Surfing Through "Silas Marner"

Directorboy just finished the George Eliot masterpiece "Middlemarch." (Truly as great as its reputation.) He wanted to read more, so I picked up two pbs of "Silas Marner" -- the story of a hermit-like weaver who becomes obsessed with gold until its stolen and "replaced" by an orphaned little girl. Just finished mine and while certainly not as magisterial as "Middlemarch," it's sharp and delightful in a simpler way. Could easily be filmed with too much sentimentality (the way people ruin "Our Town"), but to my surprise this "heartwarming" story has rarely been tackled. A few silent versions, a 6 part British TV version in the 60s and Ben Kingsley hot off "Gandhi" in 1985. Would love to check that one out. *** 1/2 (3.5 out of 4)