My Life So Far SPOILERS!!!

OK, I'll start. (I've never gotten to be post #1 before!) I saw the film today and liked many things about it. There were a few things I didn't care for, at least on the first viewing. Maybe they'll grow on me after a second time, but here are some of the things I wish had been different. I knew CF's character had some unlikeable traits, but I didn't realize he was quite such a loon. I found myself cringing at him being the butt of many people's jokes. Also, he was so cruel to poor MEM in the scene at the wake. Bottom line, Edward was a bit hard to drool over. Also, I know the disjointed nature was supposed to be because we were looking through the eyes of a child, but one of my pet peeves is movies that have story threads that don't go anywhere. What the heck was the hairy man all about? And what was the purpose of the Flyer who had about two minutes of screen time? I would have liked to have these sub-stories either more developed or deleted. Edward's infatuation with Heloise seemed to happen so quickly, and I really didn't feel the character foundation was there yet when Edward performed his act of physical aggressiveness towards her. I guess it was supposed to be love at almost first sight, but somehow I couldn't believe it. And I could kill the reviewer that said Gamma was going to die in his review. Talk about a spoiler! I would rather not have known that going in. I have only posted the things that irritated me and there were many more things I loved which will have to wait for another post. I'll shut up and let someone else talk now :-).

Jana, I swear I didn't even read your post though I've read so many spoilers from other sources already there may not be a single suprise left for me anyway. But I wanted to thank you for being #1! Hope others will join you here soon.

What the heck was the hairy man all about? And what was the purpose of the Flyer who had about two minutes of screen time? I would have liked to have these sub-stories either more developed or deleted. I totally agree with you here, Jana. The hairy man had me completely bewildered; I assumed there was some kind of symbolism I was missing (maybe he represets wildness, like jazz, as opposed to order, like Edward's beloved Beethoven?). Edward's infatuation with Heloise seemed to happen so quickly, and I really didn't feel the character foundation was there yet when Edward performed his act of physical aggressiveness towards her. Re: the infatuation, it seemed to me like it was a case of being attracted to what's different from you... I'm not explaining that very clearly, but sort of the idea of being attracted to your opposite. The fact that she "belonged" to Morris probably made her immediately attractive as well... wanting what you can't have. One of the reviews mentioned Edward "raping" Irene. Did I miss something? I can't seem to recall anything like that. It's true that my mind was rather distracted during the screening, however. Was the reviewer all wet, or did this really happen?

One of the reviews mentioned Edward "raping" Irene. I'm really not reading this *until* I see the movie, but not just one reviewer has mentioned this. Am going to pay very close attention to that hayloft scene and afterward.

I'll be interested in what everyone's opinion is of the hayloft scene. All I seem to recall is an attempted kiss, but no actual "carnal knowledge." It seemed to me that Edward just implied to Morris that things had gone further than that, in order to make him doubt his wife-to-be. If there really was a rape scene, I must have been taking a trip to the loo when it happened;-) I knew CF's character had some unlikeable traits, but I didn't realize he was quite such a loon. I found myself cringing at him being the butt of many people's jokes. Also, he was so cruel to poor MEM in the scene at the wake. Bottom line, Edward was a bit hard to drool over. I must admit that I did find Edward droolable, in a boyish sort of way. I didn't see him as an out-and-out loon but as a charming eccentric. In the Newsday article Colin talks about "charming boyishness," and this seems to be to sum up Edward. IMO it didn't seem the other characters were laughing at him so much as affectionately shaking their heads and saying, "That Edward!" However, as CF points out in the same article, charming boyishness is also dangerous and can hurt people, and this is shown in Edwar 's cruelties toward Moira. Until the end, Edward never seems to me to be more than 12 or 14 years old emotionally. IMO he isn't in love with Heloise so much as having a wild crush on her -- which kind of sets up the rather comedic situation of him and Fraser "competing" for her attention. It wouldn't be comedic if it were a suave, mature grownup man competing with a little boy. Rather than being a cad (that word again!), he just seems to me like a rather nerdy boy with a crush on the most popular girl -- i.e., he gives her a box of moss products as a gift and thinks this will impress her. In early comments about the part Colin said Edward was given to "wild enthusiasms." I saw Heloise as one of these. I certainly never had the feeling that he would really give up his wife and family for her. I think if she had actually returned his affections, he would have eventually lost interest in favor of another "wild enthusiasm." Anyway, this is all just my opinion and I look forward to the more cogent views of the rest of you;-)

Very interesting discussion thus far! Saw the film yesterday with four FoFers. There was an unanticipated break in the screening when the film itself became dislodged from the projector (during the Halloween party scene, about an hour in). Horror upon horrors, it actually began to melt before our eyes (a la WoF)! Watching the back of CF's head melt on screen was a trauma from which I may never recover :-P The break provided us with a real-time opportunity to discuss what happened in that hay (moss) loft. Murph and I also discussed this on the way home (have you seen her review? It's posted at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/4144/mlsfmary.html Well done, Murph! But first, a few other details of interest: The theater was packed. So what if the Blair Witch Project was sold out until the 12:15 a.m. show and moviegoers would do anything to beat the 90+ degree heat? I won't overanalyze. The age of the audience ranged from 20-somethings to senior citizens (including a spry group of senior ladies who stood behind us on line in the heat and were thoroughly surprised to encounter "young people" waiting for the same movie). The audience appeared to love it. Numerous groans were heard during the film-melting break. People who left at this point (at least those in the few rows in front of us) all returned to their seats. There was light applause at the end (but in our row, we were heartily clapping away). Chatter overheard during the inevitable wait for the ladies room was very positive. Will continue...

*Warning* Thus-far unmentioned spoilers ahead! I didn't find the film slow at all. As for fragmentation, you have to keep telling yourself it's seen through the eyes of a 10-year old. Thus the hairy man wasn't too much of a distraction for me. BTW, what about when Edward dredged the lake for his Beethoven busts and came up with that dead body? Didn't the man look familiar? I will agree, Susan and Jana, that the 'Emporer of the Air' seemed to be pushing it. He's there, he's gone; he's there, he's gone. While he's there, he and big sis exchange h ngry looks and an embrace or two. Again, you have to remind yourself that this is all Fraser sees. There was likely more but he wasn't party to it. I agree with Murph in that this is Colin's most varied role. You loved him and hated him a minute later. There were a few expressions and lines reminiscent of other CF roles and there was the freshness of new material. I can't wait to see it again. From what I remember (it usually takes me two viewings to get the details), here's a synopsis of my favorite looks and scenes: Edward's best moments: - grabbing Fraser from the roof while barking (a LOL moment) - helping Gemma from the table after she ate too much sherry-laden trifle - assisting Moira from Gemma's deathbed ("it's time to go, Angel") - sitting in bed with Fraser, watching the movie on that silly screen - apologizing to Moira and meaning it - waltzing with Moira in the rain (*sigh*) Edward's worst moments: - going after Heloise against her will - shaking loose from Moira's hand at dinner - openly competing with Fraser for Heloise's attention during the tour of Kilgoren - telling Morris he "won the bet months ago" in front of all those people at the (?)wake - boasting that it's "his house now" during the same scene Scenes/looks reminiscent of past roles: Susan's already mentioned these--the Darcyesque leaning back in the chair, larynx protruding; a less-heart stopping version of *the look* while Heloise plays her cello and Birkin's sermon (although all similarity begins and ends in that it's a sermon). I also enjoyed the goggled Edward in the plane with Moira (Geoffrey, of course). Weren't those goggles a hoot? Made him look fish-eyed! Funniest moments: - teaching the boys to fish to the strains of Beethoven. "Go extricate your brother." - the look on his face after Fraser's orgy inquiry There's so much here to really savor. CF makes the film--a lesser talented actor could never have pulled it off. MEM and CF make a great team. The scenery was breathtaking. The reviewer who said (a while ago) that it was dull and gray must have cataracts. Lastly, regarding the "rape": it's never really made clear if he did or didn't have sex with her. At the very least, he forced himself on her. Fraser heard her scream. They were covered with moss (yes, they had been throwing it at eachother but it was also on the back of their clothes). Fraser found her choker necklace. Heloise's letter alludes to "what did and didn't happen. Moira smells Fraser's letter from Heloise and appears to recognize the scent--from Edward's skin or clothes? Then Edward goes on to act *very* guilty--would he do this if they just "messed around?" Perhaps. Even that would have been behavior unfitting a married man. Yet the climactic post wake (or funeral) scene leads one to believe that something more significant happened in that loft. It makes for great discussion!

Thankyou very much Eileen and Murph, I can't wait to see it but will have to. However, I intend to telephone Miramax tomorrow to see if they have any idea when we may get it, if I only had a date to look forward to it wouldn't be so bad. Still we are very luck here in the UK we have two TV dramas, the play and possibly Londinium and RV to look forward to before everyone else. Incidentally if anyone wants me to do any recording when the time comes I shall be more than pleased to oblige.

I enjoyed your reviews, Eileen and Murph. I must be very naive or clueless (probably both!), but it just never seemed to me that anything had actually occurred between Edward and Heloise other than the clumsy attempt at a kiss, and maybe he pushed her back into the hay; I just didn't see it going further than that. I took as confirmation of this Heloise's comment about "what did and didn't happen." It seemed to me that just the memory of what he had *tried* to do was enough to account for Edward's guilt, nd I thought his implications that things had gone further were just to get Morris to have doubts about Heloise. Obviously I gotta get out of the house more:-)

Thank you...Eileen , Susan and Murph for the reviews and your comments.... (Eileen)...I agree with Murph in that this is Colin's most varied role. I look forward to this. So many of his recent ones have been one-dimensional. He's capable of more than that.But, of course that's the best part of having a starring role.

(Susan) it just never seemed to me that anything had actually occurred between Edward and Heloise other than the clumsy attempt at a kiss, and maybe he pushed her back into the hay; I just didn't see it going further than that. I took as confirmation of this Heloise's comment about "what did and didn't happen." I've been thinking about this and I now agree with you, Susan. Considering the social mores of the time and Edward's religious devotion, a rough, clumsy pass would be enough to stoke his guilt. As you point out, it's confirmed by Heloise's letter. During the confrontation Moira says "I know you've had your hands on that woman!" BTW, in the opening sequence it says the film is set in 1920. One of the FoFs I was with yesterday also saw it last week at a preview; she said that one was set in 1927. It appears Miramax kept tinkering with this until the bitter end!

- helping Gemma from the table after she ate too much sherry-laden trifle Yes Eileen, I too loved this. I believe he said, "Let's have a little (or Lovely) lie down, Gamma." And what about Moira in the climactic scene. Finger pointing at Edward on the floor..."You....you..! I know all about you and that..woman." I wanted to cheer that she finally told him off. And his face as he watches Fraser with the cigar, the snifter and Louie on the gramaphone. Another wonderful moment. And wasn't his voice with that Scottish accent even more spine tingling? Murph

And wasn't his voice with that Scottish accent even more spine tingling? I don't think I am going to be able to stand much more of this:-) If you don't have any luck with Miramax tomorrow, Ann, I shall ring them. I be they show it in the UK in October when I am on holiday!!

I did read that we'll have an "autumn release" in the UK. When is autumn? Late September? October? November (E-e-ch!)If someone had told me that we would have to wait two and a half years to see another lead role after FP, I wouldn't have believed it!

Bethan, you should be packing!

(Eileen) BTW, in the opening sequence it says the film is set in 1920. One of the FoFs I was with yesterday also saw it last week at a preview; she said that one was set in 1927. It appears Miramax kept tinkering with this until the bitter end! Eileen, I have been wondering about this as well. I was sure the print of MLSF that I saw said "1920," but then several reviewers mentioned that the film was set "in the 30s" or "just before the onset of WWII." If the film was indeed set in 1920, was the use of Louis Armstrong music an anachronism? For some reason I thought Louie first became popular in the later 20s-early 30s. Anyone know?

All your comments are making me want to go see this movie again, pronto. I know I will enjoy it more the second time when I can focus more on Colin. (Eileen) Edward's best moments: - sitting in bed with Fraser, watching the movie on that silly screen Did he not look gorgeous in this scene? Love our boy in braces. (Eileen) I also enjoyed the goggled Edward in the plane with Moira (Geoffrey, of course). Weren't those goggles a hoot? Made him look fish-eyed! I had to laugh when I read this. I remember being physically jolted at this scene because it was the first time I'd ever seen Colin and thought him unattractive. Somehow the combo of those goggles and that wide, toothy smile are not his best look :-) (Eileen)Funniest moments: - teaching the boys to fish to the strains of Beethoven. "Go extricate your brother." - the look on his face after Fraser's orgy inquiry I totally agree, both these scenes were hilarious. I particularly loved his talk on the birds and the bees when he was trying to explain wet dreams and had to keep blowing his nose. Was that too adorable? And Fraser just wasn't getting it, go figure with that crystal clear explanation. (Ann) Incidentally if anyone wants me to do any recording when the time comes I shall be more than pleased to oblige. Oh my Ann, you are an angel from heaven. Can you imagine the wailing and gnashing of teeth when there is new Colin to be had and we cannot see it in the States? I suspect we will be taking you up on your offer and keeping the post houses here busy converting the tapes to compatible format. I hope MLSF opens soon in the U.K. so you can enjoy ODB in all his glory. (Murph) And what about Moira in the climactic scene. Finger pointing at Edward on the floor..."You....you..! I know all about you and that..woman." I wanted to cheer that she finally told him off. This was a wonderful moment, wasn't it? I really enjoyed MEM in this movie and felt she definitely held her own against the powerful acting of CF. But this climatic scene was especially well done. I also liked the poignant way she kept looking at herself in the mirror (seeing flaws, I surmised) when she first suspected Edward of being attracted to Heloise. I also didn't know MEM sang so well and thoroughly enjoyed her duet with Heloise. One more thing - Susan I wanted to respond to your post about Edward's degree of looniness, but it was too far up the board for me to copy (and I was too lazy to go back and retrieve it). I just wanted to say that on further consideration I think you're right and that loony was too strong a word. I must admit I did cringe a little bit at some of Edward's immature actions, but when I really thought about it, his eccentricities didn't really bother me until Uncle Morris was in the picture and putting him own in some rather humiliating ways. Somehow when only the immediate family was present and Edward's oddities were sweetly accepted and understood by his wife and children it was easier for me to accept and enjoy them too. But then it was as if Uncle Morris entered as some kind of interloper to Shangri-La bringing real world cynicism with him and I guess I started to see Edward as Uncle M saw him. I suppose that's one of the character of Morris' functions in the film to bring out the contrast of practi ality vs. whimsy. It was difficult though to watch Edward being humiliated by Uncle Morris. Some real cringe-inducing moments there - kind of like the feeling I get when I watch Joe Prince in the graveyard with the two goofy drug runners.

(Jana)Somehow the combo of those goggles and that wide, toothy smile are not his best look :-) He looked endearingly goofy, didn't he? I also laughed when he emerged from the loch in that (how best to describe it?) floatation device with those rubberized trousers. I loved that little truck with the moss soap advertisements on the sides--did you notice the large cigar on the roof with smoke coming out of it? LOL! Another funny scene: when Fraser sees Gamma napping and thinks she's dead. But nothing beats that prostitution comment, though. The audience was practically rolling in the aisles! (Jana)What the heck was the hairy man all about? At first I thought it was a figment of his imagination. It kind of reminded me of Maurice Sendak's 'Where the Wild Things Are' children's books. But after they dredged up that man from the loch, it's quite possible Fraser really did see him running around on the roof and in the woods. (Jana) Edward's infatuation with Heloise seemed to happen so quickly I had the same complaint about Paul in FP. In this movie it seemed consistent with Edward's immature, impulsive nature to immediatly vie for her favor. (Susan) which kind of sets up the rather comedic situation of him and Fraser "competing" for her attention. It wouldn't be comedic if it were a suave, mature grownup man competing with a little boy Agreed. Before Heloise came along, I thought of Edward as merely silly or eccentric. During the estate tour it becomes clear how very immature he is. (Susan) The fact that she "belonged" to Morris probably made her immediately attractive as well... wanting what you can't have. And wanting to hurt the man you hate, the man who taunts you, who has the power to take your home away. IMO Edward was thinking only with his "little head" when he went after Heloise. Afterward, now thinking with his "big head," he used the situation ("I won the bet months ago") as a means to push Morris' buttons. In both instances he completely disregarded how his actions would hurt his wife and family. Was anyone else bothered by Heloise's behavior with Fraser? It struck me as borderline inappropriate at times (e.g., rolling around in the moss shortly after they met). Could it have been merely Fraser's perception of how she acted? Or am I taking that '10-year old storyteller' excuse a bit too far? (Jana) I also didn't know MEM sang so well and thoroughly enjoyed her duet with Heloise. Wasn't she great? This was the only thing Kathie Lee got right when MEM was on 'Live' a couple of weeks ago.

(Eileen) Was anyone else bothered by Heloise's behavior with Fraser? It struck me as borderline inappropriate at times (e.g., rolling around in the moss shortly after they met). Could it have been merely Fraser's perception of how she acted? Or am I taking that '10-year old storyteller' excuse a bit too far? This made me feel creepy too. Whenever she saw him, she was all over him and the physical contact made me a little squeamish. Are we supposed to make allowances for Heloise because she is French and possibly a little more demonstrative :-)? I'm wondering if what bothered me about this physical closeness was Fraser's preoccupation with sexual thoughts about Heloise. I suppose she believed all the hugging was perfectly innocent but we have access to Fraser's thoughts about the matter.

Love the discussion, ladies. I subscribe to the school that the more I know about a film, the more I enjoy it. Keep goin' :-)

I was wondering... what is everyone's opinion of Edward and Moira's marriage? Pre-Heloise, they openly adore each other and are still sneaking off for "slanks" despite being married for, what, at least 17 years. Then Heloise enters the picture, and all of a sudden Edward is making cruel gestures to Moira and making an ass of himself. I was a bit unclear on what drew him to Heloise so strongly. The main attraction seemed to be that she was betrothed to the man he hated -- and yet he seemed so tormented by er rejection of him, even after her marriage (when he destroys the letter, etc.).

and yet he seemed so tormented by her rejection of him, even after her marriage (when he destroys the letter, etc.). I interpreted his torment as guilt, but it certainly could have been rejection. He had not yet had his "epiphany" about being so immature. Regarding their marriage: I thought the scene of Moira examining herself in the mirror was poignant. She immediatley senses Edward's attraction to Heloise and her reaction is one of insecurity vs. anger, petulance, etc. (but those would be out of character). So...their marriage must have been wonderful on the surface, but had unresolved issues lurking underneath. Good question, Susan!

I just got home back from three days in NYC. My DH knew how much I wanted to see MLSF and made the arrangements for my son and me to go. NYC is much improved since my last visit 16 years ago and we had a great time, not the least of which was seeing MLSF. This film is completely enchanting, from the beautiful music which begins it to the final glimpse of CF's lovely face. Very funny, poignant and uplifting. Wonderful acting, cinematography and screenplay. After reading your posts, just a few remarks. Feel free to disagree, though. The film begins in 1920, when three-year old Fraser does his famous bad thing, then goes forward seven years (according to Fraser) where the bulk of the action takes place. Re: the fragmentation. IMO, every scene belonged; MLSF is a memoir, not a mystery novel, and life remembered is bound to be meandering and made up of both important and insignificant threads.. Since the story Fraser tells is about a pivotal year in his life, during which he leaves his innocence behind, its events, big and small, are etched in his memory. His father loses his god-like status and becomes merely a man, the crisis in his parents' marriage destroys the absoluteness of his security forever, Ga ma dies and Fraser discovers sex. It is the year when the world forcefully intrudes upon the paradise (described as a shangrila by the emperor) in which Fraser and his family live. IMO, the emperor soaring in his plane represents that which is wondrous in the outside world and the hairy man symbolizes that which is frightening and ugly and uncontrollable in it. Heloise is wordly temptation. Edward, as much as Fraser, is an innocent, probably has never been beyond the Kiloran neighbourhood, never has had a other woman besides Moira, is intelligent but not well-educated and relies on biblical dogma to guide him. Heloise is an unexpectedly exotic intrusion into his placid life. As in Fraser, she awakens feelings in Edward he finds hard to fight off, never having been tested before. One of the critics described CF as having sensual features; he must have been thinking of the loft scene. The look Edward gives Heloise after she kisses him is one of pure lust (unlike The Look in P & P, which was one of love). I don't see Edward as a loon at all, but a man full of joy, creativity and love of life which overshadowed his practical side. I loved that bug-eyed goofy grin he gave in the plane. At that moment, Edward was showing his exhiliration and utter happiness in a way that usually only children do. So he isn't a reliable bread-winner like Morris, but he does bring a sense of adventure, wonder, fun and deep love to his family. For beauty, my favourite look is when Edward enters Moira's darkened room at the end. CF's comic talent is proved in the birds and bees scene; he is marvellous there; in fact, he is very funny in many scenes. (Eileen) Edward's worst moments: Boasting that it's "his house now" during the same (the wake) scene I think it one of Edward's best moments. He has wordlessly endured Morris' stream of cruel taunts and overt disrespect (and the humiliating dressing down Gamma gives him, at Morris' instigation, in front of the help). Heloise's out-of-line behaviour in this scene (in telling Fraser to disrespect his father) pushes him over the edge and he is finally in a position to stand up for himself. Unfortunately, Edward snaps in an embarrassingly public place. BTW, how does Moira know that the bet concerns Heloise?

