The Governess
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Movie Reviews of The Governess
Movie Review: Better the second time around... a family in need of Freud
Summary: 4 Stars
I am a period movie fan. I first saw this film when it was new in the rental stores. At the time I thought it was interesting, but it did not rate as high as other films I was into. Recently I decided to watch it again while I was fiending for a movie with Jonathan Rhys-Meyers in it and I must say it was worth a second viewing.
Minnie Driver plays Rosina, a young Jewish woman who must find employment to help support her family after the murder of her father. She gets hired at a home in Scotland by cold woman with two children and a husband who spends the bulk of his time pursuing new innovations in the Photographic field. Quickly she is swept up in the morose nature of this family, but she finds joy in the studio with the lord of the manor and an unexpected love affair as well.
The casting of this movie was well done. Driver's performance as the ingenue suits her well and she captivates as the driving force behind the plot. Tom Wilkinson, who plays her love interest Charles Cavendish, is also well matched as the isolated naturalist who cannot bring himself to face the timultuous emotions the young Rosina inspires in him. As for the reason I chose to rewatch the film, Meyers is as engaging as always as the young college man who fixates his desire on Rosina nearly from the moment he meets her. The cinematography is also stunning, the gray and black tones of color set the mood of the film and the location is a fitting backdrop for this brooding story, whether or not it is actually Scotland I am not sure, but it comes off well none the less. And the scenes where Cavendish is shooting pictures of Rosina are simply wonderful.
My only real complaint about the film was that it lacked a bit of subtance when it came to the family. I would have liked to have more explanation about why the family was so dysfunctional. The mother spends all of her time obsessing about London society, though she has never been there before. Charles Cavendish obsesses over his work and not much else, although he manages his to air bigotry and male chauvinism often enough. The daughter, Clementina, only cares about drawing attention to herself and does so by showing off her dead animals and telling her disturbing dreams to anyone who might listen, and Henry Cavendish spends most of his time chasing after Rosina and engaging in generally creepy behavior because he was drawn to her differences and because he liked to shock his family, as demonstrated by his expulsion from school due to being found in an opium den. What draws a family to act like this? I don't know, because it was never hashed out anywhere in the film, and I like to think that Scotland is probably not as dreary as this film portrays it, certainly not dreary enough to lead people to behave like this.
Overall, not a bad film though. I enjoyed it so much more the second time through. Definitely worthwhile for any fan of period dramas, Minnie Driver, or Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (who shines in every scene he is in.) If you like dark melodrama or gothic films this is a must see.
Movie Review: Intriguing period piece
Summary: 4 Stars
1998 was a very good year for British movies. Awards and nominations were showered on a number of films, including Shakespeare in Love, Elizabeth, Waking Ned Divine, Little Voice and Gods and Monsters. There wasn't room for some of their other efforts to share the spotlight. The Governess, which certainly is as good as some of the honored choices, is one of them.The Governess is decidedly not light fare. It takes place in the England of about 1840, when the class system - and therefore, prejudice - was still in power. Women had few legal rights, and the heroine of this story is Jewish. Jews were not oppressed in England, as they were elsewhere, but the times made it difficult for them to interact socially with Gentiles.
In Rosina, writer and director Sandra Goldbacker has fashioned a memorable, complex character, which Minnie Driver plays splendidly. Rosina is free-spirited and bohemian, but also shrew and intelligent. When her father dies suddenly, her family is left in debt. She is well educated for her time, but has no particular job skills. Like most girls then, it had always been presumed she would marry. She comes up with a plan to be a governess, but must pretend not to be Jewish, in order to obtain employment. So, she becomes Mary Blackchurch, and obtains a position on the Isle of Skye, off the coast of Scotland.
Her employers are the Cavanishes, an eccentric family, typical of people who live in isolated places. The family soon accepts her, and she discovers that all Christians are not the beasts she feared they would be. Of course, keeping her true identity a secret is still necessary.
Charles Cavandish [Tom Wilkinson] is a scientist working on an invention. He works strictly alone, but Mary's natural curiosity drives her to find out what he is doing in his lab. When he finds her out, he is so delighted to find someone interested in his work, he makes her his assistant. This sets the stage for a love affair which is heart-wrenching because it is obviously doomed.
