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To
Those Who Appreciate Wisteria and Sunshine:
This is a movie we could all have used just a little earlier, when we were buried in snow, crushed by heavy dark skies, broken by cold, damp winds, sunken wheel-deep in the mud. This movie, released in 1992, is just the breath of warmth and light we needed to hold us over until the last snowball melted. Enchanted April is an intelligent, charming and touching fairy tale. In this film, what you see is what you get, and what you get is enchanted: beautiful scenery, lovely costumes, full moons ... and love. Based on a 1922 novel by Elizabeth Von Arnim, the movie opens in a cold, rainy London recovering from WWI. It follows four London women -- the beautiful socialite, Lady Dester, (played by Polly Walker) who longs to be seen for who she is; the cranky and lonely Mrs. Fisher (played by Joan Plowright) whose friends are all famous ... and dead; the free-spirited Lottie (played by Josie Lawrence) whose rich emotional life is held in a stranglehold by her stingy solicitor husband; and Rose (played by Miranda Richardson) who has buried her sensual nature in sacrifice and abstinence. These women chip in together to rent a small Italian castle by the sea that has been advertised in the Times of London “To Those who Appreciate Wisteria and Sunshine.”
Like many English characters who go to Italy, these women bloom in the warmth and beauty of the place, in this case, a castle. Freed from their trappings -- husbands, status, connections -- the women discover their true natures. But the story is not only about women as individuals. It is about relationships and love. Enter three men, all portrayed as somewhat clownish and very clueless. Nevertheless, love is in the air. Everyone is changed for the better and relationships that seemed impossible in London blossom under the Italian sun. What takes this brazenly optimistic tale from the ridiculous to the sublime is the acting and direction. In one scene, we watch Miranda Richardson lie perfectly still as a tiny lizard crawls along her body. We can see her senses awaken; there is something sexual about this moment, yet not a word is spoken. Joan Plowright, who was nominated for best supporting actress for this 1992 film, shows us vulnerability and longing as she snaps out her caustic -- and very funny -- lines. And in a beautiful moonlit scene, the spoiled Polly Walker, who thinks all men are “grabby,” grabs the shortsighted Mr. Briggs to keep him from falling. Mike Newell’s direction lets gesture and image do the work of a thousand words. His cast makes that possible. The spell is completed by the gorgeous location. Ironically, most of the film was shot in the same villa where Von Arnim herself stayed after her second divorce. The cinematography is often restrained, framing only sections of the scenery, as paintings do. The effect is abundance. We see all the details -- the rocks, the plants, the moon. The world seems full and rich.
Newell, whose other films are darker and “hard-edged,” makes this one unabashedly soft and magical. He originally rejected the script, claiming, “This is just too happy, and I'm not good at happy." Fortunately he changed his mind. And, as it turned out, he’s very good at happy. And sometimes we need happy. Sometimes at the end of a long winter we need to get away, to renew. Enchanted April is a delightful place to spend such an evening. . . ******* ******* If you would like to submit something for The Movies feature, or if you simply would like to suggest something you think we ought to cover, e-mail us at ... radiofilmtv@downstreetmagazine.com. ******* ******* If you would like to advertise in this section, or throughout the magazine, please visit our Advertising Info Pages ... or call, write, or e-mail ads@downstreetmagazine.com. ******* ******* |
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