movie Archives - K.J. McFadyen

It is movie review time! The movie is Mr. Malcolm’s List. It is a light-hearted, fluffy regency romance along the lines of Pride and Prejudice if it were written by a modern author. It was fun and very predictable. The plot was predictable – which is mostly good for me as I got what I expected.

Spoilers ahead.

Movie poster for Mr Malcolm’s List – image from the internet.

There were some very interesting moments. I liked Lord Cassy, who played the part of supportive fool very well. I liked the issues that were mentioned (but not fully developed) in several of the scenes. I would say the overall plot of misunderstanding and expectation is a good starting point for a romance.

So much like modern times, appearance is everything. Julia Thistlewight is trying to engage the affections of the most eligible Honorable Mr Malcolm. When he appears to snub Julia, it becomes the fuel for a caricature. Feeling publicly embarrassed and deeply unhappy about the experience, Julia uses her cousin to better understand the sudden change in attention. Discovering that Mr Malcolm has produced a list of requirements for his prospective wife, Julia comes up with a scheme to bring the wealthy bachelor down a peg or two. Julia enlists the help of a school friend, Selina Dalton, to enact her revenge.

Of course as Selina plays her part to become the perfect wife according to Mr Malcolm’s list, she is increasingly apprehensive about the deception Julia has planned. Things finally come to a head during a masquerade ball, where Mr Malcolm believes he is proposing to Selina, when in fact it is Julia. Without saying a word, she hands Mr Malcolm a list of requirements for a husband, for which he fails.

For me the biggest issues were the character development and the pacing. We reach this climatic moment of tension, when Malcolm believes he has been rejected and in the next heartbeat, it is clearly shown that Julia was the perpetrator, although Selina was complicit. I would likely have played with mistaken identities longer. But worse than that, there is only one really good scene where Malcolm and Selina talk – well fight – over the deception. Then two speeches of forgiveness between other characters and Malcolm propose successfully to Selina. I think it needed to explore the hurt feelings further. I would have cut some of the earlier wasted time to explore how these two reconcile their different perspectives.

I suppose in that way, this was not the same as Pride and Prejudice. Elizabeth and Darcy have their misunderstanding earlier (and more than one), and it is really over the course of the story that they come to appreciate and love the other. While this is not the same formula followed in this movie, a longer ending would have made for a stronger story. I also would have sharpened up the dialogue.

The characters and their motivations needed some work. Take Julia, the manipulative friend. We are supposed to be sympathetic towards the woman. But we really need to see how she has suffered because of the public humiliation. We need to see more explicitly her role in society. The story could explore how she is trying to change her personality to attract an eligible husband. For instance, it is demonstrated that Julia is a crack shot with a gun – an extraordinary skill for a female in that world. So build on this. Why is she good with the gun? Is she secretly more of a sporty female, but works hard to hide that aspect in order to appear more lady-like? If so, how else can this be played up so that the audience is more connected with Julia and also for comedic effect.

Malcolm would have been stronger if he was less silent. I get the stoic vibe they were going for, but there was not nearly enough interaction with other people for anything more than ‘silent-type’ to present. He needs to be thrust into conversation with others, willingly and unwillingly if we are to swoon over the leading man. Afterall, he is supposed to be the catch of the season, and not just because of his money. He also needs to exude more charm.

Visually, it was fun to watch. I am always fascinated how they can film historical images that lack the obvious modern elements – like hydro-poles and such. The costumes were nice. The diversity of the cast was well done. It was a good movie, perhaps not a classic, but decent. A little more polish with the script (the dialogue) and pacing and this would be a really great film. Still, I am giving it 3 out of 5 stars.

The truth is I haven’t read anything new lately. I did however finish writing my 60 000 word story in a month. I know the official NaNoWriMo is supposed to take place in November, but that is not a good time for me. August however works well with my schedule. Between my own writing, gardening and various other projects I simply have not read anything new or interesting.

Favourite version of Pride and Prejudice.

I did however spend a solid six hours watching the BBC series of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. It is by far my favourite rendition of this popular Jane Austin novel. I actually love the fact it is so long. The perfect sort of thing to have in the background while I am busy hand sewing pieces of denim together to make myself a blanket. Also, it is the most faithful version to the book. Probably the most accurate portrayal of any book converted into a visual format. Because we have so much time to cover the story, the pacing is relaxed. Everything unfolds over time, just as it does in the novel. The visuals also appear, to my uneducated eye, authentic to the time. Some of the characters are more caricatures they are well done and amusing. To me this is the definitive adaptation of P&P.

And I have seen several versions of P&P, including some very cheesy much older variations. There was a black and white set in Victoria period that deviated so far from the novel to leave me a little confused. One version that features prominently is the recent rendition with Kira Knightly and Matthew McFadyen. I remember seeing this one in theatres and laughing throughout the entire two hours. In fact, I laughed the first two times I saw the film. I don’t know if the director intended for the audience to find it quite so amusing, but there was something very comical about their portrayal of the story. That I have seen this version several times does mean I like it on some level.

In fact I think the Knightly/McFadyen version did some very interesting and effective things with this classic tale. I am particularly fond of the casting of Jane and even the younger Bennett sisters. I was intrigued and impressed in the way they dealt with Charlotte and Mrs. Bennett. There were, however, some glaring offenses. The biggest one was the change in dialogue – the paraphrasing of familiar speeches sounded awkwardly modern and abrupt to my ear. The other, cutting hours of material to create a two hour film, I understand was necessary but not endearing.

While Jane Austin’s P&P is probably her most famous and well-loved novel Jane Austin did write other really good stories. Sense & Sensibility is another very enjoyable and popular story. While I liked reading the book, I also really loved watching the film. The movie version with Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant is my favourite. It is still so much fun to watch and recognize more and more of the other actors in the piece – it has a very famous caste.

Another favourite novel for me is Persuasion. It is a shorter story and the lead female certainly lacks the outgoing spunky nature associated with many of Austin’s other heroines such as Elizabeth, Emma or Maryanne. Anne is comparatively plain, shy, quiet, reflective, and lonely. Yet, I find her soft manner very compelling. I also like the way the story gives love a second chance between the two leads. Again, I have seen several adaptations of Persuasion. Both the 1995 and 2007 versions have some very good points. They are well caste and both run about the same length. For me it is a tossup as to which I prefer. I do however like both of these far and above the 1971 version which is just silly.

As I write this, I am forced to realize how pervasive Jane Austin’s work is in our society. There are more than just the direct translations of words onto screen; there are also the movies and TV series based on her books. Modern versions have taken the stories and set them in current times – generally I am not fond of these pieces. Though, I do remember thinking that Clueless (based loosely on Emma) was well done. For a woman who wrote only six stories some two hundred years ago, it is impressive to see that her work is still relevant in modern times.