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REVIEW: THE WOMAN IN BLACK (2012)

by mwgerard Posted on February 6, 2012


A crumbling manor, a mysterious curse, a sea mist and creepy deaths.  How could I (of all people) resist?  I am completely unfamiliar with the book (of the same name) by Susan Hill, which is rather unlike me.  And I was unable to see the staged version while in London this summer.  So I came to the film knowing nothing about the story, which was quite an unusual treat for me.

Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) is a London solicitor still struggling with the death of his wife.  He is now raising his young son Joseph with the help of a no-nonsense and efficient nanny.  His boss gives him one more assignment to prove his worth to the firm and sends him to a non-descript village in England’s East coast.  His task is to settle the estate of Alice Drablow, formerly of Eel Marsh House.  Fans of Dracula will recognize similarities in these opening scenes.  The villagers are painfully tight-lipped and Arthur finds just one person who will drive him across the tidal and misty marshes to the entrance of the Drablow estate.  Once there, he is abandoned until the tides break once more.

Ensconced in the home and determined to prove himself worthy, he begins his quest through tattered and tanned documents, looking for anything that may shed light on Mrs. Drablow’s final requests.  But Arthur gets precious little done as he is continuously interrupted by the sounds of footsteps and a vision of a veiled lady.  Confused but unperturbed he returns to the village to ask questions.  He is once again told to return to London and leave their town.  Only one villager is welcoming – Sam Daily (Ciaran Hinds).  He is quick to dismiss the superstitions and ghostly tales of the common townfolk, despite having lost his own son years before… and having a wife who claims to be a medium.

Ciaran Hinds as Sam Daily

The story pulls from many gothic elements and therefore allows the viewer to fill in the details with their own expectations.  At the same time, the filmmakers treated the genre with respect.  The set of Eel Marsh House is incredibly lush.  Wallpaper patterns, antique toys, and window latches all work to create the atmosphere.  At times I wished for a touch more lighting so those details could be better enjoyed.

Still, a hint more of realism would have served the film well.  For example, the small family cemetery on the estate looks to be made of foam and borrowed from a Disney ride.  And the rusty front gate is propped open almost too perfectly askew.

The sound design is delightful.  There is some use of typical creaks and moans, but a great deal of it was original.  The scream of the Woman in Black is horrifying and I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if they mixed a recording of nails on a chalkboard in there.

Someone involved in the production design knows their stuff.  There is a wonderful blend of the modern versus tradition at play.  Sam drives a car, which is instrumental in the resolution of the story, while Keckwick (Daniel Cerqueira) drives a horse and carriage.  Telephones exist, but the village doesn’t have one.  And as Arthur rides the train, we see him notice a story on theosophy and mediums, a very popular subject at the time.  It even gives a nod to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, himself a proponent of theosophy in later years.

The story occasionally plods, but it does allow the audience to catch its breath after a scare or two.  I would have liked to see even more detail and background about the Drablow family and ‘what really happened’ through the archival material that is found.  Or perhaps in stories from a townie.  Although we basically piece it together, a bit more detail would have helped fill it out.  Without giving anything away, some motives are less than clear.

Lastly, as an ardent fan of the Grenada version of Sherlock Holmes, I was delighted that David Burke (the earlier of the two Wastons) had a small role as PC Collins.  I desperately tried to find a screenshot of him, but to no avail.  Please send a link if you find one!  (This is he as Watson.)

This is an enjoyable ghost story with plenty of scares for teenagers who want to see Harry all grown up, and plenty of suspense for adults who like to solve  a mystery.

** If you have the option, do see it in 35mm. **

________________________________________

Rated PG-13. 95 minutes. Hammer Films.  Released Feb 3, 2012 (US)
Official site: http://www.womaninblack.com

