Flippitygibbit Reviews

Persuasion (I) (2022)

Lighten up!

[7/10 · 20 July 2022]

I watched the new Netflix take on Persuasion on the day of release and found the whole film charming, funny and original. The backlash on social media - and the one star trolls on the IMDb, who claim to be Austen fans but can't even spell her name correctly or identify which era she was writing in - have me flabbergasted, to be honest. Why the targeted campaign to make one adaptation among many bomb in the ratings? Does the existence of this version take away from the original text, or the other, faithful and bland, adaptations? No. Grow up.

Austen adaptations are churned out with regularity, and I love that Carrie Cracknell and the screenwriters have tried to find a new take on an old story. The 'goofs' listed on this page - seriously, doesn't anyone have a sense of humour? - are not goofs but a deliberate choice to make this a lively mash-up of Austen and modern romcoms, and I love Anne's sarcastic asides to the camera. To be honest, Anne Elliot needs all the help she can get - if I were an Austen heroine, I would probably be Anne, dutiful, caring and completely sidelined by more demanding personalities, but I don't want to read or watch characters like myself. Dakota Johnson presents a fun take on the character, and the wine, for me, is but one visual trope from romcoms which represents her silent desperation. I cringed, but in a good way, when she couldn't find a seat after trying to avoid Wentworth and then overheard his views about her while trying to relieve herself outside! The bath tub scene, and being told about 'Louisa and her Captain', were heartbreaking. Kudos to Nia Towle for making Louisa a sympathetic character for once, too!

I have read the book and, although not my favourite Austen title, still enjoyed this quirky adaptation. Perhaps because I care more about engaging with the characters and story rather than the accuracy of Regency fashion and etiquette - the costumes were amazing, on that note, and I would wear some of Anne's linen creations today! Is this the perfect, definitive screen translation of Persuasion? No. Those reviewers who actually admit to not having watched more than the trailer before hating on this version can go back to the book and the standard adaptations, if that makes them happy. But this is an amusing, emotional, well cast and yes, aesthetically pleasing addition to the many, many varied takes on Austen's work, which does not deserve such a backlash.

Rebecca (I) (2020)

Style over substance

[3/10 · 21 October 2020]

There's a lot to be said for keeping your expectations low, but Rebecca (2020) was a bit of a mess. I'm sure there will be edits and gifs galore because the house(s) used for Manderley - including my favourite Loseley Park - and the 30s-ish costumes are very pretty, however that doesn't stop this being yet another style over substance adaptation. And I'm judging this on Daphne Du Maurier's novel, not the 1940 film version.

Let's see. The narrator's lack of confidence does not sit well on Lily James and that aspect of the character has almost been done away with anyway, to give her agency. She isn't baffled as to why Maxim wants to marry her because he's already shagged her on the beach, so 'I'm asking you to marry me, you little idiot' is made somewhat redundant (he'd better be!) And Lily's character also has more clothes than even Maxim, with his hideous suits, so Mrs D and Bea can hardly accuse her of being mousey and downtrodden. Armie Hammer is a plodding Maxim who seems bizarrely in love with his wife from the get-go, carrying her over the threshold and snogging her in front of the staff. A weirdly garish Mrs Van Hopper can run rings around him in Monte, so watching Maxim later take a back seat and wait for his wife to spring him from jail is hardly surprising. Everyone is raving over Kristin Scott Thomas as Mrs Danvers, and I suppose she is a highlight, but her character is more of a Margaret Thatcher clone than the disturbed housekeeper of the story. When she asks, 'Does he brush your hair?' she sounds like she's taking a survey. And don't get me started on how Jack Favell is presented as sympathetic swain - he bizarrely takes Rebecca's replacement for a riding lesson, after dashing to the stables to intone 'Rebecca was the only one who could tame you' to a wild horse. Okaaay.

The plot can't decide between sepia-tinted romance and horror film - between the sleepwalking, a secret door to Rebecca's morning room, Lily slicing her hand open on the broken cupid, and Rebecca's body being hauled past the whole town in a tarp, I thought I was watching yet another haunted house series. There's also a healthy dash of Downton Abbey, with the new Mrs DW traipsing down to the servant's kitchen every five minutes, including a confrontation with Mrs Danvers (or 'Danvers!' as Maxim calls her) over Jack Favell, because reminding the viewers that servants are people too is very woke. And the final scenes are a complete disaster - the inquest and Rebecca's note to Favell are hopelessly muddled so that Maxim is thrown in jail and Lily's character has to find the name of Rebecca's doctor and STEAL HER MEDICAL FILE to set him free. I don't even know what that scene achieved, apart from showing sisters doing it for themselves.

The real test is Maxim's confession, which was diluted by the Hays Code in the 1940 film, but this version is still weak. Instead of goading Maxim into a fury, Rebecca hands him a gun and tells him to shoot her. So he does. (He loads the same gun, presumably, while telling his new wife how he killed the last one and gives her the same option of killing him.) Lily's chirpy final narration - 'But this morning I woke up and left the dead behind!' - also sort of kills the moody vibes of the novel. We know the De Winters are living abroad when she dreams of Manderley, but are they happy? Between the misplaced feminist notes - Caroline De Winter of the portrait, now in a red dress, was 'one of the first women to qualify as a doctor', apparently - and stylish scenery like Rebecca's art deco hall of mirrors boudoir, this new take quite literally glosses over the original novel, with a bizarre soundtrack that includes both 'Pennies from Heaven' and 1970s folk band Pentangle. But at least I didn't pay £8.99 to be disappointed at the cinema this time!

