In 1840s England, acclaimed but overlooked fossil hunter Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) works alone on the rugged Southern coastline. With the days of her famed discoveries behind her, she now searches for common fossils to sell to tourists to support herself and her ailing mother. When a wealthy visitor entrusts Mary with the care of his wife Charlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan), she cannot afford to turn his offer down. Proud and relentlessly passionate about her work, Mary initially clashes wit find out more...

Maud Lilley is a woman of substance, a pretty, naive young heiress whose life of wealthy leisure would seem to be assured. Unbeknown to Maud however a scam has been hatched to relieve her of her inheritance and commit her to the madhouse. Crucial to this deception is Sue Trinder, an orphan girl of similar age to Maud, who is inserted within the household. Sue, much to her surprise, falls in love with the heiress, but events are already in motion and betrayal is now unavoidable. Fingersmith is th find out more...

Competent period drama based on the novel by Virginia Woolf. Taking place one day in 1923 with MP's wife Mrs Dalloway taking a trip down memory lane as she prepares for a posh dinner do. Her middle-aged reflection takes her back to the summer of 1890, her old flame Peter Walsh, and a series of events that were to shape the rest of her life. Simultaneously we hear about the struggles of a troubled young war veteran. Redgrave is excellent as the soul-searching society lady working through regret a find out more...

Two literary critics discover a passionate liaison of letters between two famous Victorian writers, but, while investigating the authenticity of their findings, the two find themselves developing a relationship which begins to mirror the impassioned correspondence they are researching. 'Possession' is a well crafted romantic drama, adapted from an AS Byatt novel, and reminiscent of ‘The French Lieutenant's Woman' alternating as it does between past and present, where contemporary reality begins find out more...

Set in Boston during the aftermath of the American Civil War we follow Olive Chancellor, a staunch feminist, who sees in the young Verena a gifted and impassioned figurehead for the women's cause. Unfortunately for Olive, the chauvinistic Basil Ransom sees in Verena the perfect wife, and so begins a battle of wills for Verena's sensibilities. "The Bostonians" is classic Merchant Ivory, a sumptuous and sensitive adaptation of one of their favourite authors, Henry James. find out more...