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GIVEAWAY: THE MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES by Sir A.C. Doyle

by mwgerard Posted on September 21, 2011

I don’t suppose it’s entirely fair for me to be reviewing a classic.  It’s fairly certain that the tales of Sherlock and Watson are good.  As one who grew up on them and the Granada series (Jeremy Brett IS Sherlock), it’s hard to imagine my literary memory without them.   Rereading them was a joy.  I’d forgotten how lithe and modern the writing was.  Doyle also creates such vivid characters.  Each of their voices is different.  It’s no wonder than 120 years later, people are writing new stories, blockbuster films are being made and critically-accliamed television shows keep people riveted to their sets.  Not to mention, scores of people making the pilgrimage to 221B Baker Street itself (yes, I admit, I went.  And it was wonderful).  
At Sherlock’s house.
Penguin Classics has reprinted this collection of stories, which includes: “Silver Blaze”, ” The Yellow Face”, “The Stockbroker’s Clerk”, “The Gloria Scott”, “The Musgrave Ritual”, “The Reigate Squires”, “The Crooked Man”, “The Resident Patient”, “The Greek Interpreter”, “The Naval Treaty”, and “The Final Problem.”  You can see Doyle’s growing impatience with Sherlock as he reaches fatal finale at Reichenbach Falls. Not to worry, though.  It seems Sherlock isn’t going anywhere for some time.  I’m pretty protective of Sherlock, but it seems in general his inspiration has brought about some fabulous story-telling.  

To win a copy of this book is elementary.  Please leave a comment below.  Include your first name, your email (at) com address, and phrase about why you love Sherlock.  US only, please.  Winner will be chosen at random on Sept 27 2011, at 11:59PM EST.  
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Sherlock’s House – London

by mwgerard Posted on August 9, 2011
Some might think that Sherlock’s house is the only reason I went to England. It wasn’t the only  but I was positively giddy about it.  
Subway tiles at the Baker Street station

In front of the museum

The museum is set up as though it were Sherlock and Watson’s home.  They each have a bedroom, as does Mrs. Hudson, plus their very famous study.  The upper floors are devoted to the stories themselves and to various fan items.  It’s really great fun and quite “hands-on.”

On the keeping of bees

What Sherlock would have taken with him just before Reichenbach Falls.

Evidence of his shooting skills 

Mrs. Hudson sets a lovely table
In the study

Watson’s desk
Watson’s service revolver and his license to carry

Mrs. Hudson’s room

Prof. James Moriarty
A letter to Sherlock from a child

Being that we were already near Regents Park, we went up to the zoo, which was a little disappointing, actually. 

Baby monkey
Galapagos Tortoise
Meerkat
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Interview with Character: Author Ben Greenman

by mwgerard Posted on June 23, 2010
Greenman is making classic literature engaging. And his own engaging literature. Some may remember his project Hotel St. George Press, which invited his readers to interact with his main protagonist. The seventh and final story was left intentionally unfinished and readers were invited to send in postcards with the missing bits. Here are some of the responses.
In preparation for the release of his next book, What He’s Poised To Do, Greenman is hosting a blog called LETTERS WITH CHARACTER. The conceit is simple. Write a letter to a fictional character, and read what others have sent as well.  I wrote one to Dr. Watson, encouraging him to keep his chin up in the face of Sherlock’s mood swings.  I also wrote to Ben Greenman (and he wrote back).
Q: What prompted this idea?  Was there a frustration with a certain character that inspired you?
A: I have always been frustrated with characters. I talk back to them (not out loud, but in my head) like people talk back to movie screens.  I wouldn’t say there’s anything too specific, though the Odyssey always drove me nuts, the way that Odysseus just couldn’t get home on account of his encountering magical beings and hazards.
Q: If someone is interested in writing a letter but feels “out of their league”, do you have any advice on how to start?
A: Start with “Dear [Name of Character]” and just go from there. That may not be very useful. 
Maybe this is more useful: Have a point in mind, a motive: Are you complaining? Praising? Noticing? Desiring some kind of interaction that wasn’t present in the original book? Someone wrote me earlier today saying that they wanted to warn Roger Wade, from Raymond Chandler’s The Long Goodbye. That seems like a nice motive. 
Q: Will the site be open indefinitely?  Or do people have to submit by a certain date?
A: It will be open for a while, but Harper Perennial wants to focus on the next month, for starters. Students are still in school, for example, and this seems like a great exercise for them, since letters are a highly compressed form of writing — you have to pretty quickly establish voice, character, tone, audience, and possibly even an argument.
Q: I see you have a book coming out.  Tell us a little about it.
A: It’s a collection of stories called “What He’s Poised to Do,” out in June. It is the book that evolved from Correspondences, which I mentioned before. We added nine or ten stories, took one out, and ended up with a set of pieces about…well, I’m not sure I’m the one to say. About humanity? About relationships? All of them have something to do with letters or letter-writing; I wanted to set the book all over time and space (one story takes place in Northern Africa, one in New York, one on the border between India and Australia, one on the moon) but keep certain things consistent, like the fact that people always try to connect with one another and always succeed and fail in equal measure. Letters are at once the cause of this problem and the solution to it. It’s a very different book from the last one, which was a funk-rock novel called Please Step Back (2009), but the themes aren’t so different.