Emma. (2020)

All bonnet and no breeches

[6/10 · 15 February 2020]

Autumn de Wilde's Emma, with Anya Taylor-Joy and Johnny Flynn, is not my cup of tea, I'm afraid. My review might be influenced by how much I love Jane Austen's novel and how many times I've watched the 2009 miniseries, but I always give every adaptation a try. And I can't really judge if what I was watching would make sense to an Austen virgin, shall we say, so what seemed disjointed and rushed to me might work perfectly for others.

I'll start with the good: I loved the costumes and the interiors, which were sumptuously beautiful. The wood-shaving ringlets on the women and the high collars on the men were distracting, though. And of course Anya Taylor-Joy made for a quirky and regal Emma (Austenites will be pleased to note that she has perfect posture.) I also loved how Anya Taylor-Joy and Amber Anderson as Jane actually played the pianoforte during the Coles' party (but could have done without Mr Knightley's contribution, when Frank Churchill is supposed to be singing with Jane). BUT. The music was horrendously jarring, alternating between Hanna Barbera cartoon incidentals and freakish folk music. The supporting characters suffered once again - I couldn't honestly tell the difference between Mrs Weston, Mrs Knightley and Mrs Elton, except that Isabella was for some reason a complete cow in this version, and Mr Elton and Frank Churchill were also interchangeable (perhaps that's why Elton never seemed to be without his dog collar, to help tell them apart). Bill Nighy's Mr Woodhouse was a weird combination of fusspot and Edwardian fop, and Johnny Flynn's Mr Knightley strayed way off character by stripping off in his first scene and never really recovered for me. (Apparently, that was a way of 'humanising' the character because he is always 'mansplaining' - very woke.) Anya wasn't kidding when she talked about the focus being on 'bodily functions', by the way - not only are we 'treated' to Knightley's backside, but Emma hitches up her skirts to warm her bare arse by the fire, and the 'cannot make speeches' proposal scene is a bloody mess. Literally. The script leans so heavily on lines from the novel that I think Eleanor Catton thought she was writing an essay for an English Lit exam - Austenites will be happy, but there was no feeling behind any of the grand words. When Emma and Mr Knightley argue, they constantly shout over each other, for instance, instead of the usual playful back and forth.

The whole film felt like a weird mashup between a stage musical and a Victorian farce, with choreographed servants and slapstick humour. There was also a lot of 1996 Emma in there, taking pastel and pastoral scenery from the film and Andrew Davies' wearisome obsession with wealth from the television two-parter. Not on a sliding scale of Emma and Miss Bates, but in how Mr Knightley's strawberry picking party turns into a National Trust promotional video for Wilton House, Salisbury. There's also a lot of emphasis on servants dressing their masters and mistresses, presumably to fit in more scenes of 'natural nudity'.

I went, I watched, I did my duty to Emma. But I think I'll stick with the 2009 miniseries.

It (I) (2017)

Overegging the pudding

[4/10 · 16 September 2017]

I fell for the hype, at least enough to pay for cinema tickets instead of waiting for the DVD, so I thought I should add my voice to the less than glowing reviews of this film. This is not a groundbreaking new version of Stephen King's novel, merely a big screen translation for a new generation. That's not a bad thing - if you're the target demographic and think that jump scares and CGI maketh a horror film, you won't be disappointed. But if, like me, you're interested in a new interpretation of the story, then prepare to be distinctly underwhelmed. This take isn't a faithful adaptation, and the plot gets left behind for a series of nightmare scenes which don't even provide a sense of the characters or the setting when connected. Leaving behind the 1950s for the 1980s is also a mistake, because the children in King's story are possessed of the right amount of innocence to believe that a monster can be defeated with 'battery acid' from an inhaler or silver bullets. And even the 1980s are short-changed - retro t-shirts and the odd movie poster are not enough to instil a sense of time and place.

For all the fuss about the 'child orgy' scene in the novel, I feel that this 'reimagining' actually sexualises the children as much or more than King - the Losers club spend an afternoon swimming in a quarry, stripped down to their underwear, with the boys gawping at Beverly's underdeveloped chest. She is also given a reputation at school and a (single) father with an unhealthy interest in her, and instead of leading the group into the sewers with her slingshot, Beverly becomes a victim to be rescued by the boys - with a kiss! So dressing the character in boho dresses and cutting her hair doesn't make 2017 Beverly a stronger role model, in my eyes. At least King's Beverly is in control of her life and her body.

Mike Hanlon is also reduced from the narrator and lynchpin of the original story, collecting the history of the town and gathering the adults for a final showdown, to a token black character. I didn't get a true sense of any of the characters' personalities, to be truthful - only the Jewish boy, the Black kid, the Girl, the Fat Kid, the Hypochondriac. Richie is not even very funny. Pennywise is also reduced to blurry CGI - that weird shuffling run at the camera soon gets old - and Halloween costuming. Pennywise is not meant to look like Annabelle's big brother, he's supposed to entice children to him by being colourful and cheerful - at first. Pennywise is evil embodied in a creepy clown, he's not supposed to be considered 'cute' or 'hot', but casting baby-faced Bill Skarsgard for this 15 certificate remake was obviously a stroke of marketing genius.

The Muschietti's take on King's novel is a derivative mess, drawing on Stand By Me and E.T. for the kids and horror films like Annabelle, Insidious and even Nightmare on Elm Street (the bathroom scene, with the geysers of blood?) for the cheap scares. If IT was a classic novel studied in school, I would recommend the 1990 miniseries for students who want to cheat and skip the book. This version gives no sense of the story, and only brief sketches of the characters.