That's it!! If Lynda can go to NY...I can fly to Dallas to see this film.... I'm outta'here!!

Re: Moira knowing the bet concerns Heloise She must have had some inkling of Edward's infatuation ... remember when she looks at herself assessingly in the mirror when she went looking for Fraser in the attic, and when discovers Heloise's choker hidden in Fraser's bed ... that shocked, horrified look on her face.

Loved your report, Lynda. The look Edward gives Heloise after she kisses him is one of pure lust Ooh, maybe I should fly to NYC too?!?!?!

There is a review at Mr. Showbiz but it is not very good so I hesitated to mention it but it was qite kind to the acting.

Gee, do you think that that Michael Atkinson didn't like MLSF? Sounded like he didn't like Chariots of Fire, either. Hated Robert Norman, too. Re the dough-faced comment, I must admit to wondering how two people who looked like Moira and Edward could produce Fraser, but the boy grew on me. As for why we were watching MLSF, for my part, MLSF made a very pleasant diversion from the depraved sexuality, mind-numbing violence, the loutish people and crude diologue which fills TV and film screens today. Althoug , admittedly nothing to compare with Austin Powers and Big Daddy, MLSF has its merits, not the least of which, is that I (and the other people I observed leaving the theater) left with smiles on our faces.

Lynda, when you say "nothing to compare with AP and BD" do you mean it wasn't as good as either of these?

My last post for a week, as I am off to Philadelphia to see my sister. Ann, I was being very sarcastic. I loved every minute of MLSF. I am totally ticked off that stuff like AP and BD get a zillion screens and all kinds of promotion, yet I have to go hundreds of miles to see the lovely and most entertaining MLSF and that my many friends and family who would enjoy this film will likely never see it except on video. Most unfair, but that's business, I guess.

I enjoyed your review, Lynda. It's been two months since I saw the film and I'd forgotten so many of the details you mentioned. Also, thanks for setting me right re: the time settings -- as you pointed out, if Fraser's a toddler in 1920 when the film opens, it's 1927 or so when the main action takes place.

We won't be getting MLSF for ages in the UK (sniff!)but it's fascinating to read all your comments. Has anyone read "The Son of Adam" (I think I'm the only one who actually enjoyed it!). The reason I ask is that in many ways I feel that the portrayal of Adam/Edward in the movie seems very true to the account in the memoir. Lynda is spot on when she describes Adam/Edward as an innocent, a child-man. He grows up in a privileged and isolated environment, and falls in love with "Moira" when he is 18 and she is 14. They pledge undying love sitting in a tree and carve the names of the six children they plan to have together. Adam/Edward seems to have been very unwordly and not interested in business (and therefore maybe not considered a reliable marriage prospect) He's sent to the US to work for the family business, returns after six years and goes to Cambridge to study and is ordained as a minister of th Church, He eventually marries "Moira" when he is 32, and she is 28. The marriage is a happy and successful oneone, sustained by an unclouded sexual relationship. But Denis Forman writes that sometimes his father resented him because he saw him as a rival for the attentions of visiting females, and Forman also comments that sometimes his father used to embarass him, and his mother, by becoming very friendly with waitresses and usherettes and giving them hugs...embarrasing because they recognised these as sexual urges, which Edward/Adam doesn't understand. It's clear that t e only sexual relationship he ever has is with his wife For the record, Edward/Adam seems to have outlived his wife by many, many years. It's not clear when Moira dies, but Edward never re-marries and lives on until his one hundredth year (he dies aged 101) and remains eccentic to the end. He also gets honored for his contribution to the war effort...his one major success (Spagnum moss has healing powers). Don't know how much of this is conveyed in the movie. I don't suppose it really matters!

Thanks for the interesting back story, Bethan. I particularly thought it enlightening that the real Edward/Adam was an ordained minister. It explains why he was so strict and biblical in the film. I also thought it interesting that they didn't marry until 28 and 32 after having been in love for 14 years! In the film I got the impression they had been married rather young as CF and MEM looked to be no more than 40 and had a daughter practically grown. Maybe they took some poetic license in the film. I really enjoyed your review, Lynda. I guess my first reaction to Edward was that he was goofier than the rest of you saw him. I'm hoping the film will open up more widely this weekend so I can see it again and improve my opinion! Otherwise I will have to trek back down to the art house and see it again.

Lynda, did you see MLSF at the Angelika or uptown? If you saw it at the Angelika, how'd you like the subway trains rumbling under your feet? :-) I am totally ticked off that stuff like AP and BD get a zillion screens and all kinds of promotion, yet I have to go hundreds of miles to see the lovely and most entertaining MLSF Such is the lament of any true Firthfan. MLSF (according to an well-informed member of the Firthlist) is doing very well at the box office according to its per screen gross (since it's still playing in only 5 theaters in the country, it can't be compared with the other trash *ahem* movies out there). The figures didn't drop at all since opening weekend. This is very good news!

Edward's worst moments: Boasting that it's "his house now" during the same (the wake) scene I think it one of Edward's best moments As always, you have an interesting point of view. Edward was certainly goaded by Morris, but there's a time and place for everything. He needed to put Morris in his place, but to have it out with him in that setting, on that occasion, was inappropriate, IMO. Edward's comments also struck me as playground boasting ("ha-ha, I won")-- another symptom of his immaturity. Your comments on the symbolism of the Emporer of the Air and Hairy Man were v. perceptive! Just wait until we have an in-depth discussion about this movie. If we can turn P and FF into Oscar-caliber films, I can imagine what we'll do with MLSF :-) (Marianne) She must have had some inkling of Edward's infatuation I think she knew right away. The scene with the mirror confirms it. Then there's that awful moment when she takes his hand at the dinner table and he pulls it away.

(Bethan)Re; Adam Foreman....He also gets honored for his contribution to the war effort...his one major success (Spagnum moss has healing powers). He also served in the war...because the second book "To Reason Why" was about his regiment's service in the Italian Campaign. Sorry, I thought both books were yawners....I hope they publish the Playscript of the film. ***** I have enjoyed all the reviews....I shall go on Saturday...flying down to Dallas daytriper... Will meet Susanne who occasionally posts here . Hoped to meet-up with Rita, but she has a previous committment. It's more fun to see a Firth production with a fellow "Firthoholic". ****Where is Karen's review?

****Where is Karen's review? Do I have to write one of those too? ;-D Lynda's already done such a marvelous job and we agree on so many points. Maybe tomorrow. But I have to comment on a few areas that have been discussed. Too many posts to go back and respond to specific comments, so I'll just plod along in the same vein... The Mossloft scene OK, I was paying very close attention to every word, gesture, and filament of moss hanging off their bodies. At first I thought he had just made a pass, but a few seconds later you saw Heloise's face. She didn't look like a woman who had been raped. She looked somewhat guilty. Then you saw her straightening herself up. Now this ties in with how Moira knew. When she finds the choker in Fraser's bed, he mentions that he found it in the hayloft and there was a scream. She knows it's Heloise's choker nd who else frequents the loft? Not the local pastor! (although he was a riot) Then there are the nasty barbs Heloise throws at Edward at the dinner table, insinuating that he's a hypocrite. Next we have the note. "What did and didn't happen" And the bet at the curling match. My take is that Edward made the awkward pass. Heloise's reaction was initially as we saw. I thought that maybe he had broken down and cried and that was it. But now I think she gave in. Heloise gave Edward the equivalent of Fraser's kiss and she wasn't going to act the hypocrite and play "holier than thou." She gave the little baby what he wanted...once. The Hairy Man Initially I thought he was Fraser's imagination run amok. All those things Edward told him about the devil and this was the devil's incarnation in Fraser's mind. But when Edward dredged the loch for the busts, well out the window that went. I like Lynda's explanation as to what Hairy Man represented vis a vis the Emperor of the Air. (boy, was that a nothing part) Edward's Attraction to Heloise Moira could see it from the start when Edward is whooping it up for Heloise's cello playing. I don't think he could have gotten up off the couch any faster without a catapult. ;-D Edward's Best/Worst Scene The wake. I think how ever inappropriate he behaved and how the audience would like to slap him silly for his comments to a certain extent he was goaded. A mature adult would have picked a better time and place to boot Morris out of there, but that's not Edward. Despite the hateful behavior, Colin is wonderfully awful here. Not Wessex's prattish behavior, but again as Eileen mentioned (I think) like the child on a playground. "It's my house now." "I won that bet several months ago." Bang!! Wallop!! Wh t perfectly placed barbs. Do we condone Moira's outburst here? Clearly that information should have been addressed privately. Would a woman do that in public? I don't think so, not unless she were in control and she could throw him out. This was not the case. The aftermath is wonderful. I love how the characters develop and grow. How Fraser asks his sister what she thinks will happen to their parents' marriage. Then, of course, when Edward comes into their bedroom and admits the error of his ways and the hurt he has caused her. He has only really loved her and this is evidenced by the extent he will go to win her love back. *sigh* [How appropriate that The Pretenders' new song "Human" just played in the background.] Another fav scene that I forgot to mention: definitely the sex lecture rates right up there. Could there have been anything funnier? ;-D

BTW, forgot to mention that I really enjoyed all the discussion that I've just read. All these different views and reactions. Love it!! :-)

Thank you all for your fine reviews. Really fills in the hazy details...I think I was too focused on Colin to remember the rest. Just how many of those kids belonged to Edward and Moria ... and why was Fraser the only child at the dinner table? Despite the hateful behavior, Colin is wonderfully awful here. Not Wessex's prattish behavior, but again as Eileen mentioned (I think) like the child on a playground. "It's my house now." "I won that bet several months ago." Bang!! Wallop!! What perfectly placed barbs. Wonderfully awful, I enjoyed seeing Edward fighting back, Morris is certainly a disagreeable brother and uncle and deserved to be thrown out. Colin took quite a fall in this scene Do we condone Moira's outburst here? Clearly that information should have been addressed privately. Would a woman do that in public? I don't think so, not unless she were in control and she could throw him out. This was not the case. Moira lost control after months of suffering in silence, and since Gamma was Moira's mother, one would assume that the estate was passed down to her and not to Edward. Overall, it's a sweet little film with some very funny moments.

Hi Emma, remember me, I am glad you have been able to see MLSF, I can't wait. On a scale of 1-10 how does this rate amongst Colin's other films and how did you like him personally in it say compared to Mr. D & Lord Wessex. Oh and I hope you will be joining us on the 15th. Also what did you mean when you said"Colin took quite a fall in the scene", did you not like his character at that point and if so did you like him more at the end. Sorry so many questions, but we in the UK have to wait until Nov. to g t the answers. Can I also address these questions to everyone else who has seen MLSF? Thanks.

(AnnW) Also what did you mean when you said"Colin took quite a fall in the scene" Morris punches him and he hits the floor. did you not like his character at that point While one side of you may feel that, yes, it's good that Edward is fighting back and Morris has been very cruel to him (ridiculing him in front of others and to his face), it wasn't the time nor the place. Just the way Colin says the house is his and he can do with it what he wants and then the boast about winning the bet months ago, these are not designed to make you like Edward at that point. Such inappropriate behavior at a funeral. By the end, you will like him again as he realizes what a child he has been and then asks for forgiveness from Moira and works at restoring their relationship. (Emma) Just how many of those kids belonged to Edward and Moria ... and why was Fraser the only child at the dinner table? I think nearly all of them were Edward and Moira's, except the little boy who was Fraser friend. There might have been about 7 of them??? The eldest daughter Elspeth was at the dinner table too and there might have been a few others. Wasn't there a shot of another table where the younger kids sat? Reminds me of my childhood and Thanksgiving dinner. Kids all sat at another table, which was sometimes set up in the basement. It was a major thing to move to the adult table. (Emma) one would assume that the estate was passed down to her and not to Edward. Who knows about property rights and women during that period? Could a married woman inherit the property in her name alone?

From the Toronto Sun's review: Firth has the dirty job in the movie, playing a reprehensible, cowardly character who has to try to redeem himself by the end of the movie. He does it as well as anyone could in the circumstances. It is this character's boyish behaviour which inspires the 10-year-old boy to move towards manhood. Interesting take. Fraser learns from his father's bad example. But the important thing is that this critic sees how difficult a role Colin had and how well he did it. I don't understand those ones who said he was wooden and stiff. They must have gone out for popcorn.

Who said he was wooden and stiff, I though his reviews and those for all the acting were very good.MLSF out of 10? Karen

Just returned from my second viewing and have answered some of my own questions, Karen you're right about the other kids at the table, but Fraser is the only one who spoke. (Karen) There might have been about 7 of them??? Except for Fraser, Edward had very little interactions with the other children. I can't imagine Colin as the father of 7 kids! even in a film. (Ann) how did you like him personally in it say compared to Mr. D & Lord Wessex. I think Colin was best as Mr. D -- the hair, the clothes, the look, the walk, just the perfect combination. (a perfect 10) As Edward, Colin is very cleancut most of the time, and gets to wear a bathing suit and a kilt, no complain there, (an almost perfect 9). And yes Ann, I've booked my 3DoR tickets for Jan. 15, so I'll be seeing you.

Wonderful to finally be able to join you. I haven't read anything here yet but will do so after I say my piece though I haven't gotten my thoughts all sorted out yet. I'm sure everyone's talked about the beautiful scenery, the gorgeous location, and of course Colin's fabulous looks. MLSF is my kind of film...personality driven with dialogue being as or more important than action. Lovely moments and not all of them with Edward in the scenes. 1) when the Emperor of the Sky first comes and Edward looks at his own poor contraption and at the machine that can really fly - rather poignant yet still humorous; 2)Edward being chastised by Gamma for blowing up holes on the estate and has to turn around to tell his men, in front of his son(s) to stop what they're doing. It's a defeat but he attempts to make it seem as if its his own idea; 3)Fraser belowstairs pouring the tea for the servants. It's so cozy there; 4) Edward showing the children how to cast their fishing lines to Beethoven'ts Fifth - got one of the biggest laughs; 5) Anytime Edward says that Beethoven is God and jazz is the devil; 6) Edward in his pajamas, smoking his cigar, ruminating on his downfall and resolving to make amends; 7) the bet between Edward and Morris on the ice. Edward, so smug, trying to make Morris think that he has nothing Edward wants or doesn't have already. Like boys in the playground trying to best each other. Very well done. There were moments where Edward's face just fills the screen and each time I saw one, I wanted to freezeframe and try to etch it into my memory. Then the next one would come and I'd forget the earlier one and try to keep this latest image of him. Now I can't faithfully recall any of those looks but I know there were some very fine ones. There was a 3DOR moment for me too that I can't retain. I think Edward was sitting on the floor, frustrated, hands in hair but I can't remember what he was frustrated about! Definitely a film to see more than once. Some scenes though rang false for me: 1)Gamma getting tipsy on the trifle seemed to be thrown into the film just for the laughs. Also didn't like them making the minister drunk during the same scene. Cheap laughs. 2) Moira confronting her husband in front of everyone at Gamma's wake. She was a reserved, proper woman who kept up appearances. I just don't think she'd do that in front of the guests or the servants. 3) I also think Edward asking for the kiss was a bit too hasty. I know he was lusting after Heloise from the beginning but she gave him absolutely no encouragement. The film didn't make it clear to me why he would do that just then. The film did start to drag, IMO, after Gamma's death. Again, I found most of the scene at the wake to be unbelievable and the reconciliation was kind of confusing. How long were they estranged? Why does she seem to want him gone but then calls him back? Is she forgiving him already? When she calls him back, he keeps going. He seems to be more embarrassed at the public spectacle than by his actions. Is it just taking awhile to sink in? I don't know, the whole scene bugged me. All the children confused me. Who belonged to whom? Fraser's brothers and sisters were nonentities except for Elspeth and she may as well have been for all the difference the Emperor of the North story made to the story. That storyline must have really been chopped during the editing process. I have to think about my favorite outfit for Edward...he looked so fine in them all including the kilt and the pajamas, even the bathing suit. Didn't notice any thinning hair though I did pay close attention to the scene when he lifts 3-year old Fraser onto his shoulders. I'm sure it takes multiple viewings to catch those details. I'm eager now to read the other thoughts here.

I'm pretty sure some of the reviews from 2 weeks ago criticized CF's performance with those words. Ratings, I hate doing ratings! ;-D But for you, Ann... In terms of Colin's acting, a 9.5 This one is way up there for complexity and execution and is easy to dance to! (sorry, American joke) It seems most like Paul Ashworth. He's ridiculed as QE does to Wessex, but you feel sorry for him, and he's able to return the scorn and derision big time. Although he seems like a fool, you like him because he's such a devoted father and husband (until...). We view him the same way Gamma does. Moira loves him and so do we. What fun he made their lives. The film within the body of Colin's work, I'm placing it second only to P&P only because I haven't decided if I could watch it as many times as I have P&P. There so much Colin in it and it's an adorable film. It's not great, but it's enjoyable. (Emma) Except for Fraser, Edward had very little interactions with the other children. The boys did have their daily plunge with dad and I expect they all played with his inventions. Didn't you love his vulcanized rubber pants and that waterwheel thing. A total loon. Why aren't there pictures of Colin paddling around in the water? I can't imagine Colin as the father of 7 kids! even in a film. Hey, if you were going off for a slank frequently enough so that your kids realized it, quite the sex life, they had. Remember in the voiceover, Fraser said that the house was too big for them and their mother had to have babies just to fill it. (Heide) Edward looks at his own poor contraption and at the machine that can really fly - rather poignant yet still humorous I remember how he looked at the real airplane. It is one of those memorable looks, although I don't remember thinking it humorous. He looked so wistful and entranced by that sight. 4) Edward showing the children how to cast their fishing lines to Beethoven'ts Fifth - got one of the biggest laughs One of my favs. "Fraser, liberate your brother." Biggest laugh was at the end, wasn't it? 6) Edward in his pajamas, smoking his cigar, ruminating on his downfall and resolving to make amends Was he smoking a cigar? Thought it was just a cigarette. Didn't it remind you of FP when he's thinking about why Sarah got so upset and left? "Are you pregnant?" Why does she seem to want him gone but then calls him back? Is she forgiving him already? I think she just wants him back so they can talk. It would show everyone that he hadn't really rejected her and the kids. When she calls him back, he keeps going. He seems to be more embarrassed at the public spectacle than by his actions. I didn't see it as embarrassment but the enormity of what he had done had sunk in. I do agree with you (as you'll see above) that I didn't think Moira would confront him at the funeral. Very out of character for someone like her and with her upbringing.

