Review of The Beguiled (2017) by Tony P — 20 Jan 2018
I initially intended on seeing this film during its initial cinema release in 2017 but I watched something else and missed the run. Hence a 2018 cable TV viewing.
During that hiatus I caught up with the 1971 version of the film starring Clint Eastwood and enjoyed it.
I was therefore underwhelmed with Sofia Copola's version starring Colin Farrell as Corporal McBurney, a soldier from the enemy Northern forces in the U.S. civil war in the nineteenth century.
McBurney is discovered wounded by a young student of a girls school. They find it in their Christian values to hide the soldier whilst he recovers from his leg wounds.
As the film continues several of the young girl students and indeed their teacher Miss. Martha (Nicole Kidman) develop a crush on their new housemate complete with giggles at the dinner table and revealing dresses etc.
As a film viewed without comparing to the 1971 version it isn't bad in terms of casting, performances and photography.
However I failed to see what this version 'brought to the table (apart from a one-legged Irishman eating dodgy mushrooms).
Other films are improvements or slight variants on their original films but I failed to see that here.
Is it just another example of modern day economics in the film industry rehashing old ideas at a fraction of the cost of new ones?
This review of The Beguiled (2017) was written by Tony P on 20 Jan 2018.
The Beguiled has generally received positive reviews.
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