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009)

Impressive and immortal!

[9/10 · 12 April 2011]

I have been guilty of trashing film adaptations of my favourite books in the past, but honestly, I don't know what the 'Shan fans' expected of Paul Weitz's interpretation of the Darren Shan YA novels. I caught this film on television, without knowing anything about the characters or even that the books existed, and really enjoyed the dark comedy. The film is aimed at a slightly more mature - read: teenage - audience than the books, I think, but there are many levels of both drama and humour for all ages. Only after watching the film did I try the books, which are enjoyable but not as entertaining as the film - sorry, Shan fans! Weitz's treatment is a creative abridgement of the first four books in the series, involving characters and story arcs which evolve slowly over many years in the Shan's novels. Mr Crepsley and Darren find love interests at the Cirque, which actually makes more sense. No, Rebecca the 'monkey girl' is not in the books, but I preferred Jessica Carlson's portrayal of the new character better than Darren's fictional first girlfriend, the overly peppy Debbie Hemlock. Crepsley also has more to do in the film, battling an old foe, and is a slightly more ambiguous figure, tricking Darren and threatening to slap him. John C. Reilly might not look like a manga cartoon, but he is suitably intimidating and blackly humorous in the role. Plus, his measured tones and pointed sarcasm really suit my idea of Mr Crepsley. Chris Massoglia does not have quite the same impact, but I love the 1970s look he has going on. Darren is slightly flat as a character compared to Crepsley, anyway.

Other quirky performances include Ray Stevenson as Murlaugh, whose confused accent - 'Hallo, bag of blood!' - only adds to his charm, and Patrick Fugit as Evra Von. I don't know why, but the 'Americanisation' of Shan's characters actually worked better for me, with the pastel-coloured 'real world' and the flamboyant, southern Gothic 'other world' of the Cirque. The only casting that fails slightly is the criminal underuse of Salma Hayek, Willem Defoe and even Jane Krakowski.

Don't listen to the bitter fans who object to the slightest deviation from Darren Shan's books - the film is darker and different, but also entertaining and enduring. I have the film on loop on my iPod, and I never tire of watching.

Priceless (2006)

If you have to ask, you can't afford

[10/10 · 7 November 2008]

Sharp but sweet comedy - gentle humour played with words and expressions, and a surprisingly poignant undercurrent. Diminutive Audrey Tautou looks fragile and endearing, balancing her character's cruel streak, and Gad Elmaleh plays her awkward but earnest swain; both are attractive in a natural, individual style not recognised by Hollywood. Beautiful people, including supporting cast Marie-Christine Adam and Annelise Hesme, in a stunning setting - as product placement, judging by the conspicuous credits, but I'm willing to be sold! The 60s jazz soundtrack adds to the cool sophistication of the whole film - truly a rare gem.

Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) (2000–2001)

A pale imitation

[3/10 · 15 February 2008]

I refused to watch this when it originally aired, treasuring the memory of the late, lamented 1960s series with Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope, but I can never resist a challenge. I should have known better. Not quite a remake, and more of a parody than a homage, this show didn't quite know how to play it, and plumped with infantile comedy and cartoon plots and characters. The three main characters were little more than caricatures of the actors, and only Emilia Fox could act (Bob Mortimer is painful in a straight role). The supporting cast were merely comedian-acquaintances of Vic and Bob's wanting to be part of the in-joke, and far too aware of the situation to be convincing. And the CGI, though the effects couldn't help be an improvement on those available 30 years earlier, merely dazzled the viewer with lights and camera work, and did little to mask the poor quality of the scripts and dialogue. All style and no substance. (And whereas the 1960s show is mocked for being very much of its time, this 'update' is now also very dated, with 'Matrix'-style fashions, obligatory 'girl power' scenes, and less than subtle tension between the two living leads.)

Zelda (1993 TV Movie)

A hidden TV gem

[8/10 · 28 July 2007]

Five minutes into this film, I was a little wary of the poetic dialogue and eccentric characters, but the story certainly builds - and Natasha Richardson is amazing in the lead role; Zelda's vulnerability and decline are heartbreaking to watch, and are portrayed with subtlety and sensitivity by Miss Richardson. I was in awe. Both she and Timothy Hutton hurtle from comedy to tears so suddenly and so effectively that the Fitzgerald's antics, though amusing, are also sometimes painful to watch. The dialogue, after the rosy glow of the initial romance dims slightly, is also sharp and perceptive, particularly Zelda's lines. I even liked the young actress playing Scottie, the daughter! I would definitely recommend this film, if you can find a copy, and I am now inspired to read up on the real F. Scott and Zelda!

The Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel (1937)

The Pimpernel Triumphs again

[9/10 · 9 April 2006]

The only element this film lacks is 'star quality', other than that, it's a very worthy sequel to the 1934 'Scarlet Pimpernel'. The story is based upon Orczy's 'The Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel', with elements of 'Elusive' (Marguerite's arrest and Percy's escape) and even 'Sir Percy Hits Back' (Chauvelin's fate) added to make the action flow better on film. Barry K. Barnes, despite not being as fair or famous as Howard, makes for a passable fop (sounding like Leslie 'Ding Dong!' Phillips with a speech impediment: "Stap me, Senorita, don't dwag me into it!"), a revered leader of the League, and a truly devoted and romantic husband. In fact, this film is probably more in the spirit of Orczy's books than any other, with the characters portrayed nearly exactly as you would find them written; there is a great deal of heart and natural charm in the sequel, which I always find lacking in the Howard/Oberon version. Barnes does not have the commanding screen presence of his predecessor, and as such is sometimes lost amongst the sea of League faces, but he is far more believable as the 'husband in love with his own wife' and as a friend to nineteen brave men. Sophie Stewart is similarly indistinctive as Marguerite, but I think she brings more to the role than Oberon: at once 'the sweetest woman in France', naive and easily lead into danger, and a brave and noble wife, willing to sacrifice her own life for that of her husband's, when she needs to be strong. Diminutive and bright-eyed, Stewart is endearing as a rather more innocent Lady Blakeney. Francis Lister plays a diplomatic and reserved Chauvelin, who fears for his own life as the Terror reaches its peak and Robespierre hunts out 'the men at his elbow', traitors amongst his own supporters. The discredited agent parries words with the dictator, and enlists Theresia Cabarrus, lover of Tallien (a young James Mason, given a rousing speech at the end of a minor role), in a final bid to destroy the Pimpernel. Margaretta Scott is formidable and intelligent as the Spanish double agent who is introduced to Sir Percy and Marguerite as an actress seeking the protection of the English court. Marguerite is of course immediately taken in, Sir Percy is naturally more wary of her motives.

There is some recycled footage (as well as the odd recycled actor), but ultimately this film stands alone from its more well-known and oft-shown stablemate. The neat dialogue flows better, without the heavy-handed patriotism injected into the original story (strange, with World War Two looming even closer); fiction is supported by historical details from the eighteenth century (the popularity of cricket, dancing the cotillion, songs such as 'Aupres De Ma Blonde' and the rousing toast 'Here's a Health unto His Majesty'), which is surely a novelty for such an early film; there is more League action (and three members are actually given names from the book!), as well as more scenes of friendship between Sir Percy and his band of men; plus some excellent disguises (the deaf colonel had me in stitches: "Grilled trout?", "Yes, all right, I'll have half a bottle"). All in all, there is no reason not to watch this compact, entertaining little film, especially now that it's available on DVD, and I consider it a definite must for all fans of the Pimpernel.

The Fighting Pimpernel (1949)

Still seeking

[1/10 · 31 March 2006]

I would wholeheartedly have to concur with the previous - and main, to date - reviewer of this mish-mosh remake: it's a hybrid of the 1934 Howard classic and Orczy's original novel, which does justice to neither. As a gesture of independence, the plot is given irrelevant twists, such as renaming the family betrayed (or not, once again) by Marguerite, introducing a London to Brighton carriage race, and switching Howard's 'Who, Sir? You, Sir' dialogue from a London club to a Turkish bath (a minor complaint of the latter detail being that Niven's physique in no way stands up to such scrutiny!)

David Niven's strongest moments are his flashes of 'Carry On'-style wit as the Pimpernel's various assumed personas, particularly the Cock-er-nee who baits Chauvelin's staff. As the foppish Sir Percy, he sounds, probably unintentionally, like a London bobby instead of a dandy from the ton; as the Pimpernel, sans disguise, he is rather forgettable, blending in with the rest of the confused sea of League characters. Margaret Leighton, with the aesthetic distinction of being the only blonde film version of the character, neither looks nor acts the part. She delivers Merle Oberon's lines - word for word, an annoying laziness on behalf of Powell and Pressburger - as though reading from a cue card, and does not spark with Niven. She also looks considerably too old for the role, and is not helped by the smearing of Technicolour-red lipstick she shares with every other woman in this production. Cyril Cusack as Chauvelin, however, is the real monstrosity - a cross between a stage Hamlet and Marlon Brando as the Godfather, he speaks with a lisping Closeau accent and somnolently glides through the film like the Prince of Darkness.

If this film had been allowed to continue as a musical, it would perhaps have been excusable as a light-hearted, brightly coloured spin on the earlier Howard-Oberon version (it is possible to spot where some of the songs might have slotted in, particularly when Sir Percy and the Prince of Wales recite the famous 'We seek him here' doggerel, and the 'chorus' burst into spontaneous mime to the tune of 'Little Brown Jug', as it sounds like!) The (intentional) comedy is quirky, if a little corny (the effeminate French captain who realises he has been duped into thinking the Pimpernel is Chauvelin), and the beautiful external locations add a touch of authenticity that would have boded well for any other film. But as it stands, this is only a shoddily constructed parody/remake, with inferior stars and unnecessary changes to the story. My final sentence on 'The Elusive Pimpernel' (I also have no idea why they chose this title): I think the 1998 series must have confused this with the 1934 material, when sourcing a 'modern' interpretation! Take that as you will.

The Scarlet Pimpernel: A King's Ransom/The Scarlet Pimpernel and the Kidnapped King (1999) Season 1, Episode 3

The worst part of this is the Scarlet Pimpernel!

