Rowing With the Wind
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Movie Reviews of Rowing With the Wind
Movie Review: Hisotrically Inaccurate But Highly Entertaining
Summary: 4 Stars
There are three movies that focus on the life and times of Mary Shelley which I have seen to date. They are Rowing With The Wind, Haunted Summer, and Gothic. Of these, only Haunted Summer comes close to being truly accuate to what really happened. Nevertheless, despite the many innacuracies in this particular film, such as Dr Polidori dying in Switzerland five years earlier than he really did and in the wrong country, this is a very enjoyable piece of work. I've always loved the story of "the Romantics", and this film endevours to tell the story of Mary Shelley from the time she leaves England with Percey and Claire to events after Byron's death. While it was important to me to know the truth about everything that really happened, my vivid imagination enjoys films like this that take liberty with the truth, which is also why I enjoyed Gothic. However, Haunted Summer was equally enjoyable, which I suppose means that in the case of our Romantic heroes, their story as it really happened suffices as sheer entertainment. I gave this film four stars, denying it a fifth soley because of the historical innacuracies.Movie Review: Byron & Shelley
Summary: 4 Stars
The first time I saw this movie, I loved the way that fantasy and reality collide; how Frankenstein monster changes the lives of the Byron and Shelley. I love the characters mainly because of their flaws, mainly Byron's debauchery and Shelley's insecurities.
The photography is beautiful and the actors make a good job.
Movie Review: A poor showcase for what should be a fascinating subject
Summary: 1 Stars
As a person who considers herself a keen student of the lives and works of the subjects of this film, I was highly disappointed by it. After watching it I can't think of a single scene that plays out even fractionally accurately - to give 2 examples - Polidori should be in his early 20's, but looks 40: Shelley's meeting with Byron in Venice was NOT with Claire and Mary in tow, but alone - Mary was sent for after he arrived... the list, sadly, is endless, and lacks any real sense. Whilst some biopics of this cabal are entertaining enough that the liberties they take with history are of little matter, this film has little to redeem it.The acting is largely poor (Grant and Hurley are particularly wooden), the script banal, the pacing diabolically bad (although I do hear that the original cut was a good 30 minutes longer), and the transfer to DVD so bad that flaws in the film are visible, with not attempt made to restore the film it seems, and the sound quality is appalling, with a constant hiss and crackle audible throughout.
Valentine Pelka is perhaps the only occasionally bright spark in the whole production, playing a rather more robust Shelley than most writers or filmmakers see fit to give us - a welcome change, but not enough to save the film.
Anyone wanting to see a film based on the events of the "Year without a Summer" would do better to track down a copy of the 1988 film "Haunted Summer" starring Eric Stoltz and Philip Anglim, which whilst it takes frequent liberties with history, does at least make its characters recogniseable to those who know them from their biographies, letters and works, its errors being more of ommission, than of commission.
Rowing with the Wind I'm afraid makes even the crude excesses of "Gothic" look good by comparison - and even the Highlander episode "The Modern Prometheus" looked better!
Avoid.
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