I knew I'd type in Emperor of the North by accident...think Ernie Borgnine. I've just read the other comments. Fascinating stuff. The film I saw begins in 1927. So most of the action takes place in 1934. Are there different copies of this film being shown? (JanaH) Edward's infatuation with Heloise seemed to happen so quickly, and I really didn't feel the character foundation was there yet when Edward performed his act of physical aggressiveness towards her. (Susan) The fact that she "belonged" to Morris probably made her immediately attractive as well...wanting what you can't have. I see I'm not the only one who couldn't understand why he made a pass at Heloise so quickly. Your explanation, Susan, makes sense though it seems extremely impetuous to me. More wonderful moments your descriptions have helped me remember: (Susan) IMO he isn't in love with Heloise so much as having a wild crush on her -- which kind of sets up the rather comedic situation of him and Fraser "competing" for her attention. And he lost out badly to his own son, didn't he? (Murph) And his face as he watches Fraser with the cigar, the snifter and Louie on the gramaphone. His little smile, a hint of his dimples...and his whole face filling the screen. (JanaH) I particularly loved his talk on the birds and the bees when he was trying to explain wet dreams and had to keep blowing his nose. That nose blowing was a wonderful touch. Edward's distraction was hilarious. (Eileen) Lastly, regarding the "rape": it's never really made clear if he did or didn't have sex with her. At the very least, he forced himself on her. (Susan) it just never seemed to me that anything had actually occurred between Edward and Heloise other than the clumsy attempt at a kiss, and maybe he pushed her back into the hay; I just didn't see it going further than that. (Karen) now I think she gave in. Heloise gave Edward the equivalent of Fraser's kiss I agree that he didn't physically force himself on her. Perhaps he wore her down just a bit and got that kiss Karen mentioned just as a means for her to escape. Can't explain the little scream - as Susan says, perhaps she fell back in the hay. But there's no way she would not have told Morris unless she did something she wasn't particularly proud of either. (Eileen) Was anyone else bothered by Heloise's behavior with Fraser? It struck me as borderline inappropriate at times (e.g., rolling around in the moss shortly after they met). Boy, do I agree with you. She was rubbing her hands all over him and then chasing after him to give him a kiss. His view or ours, I don't know but I also found her comment to Fraser at the wake to not listen to his father to be way out of line. BTW, how can Moira know that it's Heloise Edward is talking about when he mentions the bet? Karen, you brought up a lot of clues in the film that Moira picked up on but I wonder if she presumed too much. Why did she think the necklace found in Fraser's bed had anything to do with her husband? Why does she think the (I assume) moss scented letter to Fraser had anything to do with her husband? The stuff was all over the place. Even at the wedding she's shooting dirty looks at her husband. I don't think it unusual that she would have suspicions - there were reasons - but I believe in the end she presumed too much. (Lynda) Edward, as much as Fraser, is an innocent, probably has never been beyond the Kiloran neighbourhood, never has had a other woman besides Moira, is intelligent but not well-educated and relies on biblical dogma to guide him. Very perceptive description. (Lynda) I loved that bug-eyed goofy grin he gave in the plane. At that moment, Edward was showing his exhiliration and utter happiness in a way that usually only children do. An example of his child-like behavior. It was Fraser who asked to go up in the plane. Who goes up? His father. Edward wanted to experience it himself first, not his son. (Emma) why was Fraser the only child at the dinner table? I found the hazy information about the other children to be rather infuriating. Other thoughts: Could Heloise have played a more suggestive instrument than the cello? Gamma didn't blink an eye when Morris's two women friends from London came to visit.

(Heide) But there's no way she would not have told Morris unless she did something she wasn't particularly proud of either. This ties into something I've mentioned to Evelyn, especially after seeing it a second time. If Edward had forced her, she would've said something at the funeral after Edward makes the crack about winning the bet. My first reaction would have been to yell back, "but you had to rape me to do it!" And then POWEE Morris makes contact. But she didn't. Moira knows right away that her husband is attracted to Heloise. She looks at his face during the cello concert (only you, Heide, would notice about the instrument) and she is perturbed right away. Then she's checking herself out and how dumpy she looks. Fraser tells her where he found the choker and she can figure it out. Who else hangs out at the Moss Factory besides Fraser and hubby? Also, Heloise doesn't tell anyone that she's missing the choker because it would only lead to questions about where she was and what was she doing there. I thought it was wonderful that Edward took Moira up with him. More sexual nuances? ;-D

The film I saw started in 1920 with baby Fraser on the roof. So must be two versions out there.

(Karen) If Edward had forced her, she would've said something at the funeral after Edward makes the crack about winning the bet. I was watching the Moss Factory scene more carefully this time, and I agree with Heide, Edward tried to make a pass at Heloise, he was rejected and their relationship became strained. I thought Edward was only wearing his vest at the factory, but back at the house, he had moss in his hair as well as his jacket. Near the end of the film when Fraser asked Elspeth "What is carnal knowledge?" she implied that Edward and Heloise "knew" each other...did she know that for a fact or is she just guessing? (Karen) The film within the body of Colin's work, I'm placing it second only to P&P only because I haven't decided if I could watch it as many times as I have P&P. MLSF has many short funny bits and some serious moments with Colin, but he is much more droolable as Darcy, besides there's the first proposal, the letter, and quite a few other scenes where he gets a great deal of dialogue...for simple Colin viewing pleasure, P&P is just unbeatable.

)Karen) She looks at his face during the cello concert (only you, Heide, would notice about the instrument) I suppose a saxophone would have been slightly more suggestive but not by much. (Emma) Fraser asked Elspeth "What is carnal knowledge?" she implied that Edward and Heloise "knew" each other...did she know that for a fact or is she just guessing? She has to be just guessing as everyone is doing. No one knows for sure excpet Edward and Heloise. Moira may be imagining worse things than what really happened. But what she really lays into Edward for is his complete insensitivity to her and her children. Bravo to her there.

(Heide) I suppose a saxophone would have been slightly more suggestive but not by much. The sax would've been more approriate for jazz. I remember an interview with Emily Watson for her role in Hilary and Jackie. She felt the Cello as a very senual instrument -- it is placed between the legs :-) as well as all that stroking. Has anyone seen the soundtrack for MLSF?

As I said on 119...this is a lovely movie. Sadly, it has no gimick..which unfortunately every movie this summer seems to have. It also has no story...it�s a series of recollections of childhood by ten year old Fraser; not a �big- burner� for a film. Cast ensemble was excellent..except for Morris (MM) who was definitely too old...was he supposed to be about 50? The guy looked like the far side of 70!! Walking next to Gamma (RH) he looked like her brother not Moira�s. When he kissed Heliose, I was repulsed. Why would Heloise want to marry the old koot anyway!! RH(Gamma) was made up to look like 80...has such similar facial expressions like Jennifer�s...arches one eyebrow and looks up with her eye...same way. I SAW Lennie the Head Curler...shame he wasn�t listed in the credits. Soundtrack a bust....only a smattering of jazz...little bits of Scottish Aires, Beethoven...I will be surprised if it�s even released.But I�ll keep checking with Footlights. Though it is the very best he has ever looked in a role...I still hold out for AMITC and T. as his best acting roles.And P&P as the one I�ll keep looking at. Not to mimimize Edward...superb facial expressions...sometimes he fills the entire screen.....he�s a loon one minute, a caring father the next, a lusty hunk the next...versatile ...absolutely. Can�t wait for the video. Will we have fun with this discussion!! **** Great to get your reviews Emma and Heide.

Since I was lucky enough to see MLSF with Evelyn yesterday in Dallas, I thought I would post a few comments on it. I went into the movie not knowing very much about the movie. I wanted to go in with a fresh view. I pleasantly surprised that it had so many very funny moments in it. Edward is a hard character to really like after Heloise arrives. A man with at least 7 children should not be lusting after a sweet young thing. (I would not excuse this even if his mother and grandmother had a conflict with him trying to please both ala Bill Clinton).Even though I was not crazy about Edward, Colin does a wonderful job actin . No CF fan will be disappointed with this film. There are some wonderful close-ups of Colin that show off his fine-eyes exceptionally well. He has a major role in a beautifully shot and acted film with a happy-ending,not to mention that he looks great. What's not to like. Even though I might not have liked Edward with the Heloise angle, without it the film would have been a bit of a yawn. Actually, I can't think of what the story would be if it weren't in the film. Perhaps the hairy man and Emperor of the Sky would have explored further. Snooze! CF and RH gave the best performances. The boy was adorable and carried the movie. I give the movie 3 stars and place this 5th on my personal list of CF's best work after Hostages, Tumbledown, P&P, Valmont,and AMITC. Now all I have to do is decide where to hang my new MLSF poster.

Thanks Sue for that, one thing though, how can you say that CF & RH give the best performances and yet the young boy carries the film and I think MLSF comes 6th in your CF best work list.

Have decided on my favorite outfit: First one after the opening *whites* scene. This is where Edward and Fraser are flying a kite. Edward has a white shirt, sleeves rolled up, creamy colored vest, and dark trousers. He's also wearing the glasses. yum yum I think he wears nearly the same thing in the scene where he's showing the guys how his underground chimney will work. Audience this afternoon was larger. Maybe 50 people. Laughed loudly from the very beginning and a number clapped at the end. No audience reaction cards or posters (I asked). ;-D Do you think they used an animatronic Fraser up on the roof? ;-D Evelyn, what about the head shot? Thought it was very noticeable again.

Evelyn, what about the head shot? Thought it was very noticeable again Missed it. But did think they dyed his hair again....v. dark..not his normal brown. Best droolin' outfit: The hunting one....Belted jacket,tweed plusfores (Ann tells me that's what they call "knickers"!), high socks and that wide brimmed hat!! Second best:The navy blue suit at the dinner table!!Definitely Saville Row!! ....animatronic Fraser up on the roof? ;-D What is that?That toddler did have a moronic look on his face!!

Hmmm, he looked pretty yummy in the navy suit at dinner. I also liked the shirts and button front vest combination, BTW, I thought he looked rather grumpy at the hunt, when Morris was pushing his weight around.

Ann, You are right, MLSF comes in 6th on my list. Now I can't count either. What will go next? It was hard to choose good performances from Colin since there are so many. I liked CF's and RH's acting performances the best. When I said the boy carries the film, I meant that he is really the lead actor. All other roles support his. This is about Fraser's relationship to his father not the other way around. He needed to be believable in his role which he was, but not nesessarily the best actor (this was his first acting job afterall). Acting honors goes to CF and RH, IMO.

Thanks for that Sue. Did you find that you were able to forgive Edward at the end and ended up liking him even though he had been horrible to his wife and lusted after Heloise?

sorry about the grammar.

(AnnW) . Did you find that you were able to forgive Edward at the end and ended up liking him even though he had been horrible to his wife and lusted after Heloise? Absolutely. It is a rare thing for any man to admit his faults, ESPECIALLY one who is as childlike as Edward was. His pride suffered a terrible series of blows. The fact that he was willing to humble himself and come back and work on the relationship (Where have we heard THAT before??? :-D) shows his genuine love for his wife and family. My only complaint in this regard is that we are not allowed to witness more of the redemption. At this point the movie feels like an enormous chunk was taken out of the and the hole covered over with a short narrative summarys in the boy's voice. I believe one reviewer made that observation...that the movie was slow and disjointed but right at the end you wanted it to continue to round things out. (I have a horrible suspicion that part of that nearly-one-half-hour that was trimmed off the "in-progress" movie was...or should have been...in there.)

I had to drive 2 hrs. each way in order to go to a Sunday matinee at the single theatre showing it in Seattle. The elderly man in line for the first (12:30) showing was there for the same movie and almost immediately launched into praise for P & P and how it aroused he and his spouse's awareness of CF. I asked how he found out about this movie, and he said that he saw a trailer shown in a Cineplex in Bellevue, a large town cheek by jowl with Seattle, and began looking in the newspapers for it. I remarke that they probably wouldn't be showing the trailer unless they anticipated showing the movie. We both hoped that was the case. The theatre was situated in the older part of town just west of the City Center (you know, Space Needle and all that!), but the theatre itself was very nice with steep tiered seating and a moderately good-sized screen. Sound was excellent too. To be honest, I cannot tell you the size or content of the audience as most of them were seated behind me. Relatively subdued. The best laughs for the casting scene and at the end (especially when we see the book F is studying along with his milk and cigar!) Bei g nearly noon on a Sunday, I don't know if one would expect a large turnout. I did notice, though, that as I left already a good-sized group of mixed ages were coming in and had obviously been released from waiting until the first show's audience had cleared. What surprised me was that the next showing was not due for another 40 minutes! I left the movie subdued, pensive and moved. There was a lot in there in no particular order, and I knew it would take me awhile to sort it all out in my head before being able to respond properly. The major first reaction, though, was that the movie felt as if it had had vital links chopped out of it, and I wished mightily to see what had landed on the cuttin-room floor! I couldn't possibly stay for a second showing, and I doubt I will make the trek again for it, but I know I want to see it again and ope for the opportunity soon. I'll try to get in more later. Sorry for the disjointed series of impressions.

So glad that you got the opportunity to see it. We were wondering all weekend if you had. Definitely agree that so many little bits must have been cut because I can't believe a director like Hudson would leave such fragmentary story-telling. BTW, I don't think there is any relationship between the trailers shown and what will actually play at a given theater. Best example: when I saw The Red Violin at this very same inconvenient art house cinema, we were shown the trailer for Inspector Gadget. Believe me, it never played there. ;-0

Well don KJ for driving 4 hours to see our DB, your are a true Firthfan and well done everyone who has gone to see MLSF, lets hope is has done wellagain this weekend, does anyone know where it is in the BO this weekend?

well done everyone who has gone to see MLSF Now, Ann, if you really want to boost the Box Office, fares to NY are not too expensive at the moment:-))

Don't tempt me Allison, we have got a week of next week with nothing planned except the house being painted. re the BO, I can answer my own question here, it is still at #44 and the average per screen had dropped by more than half, after such a great start it makes me so mad that Miramamx seem to have given up on it, no publicity and shown as cinemas which seem very hard to get to and some sound a bit antiquated to say the least. It seems so unfair when there is so much rubbish out there. Sorry to be a rump, on the bright side it perhaps means that we will get the video sooner rather than later.

for rump read grump. It must be very disheartening for Colin, he gives it his all and no one sees it, the same with SLOW.

(Heide) I've just read the other comments. Fascinating stuff. The film I saw begins in 1927. So most of the action takes place in 1934. Are there different copies of this film being shown? Believe it or not, there are at least two versions out there. It sounds as though Karen saw the same version that I saw in NYC, which is different than what you and I saw in Philadelphia. IMO, the version shown in NYC/Chicago is the better one. The NYC film started in 1920, the Phila. version 1927.The only visual difference I can specifically remember is that the dancing in the rain scene in the NYC film seemed to be in the moonlight - bluelit and more romantic (correct me if I'm wrong,Karen) whereas the hila film had it in daylight. The epilogues were different: the Phila. version didn't mention that the parents remained in Scotland or that Fraser was badly wounded in the war; the NYC version kind of implied that Kiloran was sold because of Pre-war economic conditions and in general was a little more detailed. In the Phila.version some of Fraser's narration was eliminated, e.g. Fraser saying that Moira and Edward had lots of children to fill up the big house, Fraser speaking simultaneuously with Edward a out Beethoven and jazz (an improvement, actually) and Fraser saying that his dad worked hard and eventually Moira forgave him. Small changes, but why for heaven's sake? Will post more later.

the dancing in the rain scene in the NYC film seemed to be in the moonlight - bluelit and more romantic Yes, it is. Fraser is up above at his bedroom window watching his parents. How could it be daylight? They are in their nightclothes. in the Phila.version some of Fraser's narration was eliminated, e.g. Fraser saying that Moira and Edward had lots of children to fill up the big house, Fraser speaking simultaneuously with Edward about Beethoven and jazz (an improvement, actually) and Fraser saying that his dad worked hard and eventually Moira forgave him. Small changes, but why for heaven's sake? Really that last one isn't such a *small change* IMO. Also I thought the simultaneous speaking was good. Parents often give their children the same explanation for things over and over again, so that a child would know the answer reflexively and tend to mimic them. Thought that was cute. Frankly, I disliked the epilogue explanations of what happend to Fraser and his family afterwards. It gives the false impression that this story is true. After having read, "Son of Adam," we know it is not. It is only loosely based on his life. A lot of creative license has been taken, so why tell everyone that Fraser goes on to become a big important television executive and director of the Royal Opera? And, yes, everybody laughs at the "he still likes jazz" line.

In Dallas, I saw a version that said "1920"..but they danced in the rain in the moonlight in pajamas as Fraser said something like "and papa made mama laugh again". It went on to say that Fraser had served in Italy during WW II, but I don't remember being wounded.And Kiloran was sold because of economics ( Edward's inventions didn't pan out, eh?). I rather liked knowing what Fraser turned out to be...it made for a good closure. *** Thank KJArt for taking that 4 hour trek.I will say Spring Fans are die-hards! I enjoyed your comments and look forward to more. With luck MLSF video should be out in February. SIL vid was released **today**!!

I rather liked knowing what Fraser turned out to be...it made for a good closure. Movie captioning has been a hot-button issue with me lately. I find it distracting and it is being overused. The most galling example lately was Tea with Mussolini. Could there have been more captions? I don't think so. I realize that most Americans have no idea when WWII was fought, where it was fought, by whom it was fought and astonishingly why it was fought, but I was insulted by the amount of captioning. Every other scene showed the date and a brief synopsis of what particular events were in th news. Argh!! This is a movie not part of a high-school history curriculum. Done ranting :-)

(Lynda) Believe it or not, there are at least two versions out there. It sounds as though Karen saw the same version that I saw in NYC, which is different than what you and I saw in Philadelphia. If there are different versions out there, and questionaires handed out, it can mean only that they are testing which version will be received better. Would make no sense if they had already decided right from the start not to promote it at all. I would guess there's still hope that one or another MLSF will get a wider release. *I'd rather be in Philadelphia.* - Mossless in Germany -

*I'd rather be in Philadelphia.* You'd rather see the one with more omissions?

I think she means she'd like to see it - period. ;-) (Renate) If there are different versions out there, and questionaires handed out, it can mean only that they are testing which version will be received better. I think that's a pretty damn good possibility and may give hope for us all.

or that she wishes she were W.C. Fields! ;-D

(Karen).... that she wishes she were W.C. Fields! ;-D LOL. Me?..I plan to keep calling Miramax for updates. Can't hurt. We've got a **live**one here...not dead like SLOW.

(Evelyn) Thank KJArt for taking that 4 hour trek. I will say Spring Fans are die-hards! The 4-hour trek was the least of it! At least one is progressing from point A to point B pretty predictably. The phrase "You can't get there from here" applies to downtown Seattle in spades...trying to maneuver became a nightmare. Even though I spent about an hour with a good map (good???) the night before planning my route, I still was frustrated in no time flat What with the unexpected barriers and wrong-way one-way streets!! All-in-all I think I had to pull over at least 5 (maybe 6) times to igure out where the **** I was (fill in your favorite explative here), and how the **** (ditto) could i get to where I wanted to go. Trying to get out was just as difficult as getting in!! I figure that maybe I'd be tempted to make the trek again , once I'd mellowed out, but the fact that I'd have to impose on friends to look in on the dog and the reality of Downtown Seattle make it pretty likely I won't try it again!!! ***** Fraser: "...and what is fell-latt-ee oh??" FOTFLOL at the expression engendered by that line on Edward's face...even more horrified than the response to the "orgy" question, I think. Hee hee. ***** Edward's "sex-education" fiasco did produce one very pronounced effect: Note that Fraser was fleeing her frantically at their next visit...undoubtedly to avoid those "temptations of the flesh" that she embodied. ***** Re: the hayloft (actually moss-loft) scene. I make my judgment of events based on her reactions later. Had there been a genuine rape, she would have told Morris and been afraid of her. Had she given in, I think she would stay as far away from the subject as possible afterwards. No, I think he did try to push it and was effectively repulsed and she got back at him for that indignity by the cutting remarks and utter contempt she showed toward him at the dinner. I think the letter later was basicly "we' e going to be in-laws, and I'll say no more about it if you won't". ***** I agree with Heide that the wake scenes seemed written for dramatic effect and felt unrealistic to the nature of the characters involved as revealed so far, especially Moira's outburst. One of the things I want to pick up on a repeat viewing was what she said to him at the bottom of the stairs...something about his choosing, I think. The confrontation was necessary to the story, but the setting was simply not very believable.

The ramifications of Fraser's family have still to be illuminated. I think I heard someone saying, as they dragged the body up from the pond, that that was "Uncle ****'s crazy brother" , therefore a distant relative...(obviously uncle by marriage). Whoever next sees it, try to nail that line will you?

(KJArt) No, I think he did try to push it and was effectively repulsed and she got back at him for that indignity by the cutting remarks and utter contempt she showed toward him at the dinner. I think the letter later was basicly "we'e going to be in-laws, and I'll say no more about it if you won't". Heloise did taunt Edward at the dinner table didn't she!! (And he in that gorgeous navy-blue suit!!)She kept bring up Biblical references and used the word "hypocrite " more than once.She was one angry lady....but I thought the scene was believable...unlike the post- funeral scene...with Edward on the floor (same gorgeous navy-blue suit) (KJArt)One of the things I want to pick up on a repeat viewing was what she said to him at the bottom of the stairs...something about his choosing.. I think it went something like "..I want youEdward...what do you want? us or her..."