[6/10 · 19 April 2005]

Orczy's 'Eldorado' - the rescue of the Dauphin, at least, and not the torture of Percy - meets 'Scaramouche'. I'm very frustrated by this series: if it was an original concept with brand new characters, I would be able to watch it without reservation, but using Sir Percy and Marguerite, and then not developing them fully enough or even following the author's template, seems lazy. If so many elements of the novels bother the writer of this version, why not just leave the story to the 1934 and 1982 adaptations, and write something new? Richard E. Grant seems better suited for the role of Chauvelin, with his dark hair, neat figure, penchant for wearing sombre clothes, and even his talent for delivering snide one-liners - yet he is cast as Sir Percy. Superficial details aside, the Scarlet Pimpernel is even robbed of his talent for rescuing people from the Revolution: one woman he promises to save is later drowned, because Sir Percy interrogates her at her place of work, lacking any attempt at a disguise, in front of a room-full of people! It's almost as if the basic concept of Orczy's romantic hero was deemed too embarrassing to be translated onto modern day screens, and so the whole point of the character has been whittled down, nearly beyond recognition. Marguerite is another failing: Elizabeth McGovern is badly miscast as the young, beautiful French actress, desperately in love with her husband. There is no chemistry whatsoever, and indeed, the Blakeney's marriage is treated as such an aside from the novels that Marguerite dies off-screen at the start of the second series. Grant's Percy actually better suits a bachelor lifestyle, and so I wasn't particularly bothered that such an intrinsic part of Orczy's Scarlet Pimpernel series was lost (as I perhaps would have been, with better acting). This reworking of 'Eldorado', giving Chauvelin a meatier, slightly ambiguous role in the rescue of the young Dauphin, works well, aside from the occasional plot hole (in the first episode, Marguerite is on her way to the guillotine before being rescued by her husband, thus making her a fugitive, who probably shouldn't be welcomed back to the stage by Robespierre quite so readily!) Marguerite and Percy's rather too public falling out is a clever trick - at least in this alternate Scarlet Pimpernel universe - which plays with Chauvelin's desires. And I liked the element of truth behind the malicious comments aimed at Marguerite and Suzanne as French émigrés marrying English lords! The best thread of the plot, however, has to be La Touraine as a dual identity to greatly envy Sir Percy's! Suzanne Bertish is fantastic as the arrogant and bitter grand dame of the French theatre, who masquerades as a legendary swordsman - and that this subplot is not to be found in any of the novels perfectly illustrates how this series should have abandoned any claim that it was based on the work of the Baroness Orczy, as being compared to the written version insults what is best about both the books and the show.

The Scarlet Pimpernel: Valentin Gautier/The Scarlet Pimpernel Meets Madame Guillotine (1999) Season 1, Episode 2

"Take my wife - please!"

[5/10 · 13 April 2005]

This is 'based on' at least three of Orczy's 'Scarlet Pimpernel' series - 'Mam'zelle Guillotine', 'The Elusive Pimpernel' (Marguerite being used as bait), and 'Sir Percy Hits Back' (Chauvelin's past) - but only very loosely. Which is why I prefer it to the first Richard E. Grant 'Scarlet Pimpernel': it isn't a retelling of a familiar story, it's a new screenplay working from the key plots of three lesser known novels. I therefore couldn't object as wholeheartedly as I did to the dreadful 'interpretation' of the main story. Overall, this was very exciting and beautifully filmed, but there is still something lacking with the main characters. Richard E. Grant is a very good actor, but he is not Sir Percy - he's far too energetic as the foppish baronet, and too arrogant as the Pimpernel. Anthony Green, here lurking in the supporting cast as Sir Andrew Ffoulkes, would have been a better choice. And Elizabeth McGovern does not live up to the role of the beautiful and impulsive Marguerite: I know the actress had to concentrate on a stiff British accent, but even when she isn't speaking, she struggles with portraying strong emotions (the inane smile as she nursed somebody who was dying, for instance - tears? Anguish?) McGovern doesn't even look delicate and graceful in the lavish costumes she got to wear, thus even failing as a clothes horse! The other cast members, particularly Denise Black as Mam'zelle Guillotine and Ronan Vibert as Robespierre, were much more successful, managing to nail Orczy's descriptions and portray strong characters on screen. I was relieved to find the scene where Sir Percy announces himself as Chauvelin to Mam'zelle Guillotine - a return to the spirit of the book, if a little lacking in creative disguise (leaning heavily on bluff and bluster, rather than dressing the part), although the tension was rather let down by the 'interaction' of McGovern's Marguerite. And the 'seduction' was not out of character for Sir Percy - or rather, the character Sir Percy was playing - as the Scarlet Pimpernel gets rather too close to Gabrielle (albeit in a Victorian sense) in the book as well.

The Affair of the Necklace (2001)

The Americanisation of the Necklace

[13 December 2004]

I wanted to watch this film because of an interest in the period, and in that sense, I wasn't disappointed. For someone without a nitpicky, in-depth knowledge of the era, I thought the 'court' costumes were stunning, and the 'love scene' was made all the more interesting because of the layers of clothes Hilary Swank had to get through!

I wasn't aware of the details of 'true story' beforehand, and so I didn't have any cause to object to the 'Hollywood interpretation', nor would I now. I can recognise the difference between a movie and a documentary, and don't think the former should necessarily sacrifice its magic for each and every fact of the latter. The opening flashback, recounting the events of Jeanne's childhood, however, was a little too formulaic - the hazy, sunset meadow setting, with the young Jeanne on a swing, and her father returning home to his pregnant wife, reminded me of the opening to the dire 'Musketeer', which I started to watch for similar reasons. More 'syrupy' than magical.

