Vanity Fair (1998)
Dramatisation of William Thackeray's 1847 novel satirising English society during the Napoleonic wars.
Vanity Fair tells the story of Amelia Sedley, of good family, and Rebecca Sharp, an orphan, who leave Miss Pinkerton's academy on Chiswick Mall to live out their lives in Vanity Fair - the world of social climbing and search for wealth. Amelia does not esteem the values of Vanity Fair; Rebecca cares for nothing else.
They are soon caught up with George Osborne and William Dobbin, both Captains in the army, and the lives of the four are intertwined for the rest of their lives, however long they may be. There are the highs & lows, births, deaths, marriages and a bit of deceit along the way.
Vanity Fair tells the story of Amelia Sedley, of good family, and Rebecca Sharp, an orphan, who leave Miss Pinkerton's academy on Chiswick Mall to live out their lives in Vanity Fair - the world of social climbing and search for wealth. Amelia does not esteem the values of Vanity Fair; Rebecca cares for nothing else.
They are soon caught up with George Osborne and William Dobbin, both Captains in the army, and the lives of the four are intertwined for the rest of their lives, however long they may be. There are the highs & lows, births, deaths, marriages and a bit of deceit along the way.
Philip plays...
William Dobbin
The best friend of the selfish, self obsessed George Osborne, William Dobbin is a few years older than George but they have been friends since their school days even though Dobbin's father is a fig-merchant and the Osbornes belong to the genteel class and have become independently wealthy. He defends George and is blind to his faults in many ways although he tries to force George to do the right thing, especially where Amelia Sedley is concerned. The author once stated that this is a story 'without a hero', but William Dobbin would be the closest there is. Restrained, modest, loyal, and good, Dobbin merits the love of all.
William Dobbin
The best friend of the selfish, self obsessed George Osborne, William Dobbin is a few years older than George but they have been friends since their school days even though Dobbin's father is a fig-merchant and the Osbornes belong to the genteel class and have become independently wealthy. He defends George and is blind to his faults in many ways although he tries to force George to do the right thing, especially where Amelia Sedley is concerned. The author once stated that this is a story 'without a hero', but William Dobbin would be the closest there is. Restrained, modest, loyal, and good, Dobbin merits the love of all.
Media
Trivia
- In Dobbin's first scene, he walks into a room and hit his helmet on a chandelier - this wasn't scripted; it happened because Philip is quite tall and the helmet added to that height, but the director kept it in as he felt it added to Dobbin's characterisation.