Q: What attracts you to writing in general?

A: It’s the best the planet has to offer, at least to me. If I could sing or I was an especially talented painter or I was seven foot three, I might feel different, but I’m not, and I don’t.
Q: Do you think any of the literary characters will write back?
A: I hope so.
— Interview from May 11, 2010 —



Stories
Price: $13.99
On Sale: 6/15/2010
Formats:     Trade PB | E-Book
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REVIEW: SHERLOCK HOLMES (2009)

by mwgerard Posted on December 30, 2009

I grew up on Sherlock, quite literally.  I grabbed my dad’s heavy volumes and looked at the original Strand etchings even before I could read the complicated stories.  And Jeremy Brett IS Sherlock Holmes.  Doyle himself couldn’t have a qualm with that casting.  So I was initially thrilled when I heard of the pairing of Robert Downey, Jr and Jude Law as the storied sleuths.  Then I saw a trailer and felt betrayed.  Since when was Sherlock an action hero?  And Watson a slimy-looking ingrate?  I even get annoyed at the Basil Rathbone films when Watson is portrayed as a bumbling fool.  He is an doctor!  It was explained to me that this film was being based on graphic novel, not the stories, but I wasn’t satisfied.  Sherlock is great – why mess with it? 

Then post-Christmas ennui set in and as the family sat around eating leftovers for dinner we contemplated our entertainment options (As funny as the word “squeakquel” is, we weren’t going to sit through a story about hip-hop rodents).  We agreed (amazingly enough) on seeing Sherlock Holmes, all with the understanding that it not be compared to any other adaptations, or even the writings, really.  I chose to think of it as a guy in Victorian London who gets involved in sci-fi adventures.

I am not an easy convert, but Sherlock ended up being a fun film and much more literary than I anticipated.  The “case” was not taken from any story I am aware of, but had elements of Holmesian problems.  Indeed, the consequences for not solving it in time were much more monumental than anything that Sherlock faced, except maybe the Naval Treaty.

It employed an interesting device, that was thankfully not overused, of letting us in on Holmes’ thoughts and reasoning before seeing him carry it out.  It works, particularly by being introduced in a boxing match, that no Guy Ritchie movie can be without.

Downey, Jr. brings a nice levity to the character, and clearly was inspired by Brett’s facial tics and idiosyncrasies.  Jude Law does well as Watson, but the character itself doesn’t quite find its footing.  I don’t blame Law, but rather the storyline.  It uses him as a soundboard for Holmes, which he often is, but it falters when it tries to give him his own backbone.

The heroine, if she can be called that, is played by Rachel McAdams.  She too is passable, has a few scenes in which to shine, but her talent is underutilized.  Her character is also the only one that   drops the ball in terms of production design.  Her frocks are ridiculous and hot pink.  Not a good idea.  The rest of the set design was superb.  221b is a fabulous mess, one can almost smell the stench of the Thames, and the villain’s lairs reek of turn-of-the-century nostalgia  (I am fairly certain they used the same prison yard and warehouse in Nolan’s The Prestige.  And I think Watson wears the same jacket as Branagh’s Hamlet.  This jacket.

The face off with the bad guy got a bit long, and the “girl” isn’t all that, but overall, the movie was very enjoyable, even for a stalwart Holmes fan. There is plenty to make a fan smile, and enough to keep a general viewer engaged.  The clues were dropped is a smart way, something not often seen anymore.  They weren’t overt and obvious.  There is nothing more annoying than knowing the answer to the mystery but having to wait 2 hours for everyone around you to figure it out.  Not the case here.  Ideas were subtle enough to be mysterious yet visible enough to avoid the cliche it-was-the-guy-you-never-saw-who-did-it-the-whole-time (i.e. Bone Collector).

In short, go see Sherlock Holmes, even if you think you won’t like it.  It won’t be like any Sherlock you’ve seen before – but it won’t be unrecognizable.

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