I would prefer a film, particularly an adaptation, where French characters are played by French actors. A perfect 'experiment' would be a faithful portrayal of Orczy's 'Scarlet Pimpernel', with an English actor who can break into believable French! Until that ceiling-smashing film comes, however, I think English actors are less 'distracting' in such roles than their American counterparts. At least 'BBC English' can be mentally interpreted as aristocratic French, and (true) Cock-er-nies, or Northern English accents, taken as the language of the 'people'. Hilary Swank's American drawl sat awkwardly with the era and the setting. I know that an American film has every right to select an American actress, but if such a choice is perfectly fitting, then why was Hilary Swank desperately trying to clip her natural speech into a forced British accent? Her lines sounded like a high school recital. Adrien Brody suited the part physically, and I loved the scene with the doctor after he was accidentally shot, although it did seem slightly 'Carry On ..'-esque. The rest of the film seemed to demand he should have been fatally wounded. With the light-weight Simon Baker, I just kept wondering which Australian soap I recognised him from (Heartbreak High).

There were a number of fade outs towards the end of the film where I thought the credits should have rolled - I agree with a previous review, in that there really wasn't enough story to sustain nearly two hours of film - but, in the style of Spielberg's 'A.I.', the bulk of the running time was easy enough to watch.

A superficially well-dressed dramatisation.

Battle of Britain (1969)

'Helmets' as standard for 1960s actresses

[28 November 2004]

The only thing that ruined this film for me was the decade in which it was made. The 1960s and authentic period costume really were incompatible. The male actors weren't quite so bad, but the female leads and support cast screamed 1969 with their hair, especially Susannah York. What's wrong with the odd pageboy bob, or hair rolled back from the forehead and temples, in the wartime style that my grandmother recalls? Were the beehives and backcombing of the late 1960s so set in hairspray that nothing could shake them? Even the make-up was 'of its day'. 'Battle of Britain' is not alone, by any means - and at least the men didn't have sideburns and ear-dusting moptops - but it was a small point that really ruined the effect of the film. It felt like a commentary from the smug sixties, rather than the dramatic historical retelling that it came so close to.

The Divorce of Lady X (1938)

Droll humour at its best

[17 September 2004]

I loved the dialogue above all - the sharp and witty banter between British 'icons' Olivier and Oberon, and even the playful back and forth between Morton Selten as Lord Steele and H.B. Hallam as his long-suffering butler, Jeffries. Binnie Barnes was also superb as Lady Mere; her accent might have slipped, but she definitely had the right attitude for her character! The use of colour was also a plus, particularly with the wonderful outfits. I think Merle Oberon would have done better without the continuous close-ups - though she did have a certain magnetism, she doesn't quite hold up to such inspection - and Olivier was definitely better suited to the stage: indeed, that is probably where he thought he was, judging by the delivery of some of his character's lines. The improbability of the story aside, 'The Divorce of Lady X' is a wry 'snapshot' of its era: gender, class, morality - even weather (it's very hard to believe that London had smog so bad that people were unable to travel, but it did happen).

The Village (2004)

Hey, I liked it!

[12 September 2004]

This was maybe because I have only previously seen 'The Sixth Sense' as another horse out of the same stable, and so I couldn't be crushed by following the supposed downward spiral of the writer director's filmography. Or maybe because I wasn't expecting too much from a film. But, bar the occasional dodgy line to mask a plot hole (about the floor boards in the Quiet Room), I enjoyed 'The Village'. It actually made me jump, the explanation was backed up sufficiently well (I believed the back-filling - in an eccentric storybook style, anyway), and the second revelation was quite spooky (the first was a little pathetic for anyone not living a Brothers Grimm tale). Even the touch of sending the blind girl out was well done. As long as you don't expect movies to deliver the meaning of the universe, and just enjoy them as entertainment - and as long as you close your eyes and ears to the reviews of those who know the twist - this is a great film.

The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934)

One of those 'Original' Vs. 'Remake' comparisons ...

[5 September 2004]

Oh, I hardly dare add my comment! I think I may be slightly biased - I was introduced to the Scarlet Pimpernel via the 1982 version, and have since gone onto read at least four of the books, so I only watched the 'original' to compare. Leslie Howard isn't my ideal Sir Percy/Scarlet Pimpernel - he's too slight and fey (Orczy described her lead character as some strapping brick wall of a handsome hero), but I must admit that his 'fop' act was subtler, and therefore less irritating. I actually preferred, from the 1934 version, Anthony Bushell, who played Sir Andrew Ffoulkes. He's more substantially built, for one, and seems to fit what Orczy had in mind. Howard and Bushell should have traded characters, although I don't know how the latter would have held up in the lead role. Also, I noticed that a lot of the scenes in the 1934 version seemed to 'inspire' the 1982 remake (I can't recall reading the exact dialogue in the book, for example), and I thought Howard's 'subtle' take on the character fell down occasionally against Anthony Andrews' Sir Percy (this is where I begin to dread my contribution!): when Sir Percy says to Armand, "Cease? I shall love her till the day I die. That is the tragedy", I think Andrews delivered the lines with more emotion, and you could see how Sir Percy's treatment of Marguerite was hurting him as much as it was her. Not that emotion is necessarily a good thing, for an English Lord! As for Marguerite, Merle Oberon definitely brought a haunting quality to the role. Her beauty is very 1930s, with the bow mouth and false eyelashes, but she expertly matches Orczy's description of the dainty French actress. I also thought the burned note scene with Sir Andrew was handled better by Oberon than by Seymour in the remake. The ending fell down in this version - it was stretched out too far with detail from the book, and then snapped (Sir Percy and Marguerite suddenly back on the boat? All it took was to lock Chauvelin in the cellar? No wonder the French never caught the Scarlet Pimpernel!) Adding another Pimpernel book, 'Eldorado', to the 1982 film was apparently a good decision. It took the books to awake me to the romance of the story, and to make me view my treasured DVD of the 1982 film in a 'rose-coloured' light, so I can now also appreciate the classier atmosphere generated by the 1934 Scarlet Pimpernel.