*Trying to catch up* Karen, KJ, Heide, Evelyn-of-the-skies, Susanne, et. al: so glad you were able to see the movie! Unfortunately, I'm starting to forget all the details as I only saw it once a few weeks ago. Nevertheless, a few comments: (Karen) Why aren't there pictures of Colin paddling around in the water? I think there is at least one shot of him in the water in that thing. It's a head-on shot (as though the audience is facing him). Does anyone else remember? (Susanne) When I said the boy carries the film, I meant that he is really the lead actor He's the central character who connects all the threads, but his role is far less complicated than Edward's. Two versions: I wonder if this is commonly done? As I said in my first post, Miramax kept meddling with this until the bitter end (and then some). To the best of my recollection, the waltzing scene was overcast, not moonlit. But I could be wrong...[I saw the '1920' version] And the film had already melted once. The infamous moss loft: Edward had to do more than kiss Heloise (agree he didn't go so far as to rape her). There's moss all over their clothes (including their backs) and her chocker fell off. There must have been *some* rollin' around up there! (KJArt) My only complaint in this regard is that we are not allowed to witness more of the redemption. I agree. Edward writhes in his chair for a bit (Darcyesque) then has an "aha" moment. (KJArt) I agree with Heide that the wake scenes seemed written for dramatic effect and felt unrealistic to the nature of the characters involved as revealed so far, especially Moira's outburst Consider this: Moira's been wrestling with her suspicions for some time and has just lost her beloved mother. Edward and Morris are going at it and...she "loses it." She snaps. Favorite outfit: c'mon, you didn't like him clumping around the estate in those boots, with his pants tucked in? ;-P I liked the opening sequence whites the best. Next for me are those rubber pants hee hee It doesn't look as though I'll be seeing this again any time soon (will be away next week) so I will rely on the rest of you to keep posting details! (Karen) Do you think they used an animatronic Fraser up on the roof? ;-D Leave it to you to think of that! Disneytronics?? Move over, Country Bear Jamboree! Didn't you crack up when at one point Edward tries to go after Baby Fraser and he's held back by the rope?

(Eileen) Didn't you crack up when at one point Edward tries to go after Baby Fraser and he's held back by the rope? Perfect example of the physicality Colin brings to the role! Real slapstick moment if there ever was one. I think there is at least one shot of him in the water in that thing. In the movie, yes. I meant a still shot. I want a Snappy of that one. :-D

*hit the button before I was ready* (Eileen) Edward had to do more than kiss Heloise (agree he didn't go so far as to rape her)...There must have been *some* rollin' around up there! Definitely agree. How do the rest of you explain Edward's insinuations when he tries to make the bet with Morris and then his gloating response to Morris at the funeral about having "won the bet several months ago"? Something had to have happened. Not a rape, but consensual to some extent.

How do the rest of you explain Edward's insinuations when he tries to make the bet with Morris and then his gloating response to Morris at the funeral about having "won the betseveral months ago"? Something had to have happened. I think Edward's gotten carried away with his childish need to lord it over Morris. He's making more out of it than what actually happened completely ignoring the fact that he's got an audience of his wife and children not to mention other sundry relatives who are hearing every word. I am sure Heloise would have told Morris if she had been raped. The fact that Morris knew nothing tells me Heloise was ashamed to tell him what did happen which I interpret to be something like a little grope and feel, may e a kiss. She's angry and embarrassed that she let it happen. Edward thinks he scored. Favorite outfit....ummm, definitely need a second look since I liked them all!

By more of the redemption, I meant after his apology. Fraser's narration talks about his taking many weeks to "teach her to laugh again" or something like that ...they showed the dance in the rain as our only witness to that process. I felt deprived. I wanted to watch the process of Edward tentatively doing whatever he did to gradually get back into her good graces and patch up their wounded relationship...that would have been a whole story in itself...and they chose not to show it...and I missed it!!

(Karen) Something had to have happened. I agree. Not a rape, but consensual to some extent. I don't agree. there is no evidence that anything consensual took place. When they showed her later straightening herself, she was obviously very upset. I did not interpret it as guilt. And she wouldn't dare taunt him at dinner in front of all the others if "something consensual" had taken place...she would have made every effort to avoid the subject. (Heide) She's angry and embarrassed that she let it happen. Edward thinks he scored. I think this is a very good interpretation of the situation and comes much closer to my impression of it...it reflects Edward's immaturity -- crowing to the other guy that he had managed to "cop a feel". --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't disagree with Edward's motivations (boasting, crowing, etc.). It's Heloise's response or lack of response I find very bothersome. If she had been raped, she would have told Morris. If she kept it to herself because she didn't want to cause problems with the family she was marrying into, when Edward makes that crack, she would have said something like "you animal!" She has already shown that she will speak her mind ("pay no attention to your father") amd the dinner table comments about Edward b ing a hypocrite (Mr. God-fearing muscular Christian unable to control his lust and commiting adultery). She on the other hand is not a hypocrite, but a very free spirited modern woman of the 20s or 30s, depending on your city. ;-) Also, there was Edward's comment to Fraser about the French, having no moral fiber or something like that. (KJ) When they showed her later straightening herself, she was obviously very upset. I did not interpret it as guilt. I did. She didn't look the least terrified or flustered. To me, she looked a little guilty.

You have the advantage of me...I only saw it once! 8-D I wonder if Colin's conception of "making an ass of himself" includes rape or flagrant adultery? hm?

I wonder if Colin's conception of "making an ass of himself" includes rape or flagrant adultery? hm? Considering the social climate of the time, I'd say his literal 'roll in the moss' qualifies as flagrant adultery. IMO had a rape occurred it would not be so glossed over by anyone (actor, critic) speaking about the film.

From DP in the TImes today:"It's about how a family forgives itself and ges on with life after a dramatic domestic incident....the incident involves illicit love". Apparently Sir Denis Foreman has seen the film and has declared himself happy with the result. Seems unlikely that Sir Denis would want to see his father portrayed as a rapist!!

Puttnam: "illicit love" Thank you, Allison. I would interpret his comment as more than having lustful feelings or trying for a little grope. That means there was sex, but definitely not a rape because a rape would never be called love.

If it was consensual, Heloise sure wasn't a happy camper at dinner. Whatever went on...he sure looked cute coming into the sitting room with that moss hanging out of his ears :-)

If it was consensual, Heloise sure wasn't a happy camper at dinner. If I remember correctly, she pounced on his words only after he started acting a bit holier-than-thou. He was twisting Christian beliefs to suit his purposes and she wanted to expose him as a hypocrite. Actually, now that I think about, she probably told Morris.

Colin's performance just gets better and better, after the third viewing, I'm looking forward to 3 more! Heloise is the only character that seems two dimensional, IJ played her with just a few facial expressions. (Karen) Actually, now that I think about, she probably told Morris. If Morris knew about it at dinner, I think he would be very angry, and would certainly shown Edward his displeasure, physically...later on at the funereal he punched Edward about the bet.

Just kidding about Heloise telling Morris. She's such a flirt though. Am wondering if how we're viewing this is somehow colored by the fact that we're women and the film was made by men. What do men think happened?

(Emma) Colin's performance just gets better and better, after the third viewing, I'm looking forward to 3 more! Ain't it the truth, girl!!! I have thoroughly enjoyed all your comments about MLSF. Hope you can stand reading some more of mine. Re: the moss factory scene. Neither I nor any of the other people who saw this film with me think Edward had sex with Heloise, much less raped her. He may have forced a kiss and a grope on her, in which struggle she lost the choker. After the scream (which sounded more like "please, Edward" to me - in a vein similar to "get off of me, ya big lug"), she said to Edward (out of the frame at that moment) that he was behaving like a child. Not the words of a woman who had just had either consentual or non-cons ntual sex with her brother-in-law to-be. Furthermore, Edward's behaviour with Morris afterwards would have been much different, frightened had he raped Heloise or barely concealed gloating had it been mutually-desired sex. As for Heloise's obvious distress, it came from the loss of the choker, but also, possibly, from the unexpected intensity of Edward's desire (she may have seen him, through Morris' eyes, as a buffoon, but there was nothing lightweight about his passion). Edward's look at Heloise when she joined Morris and the girls was one of longing. And there was a perfect little look that CF had Edward give Heloise at the dinner table, whose meaning I can't quite articulate, kind of li e the look one sibling gives to another when he's afraid the other is going to tattle on him, not a look of shame or guilt, but a kind of "damn you" expression. I have to say here, that this one tiny, amazing, perfect expression epitomizes what I so adore about Colin's acting. Finally, could Heloise and Edward have actually sat across the dinner table from each other and next to Morris and Moira just a few hours after they'd had sex together, whatever it's nature? The Marquise de Merteuil and Valmont coul have pulled it off, but probably not Heloise and certainly not Edward, IMO. As for the quickness of Edward's attraction, do we know how long passed between Heloise's arrival and the loft episode? Maybe a man married for at least 17 years with seven or eight kids (there were 3 at the adult's table and 5 at the kid's table in the dinner scene, but were they were all Pettigrew children?) shouldn't lust after his brother-in-law's fiancee, but IMO, impetuous, virile (he keeps talking about a manly, masculine attitude towards Christianity) and unwordly Edward would be exactly the type f man to fall head-over-heels in lust with lively, wordly, physical (remember how she kept stroking Fraser?) young Heloise, so very different from Moira. Which brings me to Heloise's behaviour in the loft scene. Now far be it from me to suggest that Heloise was asking for it here, but... in the earlier scene, when Edward sent Fraser off in a most obvious manner and then gave Heloise his little gift, she gave him quite a seriously appraising look, to which he responded with a look which reminded me of Neil gazing at Romelia -shy and unsure of himself. Next time we see them together alone, it's in the mossloft again. Now, Heloise may have been young, but she wasn't Fraser's age, and she'd played in a dance trio and must have been used to men's attentions. I won't buy for a minute that she was unaware of Edward's being completely besotted with her, so why would she risk being alone with him? The scene began with him talking about some building he was planning (he even had the plans in his hand, I think). He walked away from her, still talking about the moss factory, when Heloise cut him off mid-sentence and commented on how much she "loves" the moss. She was s roking Edward's ego here and making the conversation more intimate. Edward replied that he did too, stooped next to her and began speaking of Morris' contempt for the moss business, which she denied. After Edward said, "your fiance has no soul", Heloise called out his name and as Edward looked at her, she threw the moss at him, which he, most awkwardly, threw back at her and then, the kissing business began. Maybe it wasn't deliberate, but IMO, Heloise was flirting or toying with Edward. Accepting that sh wasn't interested in Edward, (ok, I'm biased here, but Heloise choosing Morris over Edward as a lover does beggar the imagination - MMcD did a good job but he really was too old for the role, made Heloise seem a gold-digger), perhaps Heloise was flattered by his infatuation, maybe took it as her due, but for Edward's part, he was deadly serious. When she had time to think about it, Heloise accepted her share of the blame for this episode, which is why she sent that conciliatory letter. In short, Heloise lirted with Edward and Edward (in Colin's words) made an ass of himself. My son's response to Edward's behaviour here was "What an idiot!". Of course, I could be all wet in my take on this; sorry for being so long-winded but as there has been so much interesting, insightful discussion on this, I've given it a lot of thought. Look forward to your responses. BTW, I believe that MLSF is the first CF film that I've seen in which he does not say "Wot". :-)

(Lynda) And there was a perfect little look that CF had Edward give Heloise at the dinner table...like the look one sibling gives to another when he's afraid the other is going to tattle on him, not a look of shame or guilt, but a kind of "damn you" expression. That's a great look he gives her after she tells him that you can't consider yourself a good Christian if you profess one thing and do another. After the mossloft scene, when Edward comes into the sitting room where Morris is hanging out, I got the feeling he's just itching to be noticed or to pick a fight. He kept pacing about, hovering around him. Then of course he picks up the tray of drinks and that starts it all. It is like he wants Morris to see him semi-disheveled, with the hanks of moss hanging off him.

Well, finally got to see MLSF today! :) the theater was So Small! only 52 seats (i counted) and the screen was about the size of two big screen tv's. Did any body else get stuck with such a tiny screening room? On the plus side, it was pretty full, about 40/45 people there. (i brought 3 with me!) :) i thought Colin was gorgeous (of course!) and did a wonderful job... but must admit that i was slightly disappointed in the movie over all. I loved the first 1/3, when we see Edward as the family man -with all of his goofy inventions. :) And there are so many wonderful shots of Colin's adorable face and he portrayed a wide range of emotions very well. He totally had me drooling and laughing in So many places. What drove me crazy was that most of the movie was focused on Edward's faults- that's where i th ught it started to drag. Then when it got around to them dancing in the rain (*sigh* how romantic is that?) i thought, 'ah finally -it's getting good again' and the next thing i know, the movie is over! I wanted to know WHAT Edward did to win back Moria's love and trust, and to make her laugh again! Also, to repeat what nearly everyone else has stated; the scene at the funeral/wake was SO unrealistic! And, did anybody else get tired of watching a ten yr old boy obesse about sex and naked women? And what t e heck was Sissy the maid (who looked about 15) doing bathing a 10 yr old boy? ok- i'll stop ranting and raving now :) scenes i though were hysterical: the flyfishing (of course!) :) Edward on the rope Edward in the floating device Fraser w/the cigar and milk at the end Edward doing the morning excerises with his sons, then jumping into the lake the kids mouthing the introduction to their father's sermon, then nearly falling off the bench trying to keep from laughing. -admitedly this struck me as particually funny as my daddy is a laypreacher (much like Edward) and my brother, sister and i used to do this when we heard him preaching a sermon we knew as well as he did :) things that confused me: (all of which i believe have already been brought up) who the heck was the hairy man? how many kids did they have? did Moria have more than one brother? wasnt there another uncle at most of the big events? things i loved: The location- would you not die to have been raised in that wonderful old castle and spent your childhood roaming that estate? Colin, Colin, Colin. (but then -we all knew that already!) ;)

Too bad about the theatre you saw MLSF in, SB. Not surprising, though, considering the consistently off-hand treatment this film has received from its distributors. I've been lucky to see MLSF in some pretty decent theatres. The hairy man, IMO, was actually the man dredged from the loch, the shell-shocked cousin of Andrew Burns (who seemed to be like the estate manager), not a figment of Fraser's imagination. There were at least 6 children, Elspeth, another older girl, an older boy, Fraser, Brenda and Finlay. I wondered, too, about Cissy bathing Fraser. Fraser had pnuemonia in that scene, maybe that's why. I'll bet she never bathed him again, though. Kiloran was fairly remote and maids bathing children Fraser's age may have been an old custom. Don't forget that even Darcy had a servant to assist him with his bath. The Uncle Crawford to whom you are referring was, I believe, the brother of Gamma (or possibly of the deceased Samuel). I loved Edward doing the exercises with the boys and telling them to gird their loins. He kicked up his heels so high, coming down the stairs, that I thought he was going to kick himself in the bum. Fairly danced down those stairs. So much energy and life in Edward *sigh*. Has anyone figured out what he said to the boys as he was paddling about in the loch?

Hi All, I understand MLSF has EXPANDED to anohter theatre in or around Cambridge, Boston area, well done to everyone in that area who supported MLSF, its a start!!

Thanks Esbee for the review..... ( SB) but must admit that i was slightly disappointed in the movie over all. I loved the first 1/3, .... No one said it was a great movie....we said Colin was great.And we loved it for that reason. I doubt v. much if I would have flown to Dallas to see it if it had not bee a Colin film. **** You didn't give us your take on the hayloft scene....

(Evelyn) You didn't give us your take on the hayloft scene.... Hmmm... i certainly didnt think it was a rape. In truth, i never would have thought that any more happened, then what we saw, if i wasnt reading our disection of it, here at drool. :) But, it did seem rather dis-jointed, perhaps this was one of the places where the film was edited down. (Lynda) I loved Edward doing the exercises with the boys and telling them to gird their loins. He kicked up his heels so high, coming down the stairs, that I thought he was going to kick himself in the bum. LOL! I loved that scene! It had me shivering in my seat -as much from how cold it looked, as from being exposed to so much of Colin in that Bathing Suit! ;) (hee hee) Don't forget that even Darcy had a servant to assist him with his bath. Now there's a position i'd like to apply for! :) "I'm sorry sir, I've missed a spot and i'll have to scrub your back again... oops! I've dropped that slippery wash cloth -dont mind my fingers while i search for it..." ;)

Oh you are awful, SB. heehee

What can I say? I am reeling from all your wonderful reviews, impressions and evocative descriptions of MLSF. I have also gone a gorgeous shade of green. Any news of the number of theatres showing it to be increased? Some of you have had a real trek to see it. Thanks for creating such a lovely haven for those of us who have not yet seen it to visit.

Sorry, my English is very bad. I hope I will not bother you. When I have left the cinema after seeing MLSF, one gentleman of, maybe, 50 years old was very willing to comment about the plot. He said that Beethoven himself was a bit just like Edward, because he too "took his brother's wife". I assured him briefly that identifying the "immortal beloved", which is alluded in one of the composer's letters, with his brother Johann wife is entirely a Hollywood invention. And that Beethoven condemned Mozart for having written "Don Giovanni",-such a frivolous subject in his opinion. I could have added that Beethoven's high ideea about women and marriage is expressed in "Fidelio", where a wife is ready to enter in the prison to save his husband. But he looked at me so surprised, that I gave up. So, you see, this movie(MLSF) can produce very unexpected reactions among the american male audience. They are not prepared to accept "more" redemption :-) And I think they would have laughted if that was to be shown on the screen, as someone suggested here. I have always associated in my mind Mr.Darcy with the composer(born in 1770). On the other hand, Beethoven's music, seen as a source of energy, is nourishing Edward's mind. An inventor which boils his watch and looks at the egg... and behaves childishly, because this is how his mind can work! P.S.For french-speaking moviegoers, like me, Heloise's voice (from the factory) sounds clearly: ...arrete...please (=stop, please).

Welcome Cristina....what an interesting introspection you have given us. Mr Darcy like Beethoven.....come to think of it he does look like him . (Gary Oldman in "Beloved Immortal"). Wonderful to have a french-speaking Firthfan among us.Have you seen any other of Colin Firth's films besides P&P? Stick around...we would enjoy hearing more of your comments.It always invigorates us to have a newcomer come on board!!

Welcome Cristina. Do not worry about your English. You have brought up some very interesting points and cleared up what Heloise said. Arrete makes perfect sense. I like how you've linked genius and childish behavior because it is true. Edward, while no Beethoven or Einstein, has the instincts of a genius. They are often extremely childish in their behavior as if other parts of the brain, where maturity resides has not developed fully. Cristina, please continue to join in here or on the other boards.

Welcome, Cristina. So true about genius and childish behaviour - perhaps because these kinds of people are, by necessity, so self-absorbed. Re: Edward's immaturity. Part of the problem was how he was treated - like an indulged child, without responsibility but also without authority. IMO, Gamma's worst moment was berating Edward as if he were a naughty boy, not only in front of Morris and the workers, but his son, in the blasting scene. I felt so sorry for Edward in that scene; he was so publicly treated with such disrespect. Edward's response was not that of a man, but of an obedient, submissive (but resentful) child. Didn't much care for G mma in the scene where Elspeth asks Moira's permission to call Heloise by her given name. And Edward didn't act in the baby Fraser scene or the Halloween scene until Gamma told him to. I had wondered why Morris, the natural heir, left Kiloran; perhaps he knew he'd never become a man living under Gamma's rule.

(Lynda) Gamma's worst moment was berating Edward as if he were a naughty boy, not only in front of Morris and the workers, but his son, in the blasting scene. I didn't get the impression that everyone could hear Gamma. Seemed as though they were far enough away. Although Andrew could certainly tell what was going to happen. One thing I especially thought cute was Andrew's comment about Morris as Edward is walking over to them and then Fraser's repeating it exactly when he and dad are walking home together. Just like a child to repeat what he hears adults say without likely knowing what is meant.

Your insights are very welcome, Cristina. As you can see, we're very glad you joined us here. (Karen) I like how you've linked genius and childish behavior because it is true. Edward, while no Beethoven or Einstein, has the instincts of a genius. They are often extremely childish in their behavior as if other parts of the brain, where maturity resides has not developed fully. I like what you say here, Karen. It's a perfect description of Edward's character. I didn't get the impression that everyone could hear Gamma. I too wasn't sure if the others could hear Gamma. My memory is often faulty but I had the impression that Edward didn't think they could hear and acted as if the idea to stop blasting was his own. But whether they could be overheard or not, I too didn't care for Gamma's scolding. I know her son-in-law exasperates her but it appears that she felt a genuine fondness for him. Perhaps her method of admonishment was to forestall Morris who surely would have made a bigger fool of Edward in front of everyone iven the chance.

