The costume design and art direction will take your breath away. Also note a sharp, yet too brief, turn by Laura Linney as Bertha. Gillian Anderson is quite strong in the role, but her demise is not deep enough to send me reaching for my tissue box. While the social issues raised are still poignant today, this film remains merely a pictoral artifact of the novel's existence. I was ultimately confused and even disinterested at times by the script. Dan Akyroyd, God bless him, does not work in this attempt to beat his Blues Brothers rap.