While I often object to remakes of films that were well made
the first time around, Sophia Coppola’s The Beguiled, a redo of the
little-known Clint Eastwood feature, proves to be a worthy exercise. It not only reflects a shift in sensibilities
between one filmmaking era to another, but key changes in the script cast an
entirely different light on this Southern Gothic nightmare of repression and
its consequences, as many of the characters are drawn in a more complete
manner, providing key insights to their motivation and actions. It isn’t a
complete success as Coppola stumbles badly at the end, yet for the most part it
is a very good thriller propelled by modern gender politics that may make this
movie a hot button issue for discussion.
A never-better Nicole Kidman is Miss Martha, a Southern lady
who runs a seminary for girls. While the
horrors of the Civil War seem to be just in her back yard (the near constant
echo of nearby cannon fire reminds us of this), she continues to run her
institution, more as a sanctuary for her young charges than anything else.
Edwina (Kirsten Dunst), the lone teacher in her employ assists her and
together, they educate and see to the welfare of precocious teen Alicia (Elle
Fanning) and four younger students – Amy (Ozona Laurence), Jane (Angora Rice),
Marie (Addison Reece) and Emily (Emma Howard).
Their existence is rather dull and relatively safe, all things
considered – that is until Amy, out walking one day to gather mushrooms, finds
a wounded Union soldier, Corporal John McBurney (Colin Farrell) and brings him
back with her so that he might heal.
Before you can say “Rooster in the henhouse,” attitudes and
behaviors radically shift for all of the inhabitants of the home, each of them
aflutter by the presence of not only a young attractive man, but one that is
obviously dangerous, seeing as how he’s a Yankee and all. Repression runs rampant here but temptation
gets the best of everyone as the youngest of the girls go out of their way to
talk to their guest or wave to him, hoping to curry his favor or simply get one
of his dazzling smiles, while the three older women…well, they have something
all together different in mind.
The film has atmosphere to spare, as mist creeps across the
early morning lawn of the secluded school and sunlight is rarely seen through
anything but the massive drooping Cyprus trees on the place, while the
candlelit rooms these frustrated souls inhabit hide much more than they show, a
wonderful metaphor for the behavior on display. Credit cinematographer Philippe Le Sourd for
creating this gossamer world in which deceit and frustration stand side-by-side,
growing until a tragic explosion of passion destroys all involved.
It should come as no surprise that the female roles have
been expanded upon, as Coppola penned the screenplay, which hones a bit more
closely to the original novel by Thomas Culinan, than Don Siegel’s 1971
adaptation. More background is provided
for Miss Martha and Edwina, giving them a much more human dimension than they
had before, while providing more logical reasoning for their actions. They and all the other women are portrayed in
a much more sympathetic light, as they are seen struggling with their
conflicting desires rather than simply acting on them. Perhaps the most important alteration is the
notion that, in the end, they have been victimized and their actions are justified. If there is a fault to the script it’s that
the character of McBurney is given short shrift. While he doesn’t necessarily come off as a
one-note character, his lack of background prevents us from drawing any
conclusions as to what he’s thinking or feeling. Ironically, he’s rendered in the same
incomplete manner that so many female roles have been in years past.
As one might expect, all of the performances are
top-notch, though I suspect Fanning wished she’d been given a bit more to do,
while young Laurence is a name to remember, impressing here as she has before
in Southpaw and Pete’s Dragon. I
would have liked to have seen a bit more of all concerned, but Coppola tells a
taut tale here, regrettably rushing the ending as though she had better things
to do and simply wanted to move on.
Still, this proves an effective, haunting tale that’s hard to shake, a
film that benefits from the great work from all involved and the director’s
uncompromising vision.
This article appears in Jul 13-19, 2017.