(Heide) Perhaps her method of admonishment was to forestall Morris who surely would have made a bigger fool of Edward in front of everyone given the chance. This makes sense -I wondered about that scene, it seemed slightly out of character for Gamma to scold him that way. Remember when the smoke started escaping all across the front yard, and Gamma calls out the window to Edward -there's a completely different tone to it. And when she turns around and sees Moria standing there in frozen horror (over the necklace) Gamma hurries to reassure her that she wasnt actually upset with Edward.

Perhaps I was wrong in my take on this scene, but I got the impression that others heard Gamma because of the way Fraser tried to reassure his dad afterwards and Edward's response that Gamma thought Uncle Morris knew best. Also, if Morris had berated Edward, Edward might have been able to respond in a more grown-up way. I do think Gamma loved Edward (witness the look on her face as she watched him exercising with the boys) but did not treat him as a man , IMO.

There's no question in my mind that Gamma loved Edward; she did leave Kiloran to him. However, Gamma treats her boys like boys, even Morris. She rules with an iron fist in a velvet glove. Whether the moss crew and Fraser heard Gamma berate Edward is not all that important because the others all knew what was going on. Andrew even made that comment before Edward approached the car.

I just saw MLSF today...it was a "surprise" when it popped up here, (in Cleveland, Ohio) but I made sure that I was at the first showing!! I appreciate reading all the comments here, esp. re: Gamma's control over here "brood". I would have to agree... I will be going back to see it again, because like "Shakespeare in Love", I'm sure I will see more every time, if not the characters, then the scenery, etc. I'll try to come up with some "intellectually important" comments, vs. reporting that Colin has the CUTEST smile in the last scene....**mild swoon!!**

Cleveland!! Hey, there is hope for the other cities. Heard it left Washington, D.C. thought. Maybe you guys got the reels. KC: We want to hear anything you'd like to share with us. You can start with the "intellectually important" areas as (1) favorite outfit, (2) funniest lines, (3) places where you thought Edward should have punched Morris' lights out, (4) favorite bathing suits... you get the idea! Wouldn't you have wanted Colin's last look into the room to continue forever? To die for.

Well, since I have Karen's permission to be discuss such matters of doctrinal import.... I saw MLSF again yesterday and have to admit I was longing for a rewind button during the bathing suit scene. I was worried when I read about this scene two years ago that it would be a goofy looking outfit, but he looks darn cute in it. Particularly when shown running away from the camera ;-). Regarding my favorite outfit, I will have to join in with the group that the blue suit he wore at dinner was spectacular. I also liked the rolled up sleeves and braces he wore in the scene where they were tasting the asbestos (at least I think it was that scene). And didn't you cringe when you saw them breaking that asbestos apart to think of those cancer-causing particles floating through the air? Or did I imagine this? I'm pretty sure they said that chimney stuff was asbestos. And MLSF has made it to Cleveland? Great news kcjones - thanks for sharing. It's up from three theatres to five in the So Cal area so there must be some extra reels lurking around somewhere. Maybe there's still a smidge of hope for some of the other cities.

(Jana) And didn't you cringe when you saw them breaking that asbestos apart to think of those cancer-causing particles floating through the air? I thought it was pretty funny in a sick way. At least we know from the book that Edward Pettigrew (aka Adam Forman) lived to age 100 or thereabouts!

(JanaH) I also liked the rolled up sleeves and braces he wore in the scene where they were tasting the asbestos Love these matters of doctrinal import! ;-D Am partial to the shirt and braces shots myself as in watching the home movie with Fraser. You're so right about the bathing suit. I remember our discussions about it and how we were all cringing about those awful baggy things. If he couldn't go skinny dipping, I'm so glad the costume designer picked out something more flattering for all of us. ;-D

(Jana2) And MLSF has made it to Cleveland? /.../ It's up from three theatres to five in the So Cal area so there must be some extra reels lurking around somewhere. Maybe there's still a smidge of hope for some of the other cities. Not for Seattle, I fear. It has left the one theatre that it was in and is no more in the area. Not surprising, though. The Powers That Be evidently worked very hard to withhold information of its existence from the general public, and succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. I saw but one ad in print and that on the day it opened. Nothing more. (Here, great gnashing of teeth!) Well, that's one more reel available to spread a little joy around somewhere else, anyway. (I am glad to see that it made it t my natal city, at least. :-))

In my quest to introduce as many people as possible to the talents of Colin, I will be seeing MLSF for the second time (in Cleveland, Ohio) on Tuesday with a fellow Firth fan....I've already "expanded her horizons" her by insisting she see my copy of Valmont (bought from a video store going out of biz...I LOVE CF in that!!!). She's already a fan of his work in P&P, but didn't know much about his other work. I can only hope that MLSF "catches" on here in Cleveland... it's playing at the same theater that showed "The Winslow Boy" for over one month...when it had disappeared from other parts of the country. I think I'll need to see MLSF at least 3 or 4 times to get all the details, so if I can bring one or two people with me each time, hmmmmm....perhaps Miramax will notice...!!!

(Karin) I think I'll need to see MLSF at least 3 or 4 times to get all the details Absolutely! And it's interesting that I haven't gotten tired or bored with it yet. Think I will be seeing it for my 5th time today and am looking forward to it. I mean it has been slightly over a week since I saw it last. ;-D Are there any specific things that I need to look for? perhaps Miramax will notice...!!! I think the only thing Miramax is looking at right now is "Teaching Mrs. Tingle," which got trashed by the critics. However, its audience doesn't care what the critics say.

(Cristina) An inventor which boils his watch and looks at the egg... and behaves childishly, because this is how his mind can work! (Karen) I like how you've linked genius and childish behavior because it is true. Edward, while no Beethoven or Einstein, has the instincts of a genius. They are often extremely childish in their behavior as if other parts of the brain, where maturity resides has not developed fully. (Heide)I like what you say here, Karen. Oh, so do I. Don't we all know people like this? Welcome, Cristina! Loved your comments, particularly about the reaction of men in the audience. I'm glad to see MLSF expanding to other theaters/cities, but it appears to be at the expense of Seattle and Washington DC. I scoured the NY Times yesterday for the first time in 3 weekends (have been away). No MLSF ad, but listings revealed it's still playing at the Angelika. My local NJ paper surprisingly had a brief review, but it was not favorable. Grrr...

Hmmm.... think i forgot to list my favorite outfit. The Kilt- definetly the kilt. *sigh* i wish he would have worn in it in more than just one short scene.

Ladies, I thank you for your sympathy and encouragements. I'm learning a lot of informal English from you. Some of you have a very organized mind and one can feel that the discussion is making a step forward after some of your writtings here. (I suspect that some of you have Ph.D.s ... That's OK, we know Colin to prefer women with degrees ;-) I'm posting here to confess that I have seen the movie many(6) times. Just some small thoughts now: Have you noticed that the "brooding" scene (=Edward thinking to stay or leave) is musically accompanied by a music (the 3rd movement of a LvB Quartet Op.135) which is noted "Lento assai e cantante tranquillo"(=enough slow and quietly)? Now, Ladies, please tell me which other actor would dare to try to catch the watcher's attention just "sitting and brooding" on the screen in the company of an "enough slow and quietly" music ?!?! No explosion, no special effects there, not even a trumpet, just HIM sitting there, relying on his acting talent. I particullarly liked this choice of music. The next, 4th, movement of the quartet is called by the composer :"Decision very hardly taken. Muss es sein? Es muss sein!"(=Must that happen? It must!), - and is a very dramatic piece of music. But they choose the 3rd part, not hte 4th, for Edward's scene, because he does not yet know what to do. Everything in this movie is delicate and fine like a jewerly. Do not try to give it to "the crowds", it would not do! P.S. Have you seen the essays about P&P gathered in a book called "Jane Austen in Hollywood" (a chapter is titled "Mr.Darcy's Body" !). A group of droolers (with various degrees in literature) published by the Univ.of Kentucky tried to explain ... the magic.

Thank you Cristina, for describing the different movements of the music background.It gives us a better insight to the different scenes. I shall continue to hound Tower Records for the soundtrack. Since the musical score was performed by the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Simon Rattle, I hope I shall be able to find it in UK. It took six months for the P&P soundtrack to make it to the US. ***** (Cristina)Have you seen the essays about P&P gathered in a book called "Jane Austen in Hollywood"(a chapter is titled "Mr.Darcy's Body" !). No. Has anybody else seen this book....?? Is it commercially published? ***** Thanks Karen for FF review. I was surprised that it was ever commercially shown.

Re: Jane Austen in Hollywood I've never seen it, but I've read the Darcy part and I might have it on a diskette somewhere. I'll look.

Christina, I really enjoy your comments! It's very interesting that the soundtrack was performed by Simon Rattle and the Birmingham SO, our finest conductor, and for many people our finest orchestra. That enough would justify seeing MLSF. It seem to me that an awful lot of thought and effort went into making this film, and then it was subjected to a preview, and Miramax ordered a severe re-edit (30 minutes screen time lost) and virtually dumped it. Perhaps the original would have been better than the slim-line version, especially if viewed by an appreciative audience.

(Cristina) I'm posting here to confess that I have seen the movie many(6) times. Where have you been? And why haven't you joined us on the other Colin subjects? 6 times!! I'm going to have to go again this week to catch up with you, I'm only on 5. Your comments about the music are very interesting, as I too share your admiration of Colin's unique ability to project his turmoil merely by sitting in a chair near a fire, pulling on a cigarette. He's done it before with great success. About the only thing missing was the ritual splashing of water on his face. ;-D Do you know what music was used for the waltz in the rain?

(Cristina) But they choose the 3rd part, not hte 4th, for Edward's scene, because he does not yet know what to do. Very interesting and insightful! which other actor would dare to try to catch the watcher's attention just "sitting and brooding" on the screen in the company of an "enough slow and quietly" music ?!?! No explosion, no special effects there, not even a trumpet, just HIM sitting there, relying on his acting talent. *sigh* Well said. This is why we love the guy. BTW, your English is wonderful. I've only seen it once. Since it appears wide distribution will happen only when it snows in hell, I've got to head back to NYC to see it. *planning and scheming commences*

Sue reports that MLSF is still playing in Dallas. Different theatre, but in the same neighborhood. (Near a university...."arty" crowd). **** I am so impressed with Cristina's music report...I copied it on my MLSF file. Will really come in handy when we discuss the film, and get to that scene. Can you enlighten us on any of the other music? ***** Called Tower Records, soundtrack not listed . I am not surprised, since it is such a little film with limited viewing, it would not pay to produce the CD. What a bummer!!

Jane Austen in Hollywood (Evelyn)No. Has anybody else seen this book....?? Is it commercially published? (Karen) I've never seen it, but I've read the Darcy part and I might have it on a diskette somewhere. Yes, you've seen it ladies, because I had it in my hot little hands in Waterstones when we were in London. Remember? I didn't buy it 'cause I thought I'd find it in the US. Well, haven't found it yet. Emma, don't you have it? Thanks for the info on the 3rd movement of the Beethoven Quartet, Cristina. I hope to see it again Saturday (if it keeps hanging in there in Philly) and I'll take great satisfaction in listening to (and watching) this scene.

Thanks for the info on the music, Cristina. A beautiful scene. I took my sister-in-law to see MLSF in Toronto yesterday. It is playing at only one theatre now, but an art-house multiplex in a good area. She thought it a very good movie and CF cute and boyish. I just love this film and am most seriously displeased with what Miramax has done with its distribution. I hope that when it is released on video, we get the whole film. I know some of you don't like the wake scene but CF is so wonderful in it and all the scenes that follow; his acting is exquisite. I've read the "Jane Austen in Hollywood" book, but copied only the Darcy bits, which were pretty astutely written by several writers and made me drool all the more as I read them.

copied only the Darcy bits, which were pretty astutely written by several writers and made me drool all the more as I read them. I do like one of the phrases used, something about Colin as Mr. Darcy "privileging the female gaze." MLSF is out of the Philly theatre I saw it in but is moving to another (Ritz Bourse) so it must still be doing well here. The Muse has bumped it out of the Ritz East.

Yes, MLSF must be hangin' in there throughout its measly distribution--practically without advertising, no less! I've read that audiences consistently love the movie. What a shame it was "back burnered" by the powers-that-be at Miramax. I guess they learned the hard way that Rupie-baby isn't the mega-star they thought! AIH hasn't fared so well in the box office.

Just another comment on the soundtrack. I can't understand why there hasn't been more publicity given to the fact that it's performed by the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle. He is simply our best conductor (soon departing for top job at the Berlin) and, more significantly, he doesn't "do" film soundtracks. This must be the only one he's done. Perhaps when MLSF opens in the UK, someone will mention this!! It seems to me that Miramax initially pulled out all the big guns, then got cold feet after the first preview, got Hugh Hudson to do a severe re-edit (30 minutes is a lot of footage to lose), shelved the movie for a year, and then dumped it in favour of RE and AIH. I think that with the limited number of prints available, it can only open in a few independent art-house type cinemas in London when it finally comes to the UK. Shame!!

Shame, indeed, Bethan! I can only hope that when they finally release the video that a "director's cut" will be issued. (but they probably won't ... it'll lose money, I'm sure, and after all, that IS the name of the game, isn't it?

Status report on MLSF in Cleveland, Ohio....I am totally bummin' because the movie listings for today say that MLSF will be leaving the local (only) theater that had it for about 2 weeks...so, some OTHER lucky city will get that reel...SO, I will be seeing it tomorrow, with my neighbor, and most likely back again on Tuesday, the last day... it will be interesting to see how long the pathetic "Teaching Mrs.Tingle" stays in local theaters, also a Miramax film, which has received much more press and interviews with the "stars" than MLSF ever did...I heard the original title was "Killing Mrs.Tingle", but because of the Columbine shootings, they changed the title...tells you a lot about the quality (and redeeming subject matter) of the film, eh??! Why does the Miramax press dept. decide to "throw away" a MLSF???? I realize that Colin was busy filming, and probably could not do the "press junket", but why spend all that money to MAKE the film and then not promote it...GRRRR!!! Sorry for the "pity party" tonight, but ODB deserves better, esp. when he is the LEAD actor!!!

Hear Hear Karin, and without any promotion or advertising I understand it has done as well as an AIH did in the first 5 weeks, so with a little more help who knows!!

As has been postulated by many, IMO Miramax decided early on (pre-Cannes) to treat MLSF the way it has. If it had become a huge hit (in spite of Miramax), with critical raves, lines around the theater, showings sold out, etc. things would be different now. Regardless, it has been somewhat successful. Several well-known critics gave glowing reviews. Its early box office returns were good. Audiences seem to like it. Alas, this is not enough for Miramax. They're sticking to their original stingy relea e and promotion strategies. My DH watched 'Enemy of the State' the other night. Fifteen minutes was enough for me. Startling premise and special effects aside, I thought it was terrible. The acting was simply awful...but it made a gabillion $$$. It was aimed directly at the cyberyouth of today, who obviously didn't care about the acting. I understand 'The Matrix' was similar. So this is what we have to look forward to in the future...clones of this type of movie. Horror was the ticket to success in the US this summer. If a n n-Diehard movie starring Bruce Willis can carry the box office, you know audiences don't care about acting quality. When artsy pics such as AIH, Winslow Boy, MLSF etc. don't do well (for whatever reason), those of us who do care about acting, whose standards have been raised by CF, are out of luck. We shall have to make due and hope things change. But there's always TV and the stage (and video)!

Still, there are critics who can recognize quality. This one gave MLSF a B+: A coming of age tale, based on the memoirs of Sir Denis Forman, MY LIFE SO FAR will be seen as a delight for film lovers of small independent movies. Ten years old Fraser lives on the Kiloran Estate in the Scottish Highlands in the late 1920's. Fraser's life and the life of his unusual family, especially his eccentric father Edward (Colin Firth) creator of the only moss factory in Europe, have their lives changed with the visit from Uncle Morris (Malcolm McDowell) and his lovely French fianc�e Heloise. Combining the fine photography of Bernard Lutic, and incredible cast of actors (including Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), and direction by Hugh Hudson (CHARIOTS OF FIRE), you will have a memorable film experience. Alex Scudder for American Dreamer

From the Boston Phoenix , 8-9-99, : My Life So Far DIRECTED BY: Hugh Hudson REVIEWED: 08-09-99 By the titles of their memoirs you will know them. The subject of Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man will become James Joyce; the author of My Life So Far (originally titled Son of Adam) will grow up to be Sir Denis Forman, a British television executive. Joyce is a genius; Forman is not -- yet Hugh Hudson's adaptation of Forman's book enlightens and entertains as long as it adheres to the casual, inchoate, eccentric spirit suggested by its title. Here Forman has been rechristened Fraser Pettigrew (Robert Norman), the scion of Kiloran House, which is owned by his grandmother Gamma (Rosemary Harris) and ruled by Gamma and her daughter Moira (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio). The uncertain interloper in this post-World War I Scottish Elysium is Fraser's beloved father, Edward (Colin Firth), who has taken the rolling-stone proverb to heart and turned the estate into the world's only supplier of sphagnum moss. That and his penchant for Beethoven, fly ng machines, and cold outdoor baths mark Edward as a free spirit. But not where matters of the flesh are concerned. He spends his spare time preaching Non-Conformist fire and brimstone -- until Moira's dapper millionaire brother Morris (Malcolm McDowell) shows up with his young French bride, H�lo�se (Irene Jacob). Ostensibly told from Fraser's point of view, this morality tale of desire, propriety, covetousness, and hypocrisy is most telling when Hudson keeps it at a distance (a final confrontation is jarring and distasteful), allowing Norman's carrot-topped curiosity and insouciance to take charge. A tasty trifle full of treats, My Life So Far is satisfying as far as it goes. --Peter Keough And a nicely-worded analysis from "Boxoffice Online Reviews": Boxoffice Movie Review Search MY LIFE SO FAR ***1/2 Starring Colin Firth, Malcolm McDowell, Robert Norman, Irene Jacob and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. Directed by Hugh Hudson. Written by Simon Donald. Produced by David Puttnam and Steve Norris. A Miramax release. Comedy/Drama. Rated PG-13 for sexual content, including some nude pictures. Running time: 94 min. Based on Sir Denis Forman's memoir, "Son of Adam," "My Life So Far" is a gentle but trenchant period piece set in Scotland during that idyllic "long weekend" between the two world wars. Ten-year-old Fraser Pettigrew (Robert Norman) narrates not only the story of his own childhood but the story of his family and the quiet emotional chaos that erupts when Uncle Morris (Malcolm McDowell) brings his French fiancee Heloise (Irene Jacob) to the family estate. That Heloise is less than half Morris's age not to mention vivacious and beautiful, escapes no one's notice, especially Fraser's inventor father, Edward (Colin Firth), and his patient mother (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio). While Fraser attempts to educate himself in the ways of the world to understand why he thinks of Heloise the way he does, Edward wrestles with his own feelings for the young woman, realizing that he needs to come of age himself, perhaps even more than his son. The film is modest in its ambitions, but in what it's trying to accomplish, it succeeds admirably. The evocation of both period and perspective seems effortless, and there's a masterful balance throughout between real emotion and genuine humor. Though sweet and charming, the tone never crosses the line into cloying mawkishness. This is a credit to the whimsical, knowing script, the clarity of the direction, and the expertise of the actors. There's not an inauthentic performance in the ensemble, a d while Norman is smartly beguiling as our ostensible protagonist, the true stand-out is Firth. It's really his story, but Firth never hogs the screen. He plays Edward with such subtlety and yet such precision that he's able to reveal Edward's feelings completely while actually saying very little on the surface. Indeed, the whole film works this way: understated yet utterly lucid. As a result, it's as poignant as it is pleasurable. -L. J. Strom To those who have already chased these down, I apologize for redundancy, but these at least SEEMED new to me and I wanted to share them.

Thanks, KJ. I don't think I've seen this last one--the one with all the bold face type!! Wow!! What a great review of Colin's performance. L.J. Strom must be a woman. While Fraser attempts to educate himself in the ways of the world to understand why he thinks of Heloise the way he does, Edward wrestles with his own feelings for the young woman, realizing that he needs to come of age himself, perhaps even more than his son. Wrestles with his own feelings? When? He acts on them right away. He only wrestles with her rejection of him. The realization that he needs to grow up only comes *after* Moira waggles her finger at him and her voice breaks a few times with choked up emotion. Other than that, the review is right on. ;-D

OHHHHHHHHH I want to see this movie, I don't see much chance of it playing anywhere near though. To make it more unbearable my sister keeps telling me what a wonderful film it is.

