Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful adaptation from novel to script
Review: Although the book was far more detailed(books have that luxury), the adaptation from book to movie script was right on the money. Set in the 1930's, Flora Poste is a twenty-something girl whose parents die within weeks of each other due to the Influenza. This isn't traumatic for Flora, since her parents were fond of travelling and only saw her a few months out of the year. Since Flora has never been educated to make a living for herself, she decides to write her relations and ask to live with them. The relatives she chooses are unbelievably eccentric and rustic; they have a dingy farmhouse in Sussex. Each relation has some wild oddity about them and are extremely behind the times. But Flora chooses them because she feels she can satisfy her need to organize things, and also feels they'll provide the perfect colorful characters she'll need when she finally writes her first novel. Flora changes everyones lives for the better, and you will laugh heartily throughout. "I saw something nasty in the woodshed!" will be a phrase you hear in your head for weeks after watching this film. Stars Kate Beckinsale as Flora, Joanna Lumley ("Absolutely Fabulous"'s Patsy Stone) as Mary, Oscar nominated Sir Ian McKellan as Flora's over-zealous preacher cousin, and Rufus Sewell (most recently in "Bless the Child") as Flora's over-sexed 2nd cousin Seth who dreams of Hollywood stardom. One to have in your personal movie collection. Read the book as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Cute, but I don't really see why it's funny...
Review: I watched Cold Comfort Farms because I love funny movies and am a huge fan of Joanna Lumley, however, I just did not understand why it was funny at all. It really isn't a bad movie, it just wasn't...funny! It's sweet, cute, and touching how Flora helps her, well, eccentric, relatives and it's fun to watch the Pigmalian transformation of Elfin. While the movie was entertaining, it was not very funny (in my opinion), so if you're looking to laugh I would not reccomend this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Cold Comfort Farm: 1968 vs. 1996
Review: After back-to-back viewings of the two versions, I was left with some distinct impressions of each. Clearly the 1996 Schlesinger version had the advantage of a much bigger budget, and was photographed with eventual large screen presentation in mind. The wedding scene alone had to have cost as much as did the entire original production. The original also left the automobiles to the imagination, and the buggy ride to town was so clearly a rear-projection shot that they shouldn't even have bothered. (Indeed, in the 1996 version, they didn't bother, choosing to walk, instead.) I could have done without the early special effects, the alpha and omega of which boiled down to "look, the BBC gave us a zoom lens!"On a more elemental level, the 1996 version struck me as being considerably sanitized for a different generation of viewers. The sets and, especially, the people, seemed to be so much more neat and clean. This, in turn, made Flora's self-imposed mandate -- to "tidy up" -- less urgent. In Schlesinger's reading, the Starkadder clan's violent, primal tendencies were glossed over, as was the overt sexuality: we can't have Rennet going into an insane heat in the mid-nineties, can we? And Brian Blessed's Reuben imparted a sense of danger that Ivan Kaye's good-natured oaf didn't even hint at. Indeed, all of the characters seemed to be painted with less vivid colors, their eccentricities (even grotesqueries) toned down for a more sensitive audience. I don't know whether it was by intent, but Sara Badell's Flora was a much more rounded and interesting character than the smug, one-dimensional powerhouse portrayed by Kate Beckinsale. Badell's Flora had real doubts and fears. It could be a question of timing. When the original production was filmed, the generation that grew up with the sort of book Cold Comfort Farm (the novel) parodied still made up a good chunk of the populace. Those viewers could be counted upon to know that the Starkadder family wasn't intended to be "real" but rather a caricature. By 1996, someone must have said "this could be taken at face value, so we'd better tone it down." Still, the Schlesinger version told the story very effectively, and I'm glad to have it on tape. But the original is chock full of atmosphere, and on balance I'd say it was worth the long wait.
Rating:
Summary: A Must See
Review: This film is not just a "chick flick". You are drawn in by the bizarre characters and can't help but laugh at the absurd idiosyncrocies of "Cold Comfort Farm". You will find yourself gaffawing at some of the one line zingers that catch you unaware!
Rating:
Summary: The British Hillbillys
Review: Growing up with an Irish Matriarch transplanted to Kentucky, (her name was Flora too!) I was reviewing my younger days. I finally know where Hillbillys originated. The only thing the movie lacked was an uncle Billy Bob buring down the farm making moonshine. The actors were wonderful in their depiction of poor folk trying to understand the visiting "rich" cousin with her proper and prim ways. Change is good when it includes cleaning the sheets and birth control (after the fourth child to an unwed mother). One must own this movie to review the one-liners over and over. Everytime I watch it I find something new and whimsical. The accents are also sometimes hard for us Americans to understand until we hear it a few times.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully entertaining, but not the BBC 1971
Review: Great fun, I can watch it over and over. Wish you guys had the 1971 version from BBC with Alistaire Sims
Rating:
Summary: The only movie I can watch over and over again
Review: I highly recommend this movie to everyone. I have lent it to everone I know, everyone who has seen it agrees it is the best. Each character is incredible. I have never seen a movie where each character was so strong. I absolutely fell in love with each character. Rated the best movie I have ever seen. Forget Hollywood movies!
Rating:
Summary: Very funny and sweet!
Review: I loved this movie! It is charming and funny and very English. I can't wait until it comes out on DVD!
Rating:
Summary: A very good movie, if you "get" British humor
Review: So many people told me that this was a terrible movie that I didn't expect much. I have enjoyed Kate Beckinsale's acting in recent BBC productions, so I decided to give the movie a try. I thought it was wonderful! Having never read the book, I had no idea what to expect. This is a wierd,very funny story with some great lines and a great cast. I bought the tape soon after renting it - it's definitely a keeper.
Rating:
Summary: Many memorable one-liners.
Review: This is an hilarious movie. The casting is excellent with the exception of Joanna Lumley and Kate Beckinsale (Mary Smiling and Flora Poste, respectively)-- They are not the right "types" if you are a fan of the book-- But they both do an excellent job, none the less. Ian McKellan is fantastic as Amos (but when is he not fantastic?) The ending of the film does not have the pizzazz of the book, but it is still gratifying. This reads like a four star review, but a movie like this is such a RARE treat, and I love it so much that I have to give it five stars. If you like Merchant Ivory, but need a break, watch this movie.
|