I was fascinated by Rosina/Mary and by her love affair. Some have said they felt her character was too 90s. I have seen historical romances where this is true, but I do not think this is one of them. Regardless of what period of history we are looking at, the fact is that there have always been women who were independent, sensual and as smart as the men around them. If this character is too modern, then so is Scarlett O'Hara.
The Governess is not a commecial movie. It presumes a knowledge of history that most people simply do not care to have. You have to have some understanding of Jewish life in the early 19th Century. The invention Cavandish is working on has to do with photography. You also have to know that back then, the idea of capturing reality in a picture was a new and startling one. Without such knowledge, the movie will probably be a sleep aid.
Movie Review: Fury of a woman scorned.
Summary: 4 Stars
The Governess, a movie by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, starring Minnie Driver and Tom Wilkinson.
This movie is set in anti-Semitic, mid nineteenth century England and Scotland. The storyline revolves around a Jewish young woman, Rosalina Da Silva, who lives in London with her family. After her father is brutally murdered and leaves the family strapped with his debts, the family is reduced to impoverishment and social shame. Minnie Driver stars as the courageous and feisty, Rosalina, who refuses to take the easier way out through an arranged and loveless marriage. Instead, she decides to support the whole family by hiring out as a governess. To do this, Rosalina, not only displeases her relatives, but also has to pretend that she is a Catholic and assume a fake identity of Mary Blackchurch. She thus, becomes a governess to a strange and troubled Scottish family.
Finding herself in a strange land, she is immediately faced with difficult personalities that of her willful charge, (Florence Hoath), an insulting and unstable matriarch, (Harriet Walter), and a remote but brilliant, master of the house, (Tom Wilkinson). This man is a scientist who dabbles in early experiments in photography. To his surprise, he soon finds a keen intelligence and a hunger for learning, in his new governess. Inadvertently, Mary becomes his aide, confidante, and lover.
The storyline turns tragic with a fierce love triangle, where no one wins in the affairs of the hearts, but nevertheless, the feisty Mary exacts a fierce revenge and still comes out a winner in the end.
It is a troubling movie for those of us who dream of marriage, everlasting love, and family yet it shows the intelligence, perseverance and strength of a woman. It also teaches a strong lesson, as to never underestimate the fury and revenge of a woman scorned, especially, when the woman is as intelligent and perceptive as the one so well portrayed by Minnie Driver.
This movie is deeply thought provoking and not one that you will forget easily. From a historical point of view, it brilliantly illustrates the prejudices of both the Catholics and the Jews and in the end, shows just how common we all are in our human frailties, regardless of race or creed. The actors do an excellent job portraying such heavy and volatile emotions while remaining believably human. It is a film worth watching several times in order to absorb and unravel all the fascinating angles of a painfully complex story.
Movie Review: Ahh...romance in Scotland....with Jonathan
Summary: 4 Stars
My interest in The Governess was piqued when I heard that Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (as Henry Cavendish) appears in a decidedly supporting - but delicious role. Having seen some of his previous films (Velvet Goldmine and Ride with the Devil) I was very pleased to see that this film was a departure for him as he is usually cast as a theatrically effeminate villian-type. Here, he plays the young love-lorn son of the vindictive lord of the Manor played by Tom Wilkinson. He hopelessly pines for Rosina (Minnie Driver) and is crushed at the end when his affections are denied. I was glad to see his normally over-the-top acting style was gracefully curtailed yet intense at the same time. It's long and tedious at times (as most British films tend to crawl by for American audiences), but at the end, it seems like you have just had the satisfaction of reading a poignant bestselling novel. The movie itself has the complex and metaphoric plot of a good novel, but keeps to a central character without dallying in unrelated side-plots. I like this movie for grey, rainy afternoons on the couch with a friend who is a novelist. Or not. Forget that, watch it whenver you like. It's good anytime. Watch it for culture and perspective.Movie Review: The Governess
Summary: 4 Stars
Period piece about the early days of photography and a relationship between an older man and a younger woman. Minnie Driver plays a Jewess in London who finds work in Scotland after her father is murdered. She gets in with her employer and is desired by his son. Minnie Driver is a second generation Jenny Agutter with those sweeping cheeks. She was born in London on January 31, 1970. Her real name is Amelia. Her sister called her Minnie because she could not pronounce it. Driver sang in jazz clubs before her movie career took off and has since recorded an album for Rounder Records for which she composed 10 songs. She is a statuesque 5'10".