Thanks KJ I hadn't read any of these reviews. And what gems they are...beautifully written...well thought out reviews.A joy to read both in content and in form.

Again, apologies to those who've seen these: From the Montreal Gazette E-Files: My Life So Far Starring: Colin Firth, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Malcolm McDowell, Irene Jacob, Robbie Norman. Rated: Parental guidance,, adult themes. Mining the warmth of a handsome Life Marke Andrews Vancouver Sun From its opening scene, of a toddler crawling perilously along the gutters high atop a Scottish manor house, My Life So Far has the audience in its embrace. It's a warm place to be. The Scottish film, which reunites the Chariots of Fire team of producer David Puttnam and director Hugh Hudson (the film is dedicated to Ian Charleson, late star of Chariots), has a buoyant screenplay, well-rounded characters and cinematography that bathes the people and the Scottish countryside in a late-summer glow. The story, which screenwriter Simon Donald adapted from Denis Forman's book, Son of Adam, is told by 10-year-old Fraser (Robert Norman) in a narrative technique similar to the Swedish film My Life as a Dog. Growing up in the 1920s, Simon lives on the grand estate of his grandmother, known as Gamma (Rosemary Harris), and her extended family. Simon's father, Edward (Colin Firth), is an impulsive fellow who invents fantastic gadgets and dreams of mining the estate's moss for profit. His mother, Moi a (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), at one time considered a musical career, but settled for family life instead. Edward and Moira, parents to two (Kelly MacDonald plays Fraser's teenage sister, Elspeth), openly show their affection for one another. Disapproving of Edward and his dreamer's existence is his older brother Morris (Malcolm McDowell), a businessman who anticipates inheriting the estate upon Gamma's death (and, the others fear, tossing them into the street). The matriarch, however, has no such plans, telling Morris: "This isn't a business, it's our home." Tension arises when Morris brings his young French fiance Heloise (Irene Jacob) to Kiloran House, and Edward feels stirrings in his britches for the newcomer. Though the characters have their bad sides, it's impossible to dislike them. Everyone here, from the family members to the kitchen staff and servants to the farm animals, shimmers with life. Some literally drop in on the action, like the pony-tailed French biplane pilot who descends from the skies and takes a shine to Elspeth. The only time the screenplay turns on itself is when Gamma fires a member of the kitchen staff for spiking her favourite dessert with booze. The settings and look of the film are as important as the characters. A merchant's truck, no doubt designed by Edward, has sandwich boards on the sides and a huge, smoking cigar on its roof. Bernard Lutic's cinematography is stunning; one moment you'll be in a dark, burnished room, the next you'll be out in the yard, the leaves shimmering from the bright sunlight. The colours are those of warmth -- browns, yellows and reds -- making the surroundings as appealing as the characters. The film really belongs to young Norman, whose Fraser learns the facts of life in odd ways. Discovering his late grandfather's dirty books, he follows each reading session with a dip in the cold pond. He conducts a hilarious birds-and-bees discussion with his father, who nervously seeks the proper euphemism for a lad's hormonal changes, and allows his 10-year-old son to come up with the metaphor: magma. That could easily stand as a metaphor for My Life So Far, a movie with much going on beneath ts handsome surface. Aug. 6, 1999 ... And From "Nitrate Online": My Life So Far Review by Elias Savada Posted 30 July 1999 Directed by Hugh Hudson. Starring Colin Firth, Rosemary Harris, Irene Jacob, Tcheky Karyo, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Robbie Norman, Kelly McDonald, and Malcolm McDowell. Screenplay by Simon Donald, based on the book "Son of Adam" by Sir Denis Forman. British director Hugh Hudson, best known for his award-winning 1981 freshman feature Chariots of Fire, the compelling tale of exhilarating personal victory at the 1924 Olympics, returns to the pre- and post-Depression decades with a smaller, intimate effort worthy of your time (a brisk 90-minutes) and dollars, but which, unfortunately, may get lost in the continuing summer onslaught of mega-films. Hudson, whose last fictional effort bombed here in the States over a decade ago (Lost Angels, featuring Beastie Boys� Adam Horovitz), has shaped an intimate world of an eccentric Scottish family, based on the precocious red-headed childhood memoirs of Royal Opera House director Sir Denis Forman. Stunningly bucolic Argyll, Scotland is Never Never Land to the large family of ten-year-old Fraser Pettigrew and his doting parents Edward and Moira to the maternal estate of Kiloran House. Father, ever so plain, but filled with a stern yet childish nature by Colin Firth (the fickle foil of the Bard and his lady love in Shakespeare in Love), spends his time creating inventions of dubious merits. He is the "kind fool," reluctantly accommodated by his six children and his staid, indulgent wife (American Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, a.k.a. Maid Marian opposite Kevin Costner in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves). Fraser, played by newcomer Robbie Norman, is a terrifyingly adventuresome child (as an infant he nonchalantly ventured out one afternoon for a crawl -- along the steep ledge high above his terrified clan), who absorbs life with wide-eyed eagerness, much like the sphagnum moss that envelopes the area (and which soaked up the blood of the Allied wounded in World War I). The moss provides a small cottage industry for the family, until Moira�s iron-fisted mother, Gamma Macintosh (Rosemary Harris), and selfish Uncle Morris (Malcolm McDowell) arrive from London * with grand plans for the property, to the horrifying dismay of the current inhabitants. (*=Oops!, KJ) As Edward�s resourceful dabbling with the local plant life brings central heating to the mansion, his romantic fires are stoked by the arrival of Heloise (Irene Jacob), Morris�s fianc�e, a striking young French cellist who also plucks at the heartstrings of the sexually curious Fraser. Edward�s attention to his family is strained by his repressed infatuation with the 24-year-old mademoiselle, who instead favors the company of the clever youngster, in a seemingly harmless older-sister manner. Left alone by a father pre-occupied with his own failings, Fraser learns of the pleasures of the flesh by thumbing through his late grandfather�s library and happening upon explicit Greek texts. This extracurricular reading plays off amusingly at a pre-nuptial dinner, joined by some cross-dressing guests and a wine-guzzling reverend, with Fraser�s unabashed comments about the financial viability of prostitutes raising money for the poor. Still later, a peaceful Halloween party erupts into a melee when Fraser is accused of feeling up a friend�s sister. Wet dreams of Heloise follow for the ever-confused lad, and an even more ill-at-ease father who suggests a cold plunge in the river as a solution to his son�s condition. My Life So Far fills its short time very well. The cast carries their roles exceedingly well for such a small film, built on imperfect characters and strained relations. Even smaller roles, such as Tcheky Karyo as a daredevil aviator who lands at the estate in search of repairs, Kelly MacDonald as Fraser�s sister smitten in love by the flyer, and Freddie Jones is the red-faced Reverend Finlayson, register refreshingly. The film lingers like a good after-dinner mint, a repast sumptuously capturing the strong picturesque landscape of the Scottish highlands (where Hudson also filmed his Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan) by cinematographer Bernard Lutic, formerly aboard with Hudson on their 1985 disaster, Revolution. Innocence lays revealed before you and you relish it in all its repressed glory, much like how Fraser sneaks off to enjoy old recordings of Louis Armstrong (his classically-trained father brow-beating his son with the opinion that "Beethoven is God talking in his sleep; jazz is the devil"). We all have family secrets and it�s nice to see that someone of Hugh Hudson�s stature can show them an apt place on the cinema�s mantle.

Thanks KJ... ..The only time the screenplay turns on itself is when Gamma fires a member of the kitchen staff for spiking her favourite dessert with booze. But how about Moira's rage at the Gamma's funeral....that is the part that most of us thought the screenplay was the weakest.

This is where my memory is beginning to play me false ... I remember not liking the flow of story at this point, but, not having the chance to see it again, the events preceding this are all muddled in my head now. I'll just go with my initial feeling on seeing it, but can't back that up with specifics anymore. I'm just aware that your stated weakness is in me too ... changing my view of things upon further analysis. So, wanting to avoid foot-in-mouth disease, I won't go any further at this time. :-D

Talking of good reviews for MLSF, Steve Rhodes gives it 31/2 out of 4, the review can be found at deja-com.

search Colin Firth and scroll down the page. The Ottawa Citizen also gives it 31/2 out of 4. it is still in their and fighting despite Miramax.

sorry "there"

Well, I am finally here folks! Thanks so much to the RoP folks who e-mailed me and told me to get over to DROOL. Even though I saw MLSF awhile ago, I thought I'd add some of my views to the ones here. Well, I admit-- I walked into the movie not really knowing anything about it, other than the fact that I HAD to see it because of Colin. I saw a trailer for MLSF during An Ideal Husband and recognized CF's face. So, with little expectations, I was most pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie. The scenery is undoubtedly gorgeous. Here are some of my other thoughts: -- CF's role. It was nice to see him act so zany and neurotic. They painted him in so many dimensions, that I didn't know whether I liked or disliked him. He was such a wonderful father to his children, but at the same time he could be so utterly immature himself. He seemed open-minded when it came to his inventions, but was opposed to jazz. His character had lot of possibility and I felt that the movie sort of ran out of steam in the end and left a lot of loose emotional ties. The ending just seemed like an abrupt, tacked on, happy ending. -- The actor who played Fraser did a great job. Especially funny were the prostitution suggestion during dinner, and the scene where Edward catches him sitting in the armchair, listening to jazz, with a cigar! -- The whole "man in the sky" and the hairy man ideas could have been better dealt with. What the heck happened to Elsbeth then? Same with the Morris storyline. Morris didn't seem THAT bad of a character, beyond his disapproval of the way Edward employed his time. He seemed to have affection for Fraser and his other nieces and nephews. -- Rosemary Harris was wonderful! Overall, I really liked the film. It was charming and sweet, though I don't understand how it was so much "my life so far" as it was, "a day in the life..." But I definitely enjoyed all the performances, the lush landscape, and the endearing PG-13 sort of humor that is VERY different from what you would see in "American Pie" or "There's Something..." I think this film is targeted more towards adults than children so in some instances, it was a little "too" careful with delving into some actual questions and issues the film brought up.

Welcome Tracy. I remember seeing your posting at Virtual Views and knew you belonged here with us. Look around all the other Colin topics. We love new people , they invigorate us. We're all gearing up for Colin's Firthday party on #110.Preparations are on #72...If you have any questions just ask...our hosts are super about guiding people through this maze. Happy,happy to have you with us:-)))))

And I'm coming right behind Tracy to add my MLSF thoughts. I saw the movie only once in DC, in the typical small theater with no advertising; it was gone when we returned from vacation. I loved it although I know I missed some wonderful stuff because of Scottish accents and other distractions. CF was amazing, as always; that expressive face, such understated emotions and expressions. My husband, not a Firth or Austen fan particularly, enjoyed the film very much; he felt it was a wonderful exception to the usual thoughtless and noisy stuff we are too often inundated with. The funniest scene, to me, was Colin trying to act urbane and thoughtful with Frazier in the "wet dream" discussion, but blowing his nose loudly to try to get control of the situation. He ended up explaining nothing, adding to Frazier's growing realization that his father was not the superhuman being he had thought. I will impatiently await the arrival of videos. (Someone at RoP--it may have been KarenR--gave me some reassurance that terrible box office doesn't mean no videos! I trust that's true!) I'll need to see it several times to get the nuances I missed. I've learned a lot about film editing and distribution practices from the discussion so far; please keep it up! MaryLB (Mary-L at RoP)

Tracy and Mary!! So glad to have you join us and give us your comments on MLSF. I'm too wiped out to comment right now, but wanted to issue you an official greeting. As Evelyn said above, we have all sorts of discussions going on Drool that you might find as entertaining as we do. Mary, about the video of MLSF. You won't believe it, but the Miramax site now says the video will be available on May 4. I assume 2000. Probably because those 22 copies of the film have to make it around the globe by pack mule. ;-D Here's the url: http://www.miramax.com/mm_front/owa/mp.entryPoint?action=1&midStr=566 So do you think it will beat Fever Pitch's release on video in the US? :-(

And I just noticed that Miramax no longer has MLSF listed under the category of "Now Showing" with AIH, Life is Beautiful, Outside Providence, and the Very Thought of You, but has moved it to the category of "Coming Soon to Video"!! Are these people out of their minds!!

Wow, Karen, I am bowled over by that flower repeatedly blossoming in that welcome graphic! What a treat! For some reason, I am reminded of the ad that so briefly appeared for MLSF (probably because of the notable lack of it nowadays). Have you all seen it? It has the heading "Imagine a summer in Paradise with nothing to do except everything your heart desires." Nice idealized faces of MEM and IJ, and one of CF--but, as you look at him, you realize he has just a faint crafty hint to his smile... I'm glad I saved it; it will be a rarity!

Tracy and Mary!

(Karen) Are these people out of their minds!! Clearly! And Marcia had her yaks all revved up to further handle distribution :-( I noticed last weekend's NY Times had no mention of MLSF but thought those precious copies had moved on to another city. Perhaps Miramax is clearing the decks for 'Breakfast of Champions' since that megastar-with-oh-so-limited-talent, Bruce Willis, is still packing 'em in with 'Sixth Sense'. Saw the BoC trailer before MLSF. Yecchh. Welcome, Tracy and Mary!

(Tracy) He seemed open-minded when it came to his inventions, but was opposed to jazz. From what I can remember, the evils of Jazz and everything associated with it was a widely held view. It was corrupting the morals of young people. Jazz clubs were dens of iniquity. Jazz musicians smoked illegal substances. It seems very funny to us now, but at that time, I can understand a parent attempting to steer his children away from such evil influences. ;-D (Tracy) The ending just seemed like an abrupt, tacked on, happy ending. Does make you wonder what was cut from this movie...more than 30 minutes from the version that was previewed last year. The actor who played Fraser did a great job. Robbie Norman. Overall, I'd agree with you, but I've come to dislike immensely the scene where he's pouring the tea for the servants and telling them the story of how Morris met Heloise. I realize that he is aping what Morris said, down to the golfing lingo, but he's so wooden. Then he goes into that humming and bowing the cello bit. Ick! But I do love the prostitution suggestion at the dinner table and that last scene with the brandy snifter. Both get huge laughs from the audience. (Tracy) I think this film is targeted more towards adults than children You're very right on this. Didn't we read an interview with Puttnam from Indiewire (??) where the interviewer asked something about what he expected children to learn from the movie and Puttnam answered it was NOT a movie aimed at children. How it was about very grownup themes like forgiveness. I'll go look for it.

Welcome Mary LB Thanks for your MLSF comments. (Mary LB) Re: The MLSF ad:" Nice idealized faces of MEM and IJ, and one of CF--but, as you look at him, you realize he has just a faint crafty hint to his smile... " I must admit I hated that ad when it first came out...but it sorta grew on me. :-) ... Please stick around...and visit our other topics....always something goin on here.And don't forget Colin's Firthday on Friday on #110.

Thanks for your thoughts, Tracy and Mary. It's nice to see that those whose expectations were perhaps not as great as some of ours, still enjoyed the movie. And interesting too that the husband liked it. While it may seem to be a film that is more attractive to women, I have heard from others that their husbands enjoyed it as well. Of course it may just be that women who love Colin Firth would only marry "sensitive" men. ;-)

Welcome Tracy and MaryLB! (MaryLB) I am reminded of the ad that so briefly appeared for MLSF (probably because of the notable lack of it nowadays). Have you all seen it? / ... / Nice idealized faces of MEM and IJ, and one of CF / ... / I'm glad I saved it; it will be a rarity! Do you mean this one? (Evelyn) I must admit I hated that ad when it first came out...but it sorta grew on me. :-) I must admit I hated that ad when it first came out and it NEVER grew on me! I much preferred the first one aesthetically for Colin's sake and at least it gave Robbie Norman a little more recognition. Granted, it didn't leave much space in which to quote R. Ebert, but I still think it was the "Handsomest ad of my Acquaintance" -- Thus: (Hee hee) (You must forgive me -- I am image-posting drunk -- I just learned how. Hee hee!) 8-D

Post again when sober, KJ!:-)

Yes, do! I'm curious about the "first one" you mention. I've only seen two hard copy PR documents for MLSF: the infamous ad mentioned by MaryLB, and the poster in which CF is facing MEM and IJ is superimposed above. I don't recall seeing RN in that one.

(Karen) Are these people out of their minds!! Sorry to pain you all, but I think they are on their RIGHT minds because they know I want to see MLSF desprately!! "Coming to video soon..." is really for ME and I can't wait to BUY it!! As I said on another board, this is the only way I can see the movie. Please understand me!!!!!!

I hate to tell you this, guys, but that (?those?) poster image(s) is here one minute and gone the next! When I posted these yesterday, both came out fine on my browser...I was even able to print them down. Then, when I stopped by a few minutes ago, the 1st poster image was replaced by the revolving Xoom logo. Frustrated, I whipped over to play about on #61, but got the image again. Then, when I came back here, the image of both posters is again on my screen. So who knows...if you see the logo now, come back later...you may be in for a treat! (Gi) Post again when sober, KJ!:-) Never doth a drop of alcohol toucheth my lipth! (Eileen) Yes, do! I'm curious about the "first one" you mention. It supposedly WAS the infamous ad mentioned by MaryLB although I gather now some missed out on it. (I also "posted" it over on 61.96; try that if it isn't showing up here.)(And try, try again, evidently ... ) :-D the poster in which CF is facing MEM and IJ is superimposed above. I don't recall seeing RN in that one. Not a likeness, but a child running away from the loch under Colin's image and over Malcolm's name.:-) The story was centered on the boy, after all.

Oh, Ann: You mentioned a review in the "Ottowa Citizen", but gave no location. Is that online? If not, can you quote CF-relevant passages? Please?

HI, KJ, here is the Ottowa Citizen address, it is only a capsule review but they give MLSF 31/2 out of 4. http://www.ottoacitizen.com/

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/

At last it works, it is far too early in the morning for this. Sorry about all the failed postings ladies, Karen would you please delete them. KJ, just scrool down to movie listings and the first film mentioned is MLSF.

Nope, KJ, still get Xoom. Uh-oh, I hope there's not something going on with the software--we have a *big* party planned tomorrow, after all! Will check topic 61. Now that you mention it, I remember the figure of a little boy running towards the bottom of the poster. Guess it didn't make too much of an impression (but then, you know what I was focusing on!) 8-)

...and thanks for that link, AnnAnnAnnAnnAnnAnnAnn!

Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou, thankyou, thankyou, thankyou!!

I hate to tell you this, guys, but that (?those?) poster image(s) is here one minute and gone the next! Scary,,ain't it....I keep tell ya' it's the ghost of Count Almasy. I think it's only with Xoom.com images. Cause last night I did a card and it was OK.

I'm going to get laryngitis of the fingers... You can't post images from Xoom.com here or anywhere. They have controls in place to terminate them. I've explained it all on #61.

(KarenR)I'm going to get laryngitis of the fingers... LOL! I don't know about that, but I suffer (and plan to describe on some scientific mag) from mouse-finger syndrome!

laryngitis of the fingers... Digitalis?

Digitalis? Sounds deadly. Maybe I should put on some fox-gloves?

