I Capture the Castle
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Movie Reviews of I Capture the Castle
Movie Review: ENCHANTING!
Summary: 5 Stars
Sweet, romantic, charming, witty, and dreamy! The interesting, fun cast of characters romp in an enchanting atmosphere where revealed secrets interupt love and plans but ultimately bring love and hope. Wonderful, beautiful movie to watch!Movie Review: I Capture the Castle
Summary: 5 Stars
I love Romola Garai. Everything movie she is in is good. She seems to pick perfect scripts with great story lines. This movie really "captures" you and lets you get involved with each person in the film. Great acting!Movie Review: Beguiling period piece and a poignant coming-of-age drama
Summary: 4 Stars
I have yet to read the novel upon which this movie is based, so I can only comment on the movie itself. I enjoyed it and thought that both the female leads, Romola Garai and Rose Byrne delivered commendable and credible performances.
The story itself is a coming-of-age story set in 1930s England - the movie begins via flashback as a once successful writer [Bill Nighy] moves his family [2 young daughters and a wife] from London to the countryside, taking up residence in an old castle which they lease from the owner. A decade passes and the writer is still struggling to overcome his writer's block - the movie progresses with narration by his younger daughter Cassandra [Romola Garai who also shone in "Daniel Deronda"], a 17-year-old with a talent for writing. It is Cassandra who makes candid observations about her family, now almost destitute with no income to live on. The family has lost the mother [died], and her place is taken by bohemian stepmother Topaz [Tara Fitzgerald,], an artist and free spirit who likes dancing nude in the rain. Rose [Rose Byrne] is the older sister, beautiful yet troubled, and there is also a much younger sibling, a boy who seems unperturbed by the deprived circumstances the family lives in.
Things change when a pair of brothers come to visit the estate - the older Simon [Henry Thomas] is the heir to the estate and Rose, much aware of the opportunity at hand is determined to become his bride. The younger brother Neil [Marc Blucas, most famous as Riley in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" series] thinks both sisters are nothing better than gold diggers. Their mother is portrayed by Sinead Cusack, who is marvellous in her brief role, spouting wry observations in each scene she appears in.
The rest of the drama follows the girls as they get more deeply embroiled in matters of the heart with some predictable outcomes. Both Romola Garai and Rose Byrne share credible chemistry as a pair of siblings who are as different as night and day, yet very much connected to each other. Their performances carry the movie for the most part - though the romantic element is also a major part of the movie, it is the struggles of the sisters that drew me in the most. Though the movie starts off on a light footing, it gets darker as the movie progresses, exploring the characters in depth and adding more substance to an otherwise tepid plot.Various themes get explored, some more convincingly than others, but it kept my interest.
The cinematography perfectly captures the lush beauty of the English countryside and on the whole, I'd recommend this to fans of British period dramas.
Movie Review: Romola and Rose
Summary: 4 Stars
My dear Little British Pixie:
Thanks for alerting me to this Rose Byrne movie. Based on the package, I never would have rented it myself. But the opportunity to see Rose again after discovering her in the Aussi THE GODDESS OF 1967, then enthralled by her in the American WICKER PARK, was too much. And what a joy! Here were people who knew how to bring out her angelic beauty. And, doesn't she have the prettiest profile in all Christendom? What amazes me most is that in those 3 films, she created 3 distinct characters. If I hadn't known, I'd never make the connection.
While it was correct to make Rose the prettier sister (she played "Rose" -- isn't that a nice coincidence), don't underestimate Romola Garai as the sane and sensible sister with her potent girl-next-door allure. She had to carry the film on her 17 or 18 year-old shoulders (the age of the characer she played -- another nice coincidence). And she did it is with ease.
If you haven't yet, check out the commentary by the director, producer and screenwriter. They are chatty and informative at the same time. However, they were a little disingenuous when they spoke of the American actors, Henry Thomas and Mark Blucas. The producer and director said they were the best American actors they auditioned capable of uttering the "literary" dialog. A more honest appraisal would be that they were the best actors they could get to fit within their P-pinching budget. The dialog wasn't that unnatural and there are many young American actors who could have done better. At least, these two managed to show more dimensions than British pretty boy Henry Cavill.
I can't say enuf about the rest of the supporting cast, however. Bill Nighy, Tara Fitzgerald and Joe Sowerbutts as the rest of the family couldn't be better. In a few scenes, Sinead Cusak, as the young mens' mother, renders a perfect accent and wonderful vividness as the blunt American matron.
And let's not forget to include the decaying castle representing the plight of the family. And the 1930s recreations (in costume and setting). All evocatively filmed.
Like other British films with American characters, this could be seen as allegorical, but this presents the culture clash so ambiguously that it doesn't qualify as anti-American. Now, that's different!
Thanks, again. I need to get myself a copy for my DVD library.
--TV Yank
Movie Review: Charming Period Romance.
Summary: 4 Stars
17-year-old Cassandra Mortmain (Romola Garai) lives with her eccentric father (Bill Nighy) and stepmother (Tara Fitzgerald), her older sister Rose (Rose Byrne), and younger brother in run-down castle in the English countryside. Her father is a struggling writer who is unable to reproduce the success of his first book, and, without an income, the family is plunged into poverty. When the old castle's owner dies, his nephews from America, Simon (Henry Thomas) and Neil (Marc Blucas), inherit the property and the neighboring estate. Rose sees the presence of these eligible bachelors as the opportunity of a lifetime to marry well, escape the countryside, and provide means for her family. But Cassandra and Rose's upbringing in isolation among idiosyncratic relatives may be an impediment as the young women find that they lack the understanding of society that would help them find husbands and love."I Capture the Castle" is based on the popular novel of the same name by Dodie Smith. It is basically a soap opera set in rural England of the 1930s. Poor young ladies meet rich eligible men and fall in love. But who will marry whom, and will they marry for love or money? But it is a charming soap opera -only slightly sappy- with an appealing conglomeration of attractive and eccentric characters. Cassandra, who narrates the story, is its flawed heroine, who tries her best to hold her family together and sort out everyone's problems. I'm not sure she acts like a 17-year-old. She is, by her own admission, "self-consciously naive". But I think the book and the film are aimed at a younger audience, so Cassandra is in many ways more like them. The film does have one unfortunate characteristic of a soap opera in that it eventually gives the impression of repeating itself. Nevertheless, it is a light-hearted entertaining story told through the occasionally melodramatic experiences of a reluctantly romantic young woman. Henry Thomas gives a nice convincing and sympathetic performance. Recommended, especially for 9-13 year old girls.
Those who are familiar with the book may wonder why this movie is rated R, since the book is a favorite among pre-teen girls. It is rated R for nudity of the topless variety in one scene. It shouldn't be. Topaz, Cassandra's stepmother, is a bit of a nudist. Since brief topless nudity is permitted in the PG-13 rating, I have to say that this film was rated incorrectly. Without that scene, a PG rating would be appropriate. And that is what it received in most parts of the world. The DVD contains both full and wide screen versions of the film.