Miss Marple: Sleeping Murder (1987 TV Movie)

Opinion of an amateur

[4 September 2004]

'Sleeping Murder' keeps rolling around on afternoon BBC television, and I have been drawn into the story twice so far. I don't like Miss Marple, so perhaps that is why I find this a decent story - I can't compare it to the books, and the world's oldest detective only crops up every now and again to explain the plot to the newlywed couple. I love the idea of Gwenda subconsciously buying a house from her past, and the details she uncovers, such as the pattern of the wallpaper in the cupboard and the steps in the garden. The history in the house, and the subsequent family tree research, had me hooked. The 'whodunnit' wasn't exactly taxing - just look for the most dubious character, battling with a bad case of pantomime villain - but the unravelling of the clues kept me interested (just about - at times this felt like an epic, instead of an installment of a detective series). The setting, period detail, and characters were all evocative of a storybook version of an era gone by. Perfect Sunday afternoon fodder.

The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982 TV Movie)

Anthony Andrews as the best Scarlet Pimpernel

[1 August 2004]

I saw the film and then read the book (the first book, anyway), and I must say that Anthony Andrews is even more impressive when you have read Orczy's version. I initially thought that Sir Percy's accent was grating, and his facial expressions ridiculous, but it's really almost as if the character has sprung to life from the pages of the book. Andrews perfects Orczy's description of Sir Percy's 'lazy eyes' and 'drawly, sleepy tone' - he even has the height correct! The film then improves on the book by allowing Percy to step out of his foppish mask with Marguerite, and to reveal his true persona without that truly irritating accent. Jane Seymour has the necessary 'classic beauty', but she manages to smuggle the 1980s into the production with her bronze lipstick! Her character's innocence is also boosted onscreen - you feel as though Chauvelin has merely pinned the blame on her, whereas Orczy's Marguerite blabs about the family's whereabouts out of spite, although she doesn't intend for her words to be intercepted. The chemistry between Andrews and Seymour adds to the romantic tension between Sir Percy and Marguerite, and you can hardly wait until she discovers her husband's true identity (although you have to wonder which element of his personality she actually loves, and whether she would have stayed with him had she never figured it out).

Kennedy (1983)

Five hours for 1,000 Days

[28 March 2004]

This mini-series more than earned its BAFTA award. It was well acted, true to the facts recorded in most books on the Kennedys, and very emotive. I was particularly impressed by Blair Brown as Jackie, and Nesbitt Blaisdell as an eerily convincing LBJ. Martin Sheen was Martin Sheen in the look-a-like stakes, but he put across the personality, temperament, and accent of Kennedy superbly, which is a lot harder than merely resembling a person. (Although, when watching the original footage of the inaugural address on the DVD version, I had to wonder if Sheen had maybe overdone the famous Boston accent slightly). The tension of the Cuban Missile Crisis was well captured, and the dramatisation of the assassination was the right balance of effect and imagination. Blair Brown's portrayal of Jackie's shock and grief stood up to the raw emotion of the opening scenes, perfectly bookending this amazing series.

Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis (2000 TV Movie)

Jackie: The Summary

[12 March 2004]

I found this watchable, as I am interested in anything to do with Jack and Jackie Kennedy, but it was also very cliched. It was as if every anecdote about the Kennedys had been translated into a line of dialogue; an abbreviated approach to a film that doesn't work, as people don't sit there and talk about their lives like that ("And your dad said 'Ich bin ein Berliner', which means 'I'm a jelly donut'! He really did!' ")

Some of the casting worked, some didn't. Joanne Whalley looked the part on a basic level (brown hair and eyes), but Blair Brown in 'Kennedy' was more convincing. And Whalley's interpretation of Jackie grated on my nerves. She came across as too noble, and without faults of her own; constantly being emotionally rebuffed by the men in her life. I know this film was about Jackie, but it didn't seem like an honest portrayal. The actors and actresses playing Joe and Rose Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, and the adult Caroline were effective (whereas the child actors playing Caroline and John Jr. were insulting!)

I must admit, I was moved by Jack and Bobby's deaths, particularly the archive footage from the time. And Jackie telling her children about their father's death (did she, though? Wasn't it the nanny?), before rushing into the hall to let out her own grief, was a heartbreaking scene.

A few moments of 'dramatic licence' (from what I could gather after reading different accounts of events beforehand), and a very summarised life for Jackie, despite running to three hours, but not an out and out insult. It kept me involved throughout.

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)

1940s Horror

[25 November 2003]

This film is in the best tradition of 1940s black and white dramas - stylish, melodramatic in places (with the type of music score that underlines, types in bold, and places asterisks around, any scene that is remotely climactic), and as crisp as the accents used to deliver the droll lines. I thought Hurd Hatfield looked a little too 'man-made' to be believable as the eternally youthful Dorian Gray, and, as with a previous reviewer, I couldn't tell whether he was acting the role perfectly or just not acting at all. The character of Dorian is certainly perfect for some of the pretty actors of today who have to rely heavily on their looks to carry their careers! It's always amazing to see where Angela Lansbury pops up in her early years (I also caught her recently as the elder sister in 'National Velvet'), and I thought she was fair in this role, fitting into the story better than Donna Reed, at least. Plus, I seem to be the only person who liked the 'Little Yellow Bird' song! An eerie tune to be picked out on Dorian's piano after Sybil's death, and very catchy - I had the chorus stuck in my head all day after watching this film. The build up to the colour revelation of the corrupted painting was very effective, and certainly gave me a start each time it flashed on screen. Likewise, I thought the model of the deformed Dorian held up very well, considering when the film was made. I was expecting it to be a comical mask that would let down the horror of the painting, but the brief shot of the dummy worked well. The background sets occasionally let the film down - the 'whistling' wind on the moors, when the trees in the background were stock still, and the remarkably sanitised London alleyways - but these are only minor points. I loved the dialogue, and the delivery was beyond 'dry' - the volleying between Dorian and Allen Campbell could almost have been a parody of the clipped way of talking that filmmakers seemed to love in this style of movie!