Deadly but also life-saving in some heart conditions. Mouse-finger syndrome would be in the tendinitis group:-)

Pandora Cinema are based in Paris and were co-backers and distributors of "Shine" (Geoffrey Rush Oscar Winner)and "The Disappearance of Finbar" a British film (Channel 4) which got good reviews and a selected UK release. They don't back rubbish! The only time I phoned Colin's agency (never again) just to enquire when we might see him in something, I thought they were singularly unhelpful and ill-informed! The only info I got was that SIL was opening in the UK in November, (wrong, wrong, wrong!). I remember saying "oh, so he hasn't retired then", very cheap sarcasm, quite unlike me, as I'm normally terribly polite and ooze gratitude! :-)

(Bethan) very cheap sarcasm, quite unlike me, as I'm normally terribly polite and ooze gratitude! :-) Cheap? But how appropriate! ;-)

Thanks for inviting me to post my impressions of MLSF. After my long drive on Tuesday, in the pouring rain, to the anointed location of Kew Gardens, Queens, I was required to return to work on Wednesday. After a hurricane hiatus of almost a week, the work piled on very quickly for the rest of the week. So I feel I must respond now, while I can still remember many of the details. What did happen in that hayloft? I think that Edward was guilty of making an awkward and unwanted pass at Heloise, and that is all. He was so smitten by Heloise that he was sure she would readily kiss him--the same way she kissed Fraser. He was just way off base about her feelings. Edward seemed so astonished that she would refuse him, and she would not respond after their "moss tossing." It worked for Fraser, why not for him? I think that Heloise found his behavior childish and repulsive leading up to her comments about his being a hypocrite at the dinner table. I enjoyed the scene in which Moira and Eloise find they have a common ground--music-- upon which they could enjoy one another's company. Even though their backgrounds were so different (Moira so traditional, unadorned in dress, mother to a tribe of children, starting to show her age and Eloise so modern, foreign, fashionable, free of family constraints, youthful). They were able to spend a quiet afternoon together and start a personal relationship on which they could build a family relationship as sisters-in law. Until the men ruined everything. Edward and Morris are rivals and clearly envious of the "wealth" of each other. Uncle Morris seems fascinated by Fraser's description of his parents. Fraser describes his mother as beautiful, and his father is the smartest man he knows. His parents frequently "slank off" in the afternoon. Even Gamma tells Morris that Edward and Moira adore one another. In short, Edward has everything that Morris does not--a devoted and loving family. Surely Morris is wondering if he will be so fortunate with such a young wife at such a late point in his life. Edward on the other hand is equally envious of Morris' success as a businessman; he is a millionaire with two houses, one of which Edward is living in and regarding as if he were the Lord of the Manor. Edward has yet to find financial success with any of his wacky inventions, and is not sure if he will even have a roof over his large family's head when Gamma is gone. But this post is already becoming too long. I loved CF in every scene. There are some truly breathtaking images of him in this film. The camera loves him. He wears his wardrobe with style, and looks great in everything (except the hunting jacket which looks 2 sizes too small and extremely uncomfortable). My only complaint is the length of the film. Where is the rest of the curling match? We saw so little of it I have no idea as to who was winning or losing that bet. And how did Edward make Moira laugh again. Surely they did more than dance in the rain. At 1 hr and 33 min it is the same length as a feature length cartoon (a la Disney) made for children. This is a film made for adults! Adult films are supposed to run 2 hours. I want to see the other 27 minutes!

Very perceptive comments Sylvana, especially about Morris's envy of Edward. It makes the competition between the two men even more understandable. I'm still waiting to see MLSF! BTW the version you've all seen is Harvey's cut, the edited down version to cater for those with short attention spans and limited appreciation of movies that don't feature exploding galaxies. I would love to see the Director's Cut. Twenty seven minutes is a lot footage to lose. I remember reading that the curling match took a couple of days (at least) to shoot, so the curling scene must have been much longer in the original. And didn't MEM say that the new version was compl tely different to the film they actuallly shot. Seriously, I wonder if it's worth writing to Enigma Films/Hugh Hudson to enquire if there is a Director's Cut? I'm not sure if I approve of the preview system... I think it's better to let the director's version and vision go unchallenged, even if not perfect. How come movies like "Meet Joe Black" survive uncut?

(Sylvana) I enjoyed the scene in which Moira and Eloise find they have a common ground--music I've always found Moira's comment when she walks into the room because jazz is playing pretty funny. "I thought one of the children was misbehaving." Heloise the child. (Sylvana) They were able to spend a quiet afternoon together and start a personal relationship Would they really ever though? Moira is way too conscious of Heloise's looks and youth. It's only when Heloise shows up with her cute little French accent that Moira starts feeling old and dowdy. With the rift in the family caused by Edward and Morris, I doubt, even after Edward and Moira got back together, that Moira and Heloise would be close. Heloise is too painful a reminder. Speaking of relatives, does anyone have a clue as to the Uncle Crawford relationship? Is he Moira's brother-in-law? (Sylvana) looks great in everything (except the hunting jacket which looks 2 sizes too small and extremely uncomfortable) Definitely agree with you on this one; however, there are quite a few people who love this outfit. Hated the hat as well. ;-D About the film's length and the edited-out minutes, didn't Ben say it really dragged when he saw it last year? While I too would love to see a director's cut, a film has to have a major following to justify that. Perhaps after the film does show in the UK, I'll hear from Len (or I'll contact him again) to find out if there was actually more of a curling scene. Even though it may have taken days to do, doesn't necessarily mean there was more of the game. It has more to do with the number of shots and the complexity of their setup. Think about it, there was a lot going on on the ice and each thing was rehearsed and shot numerous times. Great comments, Sylvanna. Would really like to have you join us in the next film discussion on #98. We're doing A Thousand Acres and will likely start next week or the following. (Bethan) And didn't MEM say that the new version was completely different to the film they actuallly shot. Yes, she did and that has always intrigued me. Oh, to lay my hands on a copy of the script!!

Thank you Sylvanna for your insight re: the relationship between Morris and Edward. (Sylvanna)...He wears his wardrobe with style..., Especially in that navy blue suit at the dinner table.....rivals Pemberley:-) Pl do join us for A Thousand Acres (ATA)

(Sylvana) What did happen in that hayloft? If you've read the other posts here, you'll find that most (not all) concur with you. I'm one of those who thinks your take is on the money. But I like the ambiguity. Until the men ruined everything. Interesting observation. Perhaps Moira wasn't even aware of her fading youth and beauty until Heloise came to the house and she saw how interested the men were. Typical, isn't it? I think women are wonderful together until men get into the picture. By the way, I love men. Well, some of them. Where is the rest of the curling match? We saw so little of it I have no idea as to who was winning or losing that bet. We've discussed other scenes that were thought to be too abrupt. I don't think we've brought this one up before and I have to agree. There was quite a competition going on (not just between Morris and Edward) and all of a sudden it's nighttime and the game is over. Karen, please do ask Lennie if he knows more. I'm intrigued. (Karen) Speaking of relatives, does anyone have a clue as to the Uncle Crawford relationship? Is he Moira's brother-in-law? Is he the one who saw Jesus on the lawn? I couldn't get everyone's name straight in the two viewings I had. In the book, the man who saw Jesus on the lawn was Uncle Neil or "Giant". Neil was Moira's brother. Perhaps this was never explained because then we'd have to get into an explanation as to how Edward inherited the estate over all of Gamma's sons.

(Heide) Neil was Moira's brother. Perhaps this was never explained because then we'd have to get into an explanation as to how Edward inherited the estate over all of Gamma's sons. Exactly, if he was Moira's brother, then another was bypassed for Edward. He was married to the real mousy one (did she have a name?), who was sitting with Moira after the funeral. That's how I came to the conclusion, Uncle Crawford was a brother-in-law. There are other possibilities though.

Thanks for your interesting insights, Sylvanna. I never thought about Morris being enious of Edward. (Heide)...all of a sudden it's nighttime and the game is over. Right before Gamma fell through the ice, Fraser asked her permission for Andrew Burns to use the grandfather's stones if his team got to the final. IMO, the competition was to continue the next day, but Gamma's accident ended the bonspiel. I thought Uncle Crawford (yes, Heide, he was the one who saw Jesus on the lawn) was Gamma's (or Samuel's) brother. If he were Moira's brother, it is odd that all of the sons would be disinherited in favour of Edward and Moira. Maybe "Uncle" was a courtesy title? Any ideas on why Morris called Edward a "shabby little Lothario" at the end? Surely Heloise never told him about Edward's pass !?

....Re: the curling game....There was quite a competition going on (not just between Morris and Edward) and all of a sudden it's nighttime and the game is over. Could be that the curling game is symbolic of the realcompetition going on between Morris and Edward :-) Love to look for symbolism.

(Heide) By the way, I love men. Well, some of them. Hee hee! Reminds me of a greeting card a friend spotted years ago: "If we can put a man on the moon, why don't we send them *all* there?" It's good to see discussion here again; unfortunately, so much time has elapsed since I saw the movie I can't remember many details so I won't venture to contribute.

Hello, I've just registered in this group--an American Firth drooler of a certain age. Frustrated at the difficulty of finding the videos of older parts of the oeuvre and at getting to the new ones in the theater--I'm fairly far out in the sticks--and of course the general lack of good and frequent publicity on CF this side. Two questions: 1) Has the ATA discussion started and how do I get to it? 2)I've read that CF used a body double in at least one picture. Can't remember which one and were there others? Because, if so, what's the point?

Cymbeline!! So glad you've joined us. We're a lively group of ladies (of various ages) who enjoy discussing anything even marginally associated with CF, as you'll see. Lots have shared your frustration with finding information on him or even seeing his films. It can be the ultimate and then highly rewarding once you do. :-D To answer your questions, (1) Have we started ATA? Yes and no. We've been tossing out a few comments here and there, but I think most agreed to Wednesday, October 6th. If you want to jump in earlier, however, no one will stop you. This link will take you to the beginning of some of the comments for ATA. http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/read/drool/98.1410 BTW, our general Colin topic (for questions/news/complaining) is 119. Stop by and say hello there. That's probably the best place to address your second question. Everyone will have an opinion, undoubtedly! ;-D See you there!

Welcome, Cymbeline! Do join us in the other topics. If you go to http://spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/browse/all/new you can see all the drool conference topics, of which several about CF. Click on anyone of those and you're in! Hope to see you there. You already had me grinning with your second question!

Sorry, wrong url. It should be: http://spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/browse/drool/all/new

http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/browse/drool/all/new Sorry again. What can I say?

Dear All, Thanks for your kind welcomes and helpful guidance. I especially like the flipping rainbow welcome sign--that would be I were I ever to open my front door and find CF standing there--and I know it will happen some day. It's a great thing to find this fellowship of OSWWHTLTHOCF (sorry, strike the first T--there's nothing temporary about this). I will now get off this topic which I know is supposed to be confined to MLSF (and I fear I'll have to wait for the video to see it)and I'll see you on ATA and the other wonderfully gratifying CF topics.

OSWWHTLTHOCF ?????????????? And don't worry about where you decide to post. This topic is not sacrosanct. It's just that not everyone visits it because they don't want to read about the movie in advance of their ever (hopefully) being able to see it. If you post at 119, everyone stops by there and will greet you in their own manner.

Karen, I think OSWWHTLTHOCF is the Ordinarily Sensible Women Who Have Temporarily Lost Their Heads Over Colin Firth (my italics) unless of course it stands for Otherwise Soon We Will Have To Lick The Hand Of Colin Firth? BTW, never gave you due credit for the fox-glove gag here a month ago. Magnificent!

*slaps head* Boy, do I feel stupid! ;-D (although I do like the second one better...maybe I should replace the title on the main drool page) And, Cymbeline, I inadvertently omitted the lovely gents who frequent our site with their amusing and "educational" comments. Thanks, Mark, for the clarification. I must be still in a daze from those cricketing diagrams. Liked the fox-glove, huh? Didn't know how many would get it.

Mark -- You are right about the Ordinarily Sensible Woman acronym except as I say the first T should be struck. And I really like the hand licking one better. Karen -- Add my appreciation of your foxglove whimsey which I saw reading through the lovely long list of comments all about CF with no one rolling his eyes or trying to change the subject. It was very good.

Welcome, Cymbeline. To echo Karen and Gi, feel free to browse around the other topics and jump in any time.

Hi Cymbeline! Welcome to Drool :) Echoing Eileen (echoing Karen and Gi) go check out the other topics and meet everyone. Might i suggest Topic 34 (my personal favorite) which fully of steamy fanfic... Assuming of course that you're a Darcy fan as well. :) Mark- Love the hand licking acronym -LOL!

Esbee: hand licking, toe sucking... All in your line, right?;-) I must go over to 72 for your late happy birthday wish...

LOL! I know none of you will believe me, but i really dont have a foot fetish. *grin* - now the hand thing (provided of course they belong to ODB) i wont argue with! ;)

Hi, I have found yet another good review for Colin, "Firth is superb", not so good for the film though at http://ifmagazine.ifctv.com/reviews/review.asp?reviewID=161 (hope this works)/ I can't wait to hear what the UK critics make of the film and especially CF, hope they are as complementary as the American critics.

Ann, you get the medal for searching out the most reviews of MLSF on the WWW long after the rest of us gave up.This one is great for so good for the film. I bet the Brit press will like it....it's their kind of film.

This one is great for so good for the film Sorry. Should be .."great for Colin...not so good for the film"

I see that MLSF is still playing in the Boston area, West Newton to be axact, has been in that area for nearly 8 weeks, people must like it in that corner of world, obviously have excellent taste and the Boston Globe gave is a very good review. Have you seen it yet Laura and if so what did you think of it, I haven't heard of a Firthfan who does not like this film, roll on May 5th.

exact

West Newton isn't really near Boston or me:( I haven't seen it, but I can wait for it to come out on Video.

Finally (an entire week later)I�m just now getting around to this. MLSF was being shown at the local art house in Scottsdale (in a mall area surrounded by stores like Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, etc.) There were only about ten other people in the theater not counting my guests and me. I really liked this movie, it had many comical anecdotes (dog barking, eccentric father�I laughed a lot) and presented a fairly pleasant picture of a Scottish family and their weaknesses. However, the story line was too choppy and didn�t� flow smoothly. The kid who played Fraser was a true find. I really liked his interpretation of that character and he really had a remarkable way of portraying the character�s innocence. (i.e., prostitution scene). Colin looked spectacular throughout the entire movie especially in those tan pants in the beginning of the film. All the close shots of his face on the big screen were overwhelming. As for his acting, his character was uptight and a little too serious, didn�t see any gray areas and was extremely childish (needs a butt whipping) and as my friend said: what an ass----. I had a hard time as did she in believing that such a likable character (in the beginning) could have such defects�confrontation scene wit IJ (trying to steal the ole kiss). However, while he was on the floor after the fight with Uncle Morris, and his wife confronted him my friend said �how could one possibly be angry with such a cutie.� This scene, of course, reminded me of a child you scold. There were a few dull parts of course. My friend said she dozed off for a second albeit she enjoyed the movie and thought the long drive was worth it. (Note: she had been out all night and didn�t get home until 8:00 a.m. that morning�I picked her and her cousin up at 9:00 a.m.�surprised she stayed awake as long as she did). Her cousin is learning English here in America (she�s from Korea) so she can take back her skills and teach others. This, however, was not a good movie to take her too�she didn�t u derstand the dialect very well. Whew!! Now, I can read all the other posts to see what everybody else thought of the film.

And you probably found after reading the other posts, Jana, that most of us agree with your assesment, particularly the choppy editing and my-oh-my how find he looks. But you have not yet told us your thoughts on the did-he/didn't-he debate in the moss loft. Your friend is barely forgiven for falling asleep. I'd love to know at what point that was.

(needs a butt whipping) and as my friend said: what an ass---- my friend said �how could one possibly be angry with such a cutie.� Jana, your friend has such exceptional insights and good taste!! You're right, the film is not perfect by any means; however, when all is said and done, the ratio of Colin per frame vs. others puts this film way over the top!! By the way, the line forms to the rear for the butt-whipping. ;-D

Choppy editing........Hugh Hudson had to "lose" 30 minutes of the film, one quarter of the original. I've obviously not seen the movie (May 2000?) but I don't see how any movie could take this kind of cutting without the storyline and flow and character development being impaired. It may well have been overlong, but I would have thought that a 15 minutes cut would have been enough. The preview audience must have given it a thumbs down, but would the full-length version have been better (not perfect) for the more discerning viewer? I really think the preview system damages movies.

I really think the preview system damages movies. I've just heard several directors discuss this at the film fest. It may not always be a case of damaging movies but making them more marketable, which is the ultimate goal of producers/studios, as opposed to directors who are more concerned with their message or the "high art" of it all. Eric Styles talked about the ambiguous ending of "Joseph Lees" and that he had shot three different ones. (I won't say what he and the writer had wanted.) Another director fought with his producers over his ending, which they termed Benny Hill-ish or Keystone Cop-ish (which it was). Much as I'd like to condemn Miramax's interference in MLSF, we'll never know how good or bad (tedious and boring) those 30 minutes were. The number of minutes cut however is not the thing. I am much more intrigued with MEM's comment to the effect that "it was so different from the movie they made."

we'll never know how good or bad (tedious and boring) those 30 minutes were. Just think...Jana's friend could really have had a long zzzzzz. ~~~~~ Bethan, SUNSHINE RF& JE's new film goes 3 hours....cut from the director's cut of 4...And guess what? No distributor wants to touch it. It's a good film too...but at that length not marketable. Those directors have to get their act together...they know what sells.No one wants to see a film with a lot of "voice overs" and that's what happens when a film is cut...VO=Boring.

I saw MLSF and liked it very much! I believe that a lot of the cutting must have been scenes with Colin and Eloise. The barn scene where she loses her necklace is badly edited so we do not really know what happened. Later his wife accuses him big time of having something going with Eloise, and even Colin says to Malcolm She is not yours to lose. Big gap missing there. I wish studios would release videos with their original versions at least the they would have their sloppy edited copies out at the movie theatres and we could later on, catch up on the un-edited version. That seems fair to me. So did Edward make love to Eloise? Karen? I know you have seen it 4 times. :-) More later...

Good for you, Jana and Moon, braving dozing friends (she was up all night and only dozed? I would have been comatose. *Sigh* Guess my party days are behind me!) and hurricanes to see MLSF. (Moon) The barn scene where she loses her necklace is badly edited so we do not really know what happened. Considering the amount of discussion and varying opinions generated by this scene, one has to wonder if it was done this way intentionally; i.e., purposely leaving it up for interpretation by the audience. Of course, Miramax may well have thought that audiences would find rape downright repulsive. But I don't think he raped her. (Evelyn) RF& JE's new film goes 3 hours....cut from the director's cut of 4...And guess what? No distributor wants to touch it. *Cue sarcasm* Perhaps only Kevin Costner can get away with movies that are waaaaay too long these days. Saw Message in a Bottle and thought it would never end (liked the premise, though. Loved Paul Newman). (Karen) By the way, the line forms to the rear for the butt-whipping. ;-D Goody! I'm taking my number now...

But I don't think he raped her. I haven't seen the film yet, but I am awaiting it with two material points in mind which will guide my final judgement of what I will hopefully, eventually see on the screen: firthly, the person who wrote the original book is still well alive, well known, well respected and in a prominent public position, and somehow I cannot imagine that he would be entirely happy to have his father portrayed as a rapist, or vice versa. Secondly, when the film was being made, the reports from the set described Colin's character as "almost -" or "coming dangerously close to - betraying his wife". Sounds to me like someone who might be trying his luck given a seemingly easy opportunity or a misread situation.

I have enjoyed catching up on the wealth of your posts. (Laughed at the fox gloves, thanks Karen!) Despite all I read in the Summer it looks like May 2000 is the earliest we can expect it? Currently I am fantasising that when I open my 3DOR programme ODB's spiel will reveal imminent release dates for his projects, especially MLSF. Dream on Lizza!

I am using this topic for The Secret Laughter of Women This is a fairly instant review, but objective (I hope), given my gender! SLOW is a colourful and touching film, focusing apparently on race, but more importantly about love and the goals of life. Widowed Nimi's son Sami lies to his friends that he has moved to a big house, where Matt Field spontaneously helps the deception and turns out to be the author of Sami's adventure hero Saracen ("Justice, with a body-count"). Matt subsequently courts Nimi, but is comprehensively rejected by her exiled Nigerian community, who are trying to wed Nimi to the new priest. Matt uses his wealth to help her realise her ambitions at work, but is visited by his open-marriage wife, who becomes jealous of the perceived bond. Both Matt and Nimi are forced to resolve their own aspirational conflicts, catalysed by Sami's misadventure on the eve of Nimi's arranged marriage. CF starts as a wealthy, carefree, amused figure - who slowly becomes aware that he too has needs. The difficulties for Nimi are tougher, with an ancient yet matriarchal culture shaming her to learn how to cook stew, talk in proverbs and find a husband to serve, while she tries to forge her own way without fracturing her links to her community (and family). The film is strong on humorous moments, especially early on in the Church of the Anglican Ascension ("remember ... Satan is always portrayed with a white face"), and in the mansion where Matt abets Sami's fib. Later on, there are touching moments, and even an action scene and a post-coital scene. The colour is provided by Grasse, an almost irrelevantly French setting, and especially by the Nigerian Christian garb. The earthy women of the community joke about men, sex and clothes whilst trying to inculcate the ancient oppressive values into Nimi. CF is variously amusing, tender, wilful, confused and heroic, but appears to appreciate the Nigerian sensitivities before finally deciding to ride roughshod over them. I thought it was a charming film, and would be very popular in cinemas. Possibly it would need still more humour to play really well, and maybe a less formulaic denouement would help it to be more earthed in reality. Overall well worth goofing off from work! As a review, I barely need to state that the above is all IMVHO.

