll Flanders film is not a patch on this.
It is very faithful to the novel and yet still adds its own elements to the original story, adapting it for a more modern audience.
A masterpiece!.
The porn overshadows the art.
(note: not really spoilers, but this review contains basic information about the plot) It IS well directed & acted.
Dialogue is well written.
But the characters bring little sympathy as they are all flawed and selfish.
Everyone was so corrupted by lies and immorality that I couldn't relate personally and I tired of all Moll's bad decisions.
I come away feeling like no one was admirable in this.Sex scene after *explicit* sex scene makes it more like porn that art.
This movie would be NC-17 if it were rated.
There must be 15 sex scenes.
You can get the gist of the fact she's having sex with lots of people without showing us every single one, in detail.If you like period movies, there are many better ones.
Try North and South or Cranford by Gaskell, or there are many excellent Charles Dickens movies like Nicholas Nickleby and the newest Oliver Twist..
disturbing period drama of love and pain and hardship.
It was wonderful,If you are into "English period drama films" with all the gloomy,grey skied ambiance in the backround, this is the movie to watch,based on it's literary counterpart,a novel by Daniel Defoe It's about a woman, and she must live day by day through a struggle, and does many unethical, immoral things to survive, She ends up being sent to prison for her crimes and awaiting a hanging , only to be forgiven and sent to America, In this movie, you will see many "realistic" sexual scenes, and because many of the characters she has these scenes with are very "unattractive people" old men, the like.....It makes the movie quite "realistic" and "believable" for a drama piece,and you can nearly "feel her pain and anguish" If I must say so myself, Even though the movie does at times have a few "happy" moments, they are always the sad moments that follows, hence the "fortunes and misfortunes" of poor Moll Flanders.I cried a few tears for Moll, and the movie gives it a "twist of fate" ending.I liked this version of this film better than any other.