High Society (1956)

Graceful, not 'Hep'

[31 August 2003]

A declaration: I have not seen 'The Philadelphia Story'. I have never been a fan of Katherine Hepburn, and so I probably never will see 'The Philadelphia Story'. Therefore, I can state that 'High Society' is one of my favourite films without having to compare it to the 'original'. A definite product of its era, 'High Society' is a little dated in places - the 'hip' references to jazz - but its charm never fades. I think Grace Kelly is perfect as Tracy Samantha Lord. She's crisply beautiful, with a fitting cut-glass accent, and is almost ethereal in certain scenes. Although Louis Armstrong is the only star to appear as himself, Crosby and Sinatra also border on cameo appearances as they play their roles. Their adlibs during 'Did You Evah?' pit the two 'jukebox heroes' against each other ("Don't dig that kind of crooning, chum"). Celeste Holm is snappy as Sinatra's photographer and patient love interest ("I think you dropped a loop, Professor"), who is willing to stay in background until she's sure Mike 'Macauley' Connor is ready. The songs are timed to jolly the story along, including 'Little One', 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?' ("I don't!"), 'You're Sensational', as well as back-up from 'Old Satchelmouth'. Grace Kelly also makes a wonderful clotheshorse - her wardrobe makes you wish you were living right along with her in 1950s Newport. This film has just the right amount of nostalgia, humour, and song and dance to make an enjoyable musical, irregardless of the stature of its stars or whether it has been hyped as a 'classic'.

Angel Flight Down (1996 TV Movie)

Somebody slap that guy!

[26 August 2003]

I didn't exactly 'watch' this movie - it was more like rubbernecking. It got so bad in places that it took me precisely three attempts to watch it through to the end, but luckily British satellite movie channels obliged by constantly looping the film. I both like and dislike 'Angel Flight Down'. I'm a sucker for 'true stories', especially those about aviation rescue events. I just wish that the writers had applied dramatic licence in this case, and killed off David Charvet's character. And the young girl's annoying father. Both were highly irritating leading up to, during, and immediately following the mountainside emergency landing. Charvet's character was petulant, selfish, and dense. Charvet himself must have been banking too much on his 'Baywatch' pretty boy status to get him through, but his chubby cheeks and pouting lips merely aggravated his bad acting. The father was incredibly melodramatic and flouncy, especially during the slo-mo shots of the plane's interior during the crash.

The only character I warmed to was the female paramedic, Theresa, played by Patricia Kalember. She was believable, and reserved enough to keep the two 'boys' on the flight in check.

Up until the survivors started to work together to aid their rescue, there were some painful moments. Charvet's aero-paramedic being snotty with the girl's father about his religious beliefs, almost telling him to 'keep it to himself' at one point, when prayer couldn't exactly have hurt anyone at that point. I expected some drawn out 'Ted Striker of Airplane!' backstory about Charvet's character being let down by his once fervent faith in a higher being, with the way the paramedic kept sniping about religion.

The constant harassment of the delirious pilot was another. Kalember's character tells the others that Rick has potentially fatal head injuries. So what does Charvet's character do? Shake the poor guy around, yelling, 'Wake up! Wake up! Where's the EMT? Wake up!' Why they couldn't locate the EMT themselves, by process of elimination, is beyond me. How long had the two paramedics been working around aircraft? And when Rick managed to gather enough faculties together to tell them, 'It's in the back', Charvet's character had to be told twice more, with the qualifier 'The EMT is in the back', before anybody acted on the information!

The actual rescue effort, however, was heartwarming. As Kalember's character narrated, people hardly ever walk away from a mountain crash, and stories of miraculous survivals like the bare facts of 'Angel Flight Down' provided, always amaze and affect me. I've seen better air crash dramatisations, and I've run away screaming from worse. Charvet aside, this was actually a pretty fair representation of a real-life incident.

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

From written word to silver screen

[23 March 2003]

The old cliche is true: the book is better than the film. To someone who read the book first (and second, and third, and fourth ...), the film seems disjointed, and the worse for not focusing more on the children, especially before the trial starts. No film can accurately condense such a finely crafted book word-for-word onto the screen, however, and the film more than does justice to its source, with the actors playing their parts as I imagined the characters in the book to be. Harper Lee gave Gregory Peck her father's watch because his performance so reminded her of her own parent, and the two 'amateur' child actors, Mary Badham and Philip Alford, are natural in their roles. Collin Wilcox gives a strong and emotive deliverance of Mayella Ewell's courtroom testimony. I loved the climax, and the closing scene with Atticus and his children is beautifully touching. I recommend this film as I recommend the book, but putting the film first is probably the only way to enjoy an unbiased viewing before the inevitable comparison!