Having seen this film once before - when it first came out on video after it was shown on the screen - I decided to give it a second go to see what my opinion would be of it now. I find it hasn't changed any. Just as before I found myself much more caught up in the story of Christabel and Randolph than of Maud and Roland. The story of the Victorian lovers is so much better told than the present day one of the couple trying to uncover the long-kept secret of Maud's distant ancestor. I think it would have been better if Maud and Roland's story had been dropped all together, and we'd been given a more complete story about Christabel and Randolph. Of course, I haven't read the book, so I don't know just how important the modern story is to the readers in this film, but I think the screenplay, acting and direction in the period piece is just more intriguing and much, much better done.
I listened to a bit of the director's commentary, and he mentioned taking a screenwriter's license to changing the original story so it would work the way he wanted it to, which I think is a shame, because I have heard the book is such a good read. Perhaps letting Roland remain British instead of making him American would also have been better. After all, I understand the British class system is partly what the book was about. Did many realize that Christabel's lesbian lover Blanche was from a lower class than her? I noticed the class accent difference.
I'm sure there are many women who saw the film who wouldn't mind being whisked away for a weekend in Whitby by Aaron Eckhart's Roland, but personally I'd rather find Jeremy Northam's Randolph Ash waiting outside my apartment door!
I listened to a bit of the director's commentary, and he mentioned taking a screenwriter's license to changing the original story so it would work the way he wanted it to, which I think is a shame, because I have heard the book is such a good read. Perhaps letting Roland remain British instead of making him American would also have been better. After all, I understand the British class system is partly what the book was about. Did many realize that Christabel's lesbian lover Blanche was from a lower class than her? I noticed the class accent difference.
I'm sure there are many women who saw the film who wouldn't mind being whisked away for a weekend in Whitby by Aaron Eckhart's Roland, but personally I'd rather find Jeremy Northam's Randolph Ash waiting outside my apartment door!