According to the IMDB trivia for "A Feast at Midnight", Christopher Lee agreed to work on this movie for free and called it one of the best pictures he's ever made. Can the movie be THAT good? After all, Lee made nearly 200 movies!
The setting for this film is a residential school...which would make this story a bit more familiar to British audiences than those in countries where such schools are a rarity, such as here in the United States. Still, bullying is something pretty universal, so I think kids watching this movie would still connect with the characters.
Magnus is a sad kid. His parents have broken up and his father, who he really adores, has some sort of illness and cannot care for him. So, he's sent to a prep school which is supposed to make him a better person...that is if 'better person' means someone who is cruelly bullied. This is made worse by the teacher in charge of his class (Christopher Lee), as he's not exactly sympathetic towards the bullied of kids who don't fit in with his notions about sports. You can assume that he feels childhood trauma apparently builds character. As for the Headmaster (Robert Hardy), he's generally a decent sort...but what can he do to mitigate the damage done by the bullies?
One thing Magnus really dislikes about the school is the food. It might be good, I have no idea, but it IS institutional food and is a far cry from the gastronomic delights Magnus used to share with his father. Eventually, Magnus comes up with an idea during a weekend when he and a couple others are the only kids at the school. They sneak into the kitchen to cook up delights and soon they form a sort of society for the outcasts, one that becomes all the more audacious as the group grows. What is to become of this club? See the film and find out for yourself.
While normally I am NOT a big fan of films where kids are the stars of a movie, I thought this one managed to do a very good job with its mostly kids cast. The director was able to get realistic performances and the kids seemed more like real kids than they often seem in other movies...though their behaviors are hardly those of kids as far as their club goes!
Overall, I really enjoyed this film and I particularly liked Lee's tough as nails performance. Think of this as a kids film and "Iron Chef" or "The Great British Baking Show" combined.
The setting for this film is a residential school...which would make this story a bit more familiar to British audiences than those in countries where such schools are a rarity, such as here in the United States. Still, bullying is something pretty universal, so I think kids watching this movie would still connect with the characters.
Magnus is a sad kid. His parents have broken up and his father, who he really adores, has some sort of illness and cannot care for him. So, he's sent to a prep school which is supposed to make him a better person...that is if 'better person' means someone who is cruelly bullied. This is made worse by the teacher in charge of his class (Christopher Lee), as he's not exactly sympathetic towards the bullied of kids who don't fit in with his notions about sports. You can assume that he feels childhood trauma apparently builds character. As for the Headmaster (Robert Hardy), he's generally a decent sort...but what can he do to mitigate the damage done by the bullies?
One thing Magnus really dislikes about the school is the food. It might be good, I have no idea, but it IS institutional food and is a far cry from the gastronomic delights Magnus used to share with his father. Eventually, Magnus comes up with an idea during a weekend when he and a couple others are the only kids at the school. They sneak into the kitchen to cook up delights and soon they form a sort of society for the outcasts, one that becomes all the more audacious as the group grows. What is to become of this club? See the film and find out for yourself.
While normally I am NOT a big fan of films where kids are the stars of a movie, I thought this one managed to do a very good job with its mostly kids cast. The director was able to get realistic performances and the kids seemed more like real kids than they often seem in other movies...though their behaviors are hardly those of kids as far as their club goes!
Overall, I really enjoyed this film and I particularly liked Lee's tough as nails performance. Think of this as a kids film and "Iron Chef" or "The Great British Baking Show" combined.