As a review, I barely need to state that the above is all IMVHO Well done, Mark (for both the review and blowing off work to see a CF movie). *cue applause* maybe a less formulaic denouement Recent reviews point to this as the reason it wasn't picked up earlier by distributors. Regardless, it's great to see it out of the bank vault and on the screen. I hope UK audiences forgive its flaws. Later on, there are touching moments, and even an action scene and a post-coital scene. Ahem...I wouldn't mind a few spoilers here--perhaps after the LFF is over and Evelyn, Ann, etc. have seen it?

Oh, thank you, Mark. You have missed your calling. Film criticism beckons you. Far better than 99.9% of the reviews I've read at AICN site. So, how did our "plain-speaking" Evelyn react? Did she walk out saying, "This doesn't have a prayer" or "no wonder no one bought it"? ;-D

Re-reading my review, I realise that as usual I have become dry and pompous. Only fair to say that the film is lovely and funny, and I would recommend it without hesitation to any kind of audience. Definitely did not deserve to languish in a vault!

Wonderful review Mark! I'm so glad you were able to escape work for a few hours and see it. :) Later on, there are touching moments, and even an action scene and a post-coital scene. (Eileen)Ahem...I wouldn't mind a few spoilers here-- you and me both, Eileen *hee hee* ;D and can you fill us in on if there were any great close ups of his face Mark?

I have become dry and pompous Not at all!

SB: can you fill us in on if there were any great close ups of his face Mark? Ah yes, just the sort of question I wasn't concentrating on. The answer is that there must have been, because there is so much of YDB in the film. Almost every scene features either Nia Long or himself (or both), and little of it from any kind of distance. I don't know what Evelyn or others thought yet, as I turned up seconds before the start and rushed off as soon as the credits rolled. I am confident that they will report this to be one of the most successful film releases yet from the Firthettes' point of view (i.e. focus, role, presentation of CF). If you can imagine Paul Ashworth with financial success in the bag, that's a pretty good start. His wife, BTW, describes a certain part of him as "Ever-Ready Eddie". What can this mean?

(Karen), Oh, thank you, Mark. You have missed your calling. Film criticism beckons you. Far better than 99.9% of the reviews I've read at AICN site. You and me both! Thank you Mark! Now we will be asking you opinion on many more films. :-D (Mark), His wife, BTW, describes a certain part of him as "Ever-Ready Eddie". What can this mean? LOL! We certainly want to hear much more on this from Evelyn and Ann. Now that SLOW is out, I do believe Colin has no more films in the vault. Which is more than can be said for Mr. Fiennes. ;-) I wonder if Livia attended the screening?

Terrific review Mark! I second Karen's opinion....you have missed your calling! Thanks for bunking off!

Wow, how do I follow Mark's review except to say I second everything he has said and am very glad to hear it from the male perspective as someone in the audince said it w as a chick-flick, whatever that means. Lots of lovely close-ups of Colin, and I thought the chemistry and romance betwen Nimi and Matthew was very convincing, much more so than Ruth Gemmell and Colin in Fever Pitch (and I liked FP), although you knew they would end up together you really really wanted them to. One review I read said that the end was a bit contrived and to be honest I tend to agree, I felt the ending was rather ruhed, I could have done with another 30mins. We had close-ups ,love scenes, longing gazes and even a wet shirt!!! Evelyn's comment as I mentioned on topic #123 was that it wouldn't win andy Oscars, except possible in Nigeria, but was a charming film. A must-see and a must-keep for an CF fan I am sure. What with MLSF there is so much to look forward to, oh and 3DOR.

sorry about the typos, hope you can work out what I meant to type.

sorry about the typing mistakes, I think I am in the same state at AnneH

sorry about the repeat posts

Thank you from me too Mark. I wonder how long we will have to wait to see it in the U.S.

Ann, your excitement is palpable! Thus far SLOW sounds alot like MLSF--not a perfect film but enjoyable and lots of CF to boot. What with MLSF there is so much to look forward to, oh and 3DOR. Good things come to those who wait. With SLOW (of course, you'll have to see it again when it's released later this month), TOTS, Blackadder and possibly Don Q in addition to 3DOR, May will be here before you know it!

True very true, as Lizzie once said and talking of Lizzie, JE is definitely coming to Broadway with TRT. only hope that MLSF's opening in May doesn't clash with a trip to NY!!! but what a lovely problem.

I must rush off but had to check this sight. WOW!! I'm thrilled with both your posts, Mark and Ann, and can't wait to read the rest. I want to know how it ends!! Please, more details. I'll think of questions for tomorrow if no one else does first.

Thanks for the encouraging reviews, Mark and Ann. I hope everyone else who sees it tomorrow will post ASAP. Sounds like an enjoyable film. Loved both MLSF and FP and can't wait to see SLOW. I will be in London on Dec.4 and am keeping my fingers crossed that SLOW will be playing then. The thought of seeing this film in addition to ODB on stage is so exciting that I won't mind even if it rains every day we're there. What better way to spend a rainy afternoon than drooling over Matthew - although I don't thi k my DH or son would agree with me on that.

Thanks from here, Mark and Ann. I just KNOW we will never get to see it on this side of the pond, and, since I am well known as a non-flyer, I despair of ever finding out about "Ever Ready Eddie." Mark, may I post your review on my SLOW page? I can make it "anon" if you want, but it is so good, and would cheer those who will never get to see the film. Murph

I don't want to spoil SLOW for anyone else who has a chance of seeing it in the next few weeks so just don't read the answers to the questions I'm going to post to Mark, Ann, and the others who have not yet weighed in. Sorry Bethan, Lynda - close your eyes. It will be a long wait before the video gets to these shores. How does the courtship between Matthew and Nimi come about? )help her realise her ambitions at work, Does Nimi get a job outside her restricted enclave? visited by his open-marriage wife So then we are not to find Matt's adultery distasteful.;-) I take it his wife (name?) doesn't always live with her husband and takes lovers. How is that conveyed? Echoiing the others asking for more on the post coital and action! scenes. Ann, et al, I'm sure you'll be able to give us a clear description of his physical appearance. Hair? Any interesting attire? (shorts, swimming, formal, none?) not too serious. Paul Ashworth sort of but not as rumpled? Big question - Do Matthew and Nimi end up together? And, what was the audience response? Thanks!

Here are some of the answers to some of your questions Heide. I was concentrating so much on Colin that I really need to see it again to answer all your questions. Anyway, firstly yes Nimi and Matthew do end up together, and I would say that his is the most romantic role Colin has played in a long time. They are both so sweeet they were made for each other and although Matthew and his wife seemed fond of each other, it was a very open marriage and they both knew the rules and until Matthew met Nimi he was quite happy with things. Colin wore lots of loose fitting shirts and dark suits with tee shirts underneath, showed off his lovely long lean body beautifully. His hair was a reddish brown, , very near his natural colour I would think, and curly but not as unruly as Paul Ashworth. He looked great in everything he wore. Nimi designs gardens and Matthew hired her to re-design her garden, he had 115 acres? I think that is what he said. Her family were not happy with her working for a white man. I shall have to go again to take in the things I missed the first time around.

Oh btw the audience response was pretty good, well very good seeing as most of them were probably Firth fans, they laughed in all the right places and applauded at the end.

I would say that his is the most romantic role Colin has played in a long time. Ummmmm...I knew I would like this film. How was the relationship portrayed between Sami and Matthew? Pals? Father-son? I'm afraid I will pester you all for details until I can see the whole filmin my mind...which may be the only place I will see it for months. BTW, today is Caroline Goodall's 40th birthday.

And another thing...you mentioned wet shirt. Ann, don't leave us hanging. ;-)

Well - and this is where I agree with the reviewers the ending was rather contrived and rushed . The day before Nimi's marriage to the Reverend, Sammy goes missing and Nimi seeks Matthew's help just as he is about to leave with his wife. Sammy meanwhile has gone off on an adventure to Matthew's boat, climbs in and the boat tips over and is taken out to sea or to the rocks. Colin rushes off to Nimi' side say she needs me and I need her, realises where Sammi could be, dives in fully clothed and rescues ammy from the overturned boat. Hence wet shirt!!

Great to read your reviews Mark and Ann, you have given us a really accurate picture of it, that I anm sure we would enjoy it. It makes me even sadder that it has not been picked to tour the provinces in the LFF on tour later this month. Ho HUM! I love your description of his hair Ann! Mark are you coming to 3DOR with us?

Lizza, do you know it is going on General release on the 26th . BTW thanks for your very thorough answers on #123

Of course Ann, thanks for nudging my brain there! Is that general release though or will it be very limited, eg arthouse type venues?

Didn't Bethan post something about how SLOW was going to be in "normal" theaters? I've just spoken to Evelyn a little while ago. She and Aishling and Tineke are boiling mad after the Q&A at the Ritzy! But I'll let them relate what was said.

Don't leave us in the lurch too long over the Q&A session, please, or my imagination will work overtime. Hostile questions?

Oh before I go off to bed I forgot to mention that Colin spoke three sentences in French, oh la la. Is there no end to this man's talents.

Fr..Fr..Fr..French? Be still my heart. Ending does sound contrived but hey..they can't all be award winners. I'll let you sleep, Ann, but come back tomorrow. We have other questions. Thanks so much for bearing the brunt of this. I hope Evelyn can share your load soon.

And 'ow is ees accent? Does he make beautiful music?

Murph, of course you can post my "review" on your site. Such flattery! Heide How does the courtship between Matthew and Nimi come about? After Sami gets delivered to CF's big house and CF plays along with his pretence that he lives there, CF has to return Sami to his mother. His first line about Nia Long is "Why did you tell me she wasn't beautiful?" and so begins his pursuit, which is never convincingly rebuffed. Lizza Mark are you coming to 3DOR with us? I have tickets.

Help!! What's this Yapp error? It took me an hour to write down all my comments, and when I wanted to post them, I got this yapp error and lost everything!

I guess I'll have to start all over again. First of all, Ann and Mark, I enjoyed reading your reviews of SLOW. (Ann) He looked great in everything he wore. Except for that awful bathrobe! You forgot to mention the silly but cute sneakers he's wearing in this film;-) There are a lot of P&P scenes in this film; looking through window in the above mentioned bathrobe, getting wet... Fr..Fr..Fr..French? Be still my heart. He says " Qu'est-ce que vous voulez? Comment �tes-vous rentr�?" (What do you want? How did you get in?) He speaks rather fluent, but obviously with a slight English accent. So then we are not to find Matt's adultery distasteful.;-) I take it his wife (name?) doesn't always live with her husband and takes lovers. How is that conveyed? They both live in London. Matt's in the South of France to get some rest (apparently after having had a heart attack. But this is not clear in the film. We only know because we read the production notes). Matt keeps on postponing his trip back home (another P&P parallel). We see his wife talking over the phone with Matt, with another man lying next to her in bed. How was the relationship portrayed between Sami and Matthew? Pals? Father-son? Sammy's favourite hero is Saracin, a character invented by Matt. Sammy keeps on playing these Saracin games, which gets him into trouble at times. So when Sammy meets Matt, his hero, he can't believe his luck! Of course, Sammy and Matt get along really well. Matt plays games with him, has to answer lots of Sammy's questions about life and sex...

And now, the Q&A at the Ritzy. Both the director Peter Schwabach and the producer/writer Misan Sagay were there. They were talking about all the problems they had financing the film. The main production company, Handmade Films, went bankrupt around the time they started shooting the film. This obviously lead to questions about whether this forced them to cut the film more than they would have like, whether they had to leave out important scenes. Ms Sagay replied that they were overall happy with the film, but had a hard time convincing the people not to leave out too many Nigerian scenes. She said "imagine, they almost wanted to make a film about Colin Firth!" and laughed. She wanted to make a Nigerian film and would have preferred leaving out the Colin scenes rather than the parts with the Nigerian women. And she kept on talking how they were so fortunate to get such a great cast (clearly referring to all the Nigerian woman and not Colin). Then she thought she'd impress us by saying that Jeremy Irons was going to play the part of Matt nd had thought of Whitney Houston as Nimi.

I haven't time at the moment to catch up on the posts so apologies in advance for any repeats. Although no master piece, this is a very enjoyable and comical film and CF looks gorgeous throughout. The film is set in Grasse, South of France and the location is colourful and beautiful as is the Nigerian native dress. The conversations between Matthew and Sami are very funny with Matthew having some very witty lines. Matthew is a bit of a cad and has had numerous affairs although he admits to being very happily married. The film runs for approx 40 mins before anyone knows he is married. For those worried about his infidelity, fear not. You just cannot take this film seriously. This is an open marriage with Jenny having her flings too and this is how their marriage works. One of my favourite secnes is when Matthew and Jenny are dancing together and Matthew is acting like a clown and being very laddish and extremely enjoying himself. He is also genuinely pleased to see Jenny when she makes a surprise visit. Poor CF get all wet again when he goes underwater fully clothed. He also gets to look at Nimi in his garden from an upstairs window wearing his bath robe. There was a lot of laughter throughout the film from both audiences and applause at the end. Tickets for Saturday night were sold out but due to rail works on the underground, there were no trains going to Brixton station. I wont go into the state Evelyn, Tineke and I got into. Suffice to say we made it. To whet your appetite, the Director and Writer attended on Saturday evening and held a question and answer session at the end of the screening. My cue to say "go to it Evelyn", who will be winging her way home today.

And now, the Q&A at the Ritzy. Both the director Peter Schwabach and the producer/writer Misan Sagay were there. They were talking about all the problems they had financing the film. The main production company, Handmade Films, went bankrupt around the time they started shooting the film. This obviously lead to questions about whether this forced them to cut the film more than they would have like, whether they had to leave out important scenes. Ms Sagay replied that they were overall happy with the film, but had a hard time convincing the people not to leave out too many Nigerian scenes. She said "imagine, they almost wanted to make a film about Colin Firth!" and laughed. She wanted to make a Nigerian film and would have preferred leaving out the Colin scenes rather than the parts with the Nigerian women. And she kept on talking how they were so fortunate to get such a great cast (clearly referring to all the Nigerian woman and not Colin). Then she thought she'd impress us by saying that Jeremy Irons was going to play the part of Matt nd had thought of Whitney Houston as Nimi. She didn't seem to like Colin very much. No wonder he didn't show up at the screening!

Tineke, I don't know if you know this but he was actually protesting outside the Houses of Parliament about the time Slow was being shown on Friday.

A few more spoiler thoughts, in no order: Americans get a pretty bad press in the film; the American characters I can remember are: Sami's disdainful Anglophone schoolfriends; Caroline Goodall's gormless lover, who she brings on her visit to Grasse; Matt's agent, who thinks the worst of his client and offers to sort out any mess that Matt has made. Would this affect an American distributor, I wonder? It's news to me that Matt is recovering from a heart attack (I hadn't read production notes). I was assuming he was lying low for a while after ending a liaison with a politician's wife (as the priest read out from the paper). I was going to say CG didn't look 40, but then I remembered when the film was made. She wouldn't! Tineke, are you honestly saying his French had only a "slight English accent"? I'm going to start daring to speak French again if that's true. I thought he sounded as hopeless as most of us (deliberately). On Matt's relationship with Sami, he was like the grown-up pal who dares to tell the kid the truth for the first time. "You mean all grown-ups have sex? Even the married ones?" "Especially the married ones" Re the ending: turning up with a lorryload of tomatoes is a typical Hollywood Quixotic gesture (imagine Richard Gere in Pretty Woman, or whoever that is who turns up with a yacht on a Manhattan street, or Billy Crystal bringing back a calf in City Slickers, or pretty much any romantic film of the past twenty years). Yeah, don't bust my chops, City Slickers isn't romantic, but you know what I mean. My point is it's a fairly lame bit of writing, and I sensed that CF had the decency to look embarrassed. (And it flaunted his wealth unnecessarily). What was the title about? All the Nigerian women laughed a lot together, and Nimi laughed in the "post-coital" scene, but the laughter must have been too secret for me to notice any deep meaning.

Good point about the title, Mark. What do you think, Ann, Tineke, Aishling and Evelyn? Tineke, thanks for posting the french. I would love to hear it. ;-) Re: Q&A, it seems that they are angry with Colin and this is their way of attacking him. Maybe he refused to do any publicity for the film, esp. now that it will get a theatre release. Someone had said that he was not happy with the film. Does anyone know the exact comment?

Someone had said that he was not happy with the film. Does anyone know the exact comment? Evelyn and I were speaking to two ladies from FoF at the Friday SLOW screening. They had seen 3DOR the evening before and told him that they had timed their visit to London for the play and SLOW. Apparently he said to them "ah, that's too bad"

Thanks, thanks, thanks for the additional info, Ann, Mark, Tineke, Aishling and (in abstentia) Evelyn! (Aishling) with Matthew having some very witty lines. Do you (any of you who saw it) remember them? Also, Nimi laughed in the "post-coital" scene can you tell us more about this scene? How about the 'action' scenes (besides the wet shirt water rescue scene)? (Mark) Americans get a pretty bad press in the film...Would this affect an American distributor, I wonder? That and the fact the film has received so-so reviews (not original, contrived ending, etc.). or whoever that is who turns up with a yacht on a Manhattan street Michael Douglas in Romancing the Stone. But your point is taken ;-) (Tineke) Ms Sagay replied that they were overall happy with the film, but had a hard time convincing the people not to leave out too many Nigerian scenes Perhaps those were all the scenes with the women secretly laughing :-P She said "imagine, they almost wanted to make a film about Colin Firth!" Certainly not at his insistence. Unless ODB has a vain, pompous side (naaah). Ms. Sagay's lips must have been puckered from those sour grapes. Even with Colin Firth the film came *this close* to bank vault oblivion. Jeremy Irons and Whitney Houston, huh? IMO Whitney's salary alone would have eclipsed the entire budget for this movie. (Aishling) "ah, that's too bad" It sounds like there's no love lost over this production.

Wow!! All the comments. Thank you, Mark, Tineke and Aishling. Knew you wouldn't wait too long to get back in here. Even before any comments re: SLOW, I must know: Caroline Goodall's gormless lover What is this lover missing? I shudder to think. ;-D And Tineke, if you're using IE, always "Copy" your response before submitting, just in case you need to redo it. Now back to our subject at hand... Good point about the title. What is this "secret laughter of women"? If none of you can answer that, it would seem the filmmakers did not succeed with their message. (Tineke) silly but cute sneakers he's wearing in this film;-) Ooh, someone is looking at his feet! ;-D (Aishling) Matthew is a bit of a cad and has had numerous affairs...The film runs for approx 40 mins before anyone knows he is married. I did get the impression from all I've read that he actively pursues Nimi...that he's quite the hound. :) (Tineke) She didn't seem to like Colin very much. No wonder he didn't show up at the screening! When I spoke to the guy at Optimum, he said the Director had been in contact with Colin. Yeah, I wouldn't leave it up to Misan to entice Colin into attending. (Mark) Americans get a pretty bad press in the film...Would this affect an American distributor, I wonder? Interesting point. We can do it to ourselves, but no one likes it when others do it. However, it seems that point alone wouldn't be the reason why it hasn't found an American distributor. I get the impression that it's a fairly average film. Not even one that would get a first-time writer and director noticed.

Karen: I did get the impression from all I've read that he actively pursues Nimi...that he's quite the hound. :) Absolutely. She is just another conquest until the end of the film. He tells her he is not ready for love and that she must know the boundaries!!!! What is this lover missing? I shudder to think. Speech for a start. Karen, I think you are in for a very entertaining meeting later today. Eileen: It sounds like there's no love lost over this production. I don't think so. Ms Sagay gave no credit to CF at all and he carried the film. She did say that what they could afford to pay Whitney Houston wouldn't pay for her hairdresser. I thought it very bad taste to say they wanted Jeremy Irons and that he wanted the part but by the time they were ready for filming, he was committed elsewhere. I like JI but he couldn't se him in this part. Anyway I am not going to say anymore about her. I am not sure that I have fathomed out the meaning of the title either.

(Aishling) I think you are in for a very entertaining meeting later today. I know I will. I called her up Sunday night just after she came in from seeing Mansfield Park and heard lots and lots. Oooohhhh, my phone bill!! :-o I thought it very bad taste to say they wanted Jeremy Irons and that he wanted the part but by the time they were ready for filming, he was committed elsewhere. Extremely bad taste. However, from that, I can only conclude that something happened post-production between the two (Ms. Sagay and CF). I've heard lots of directors, writers, etc., discuss their films and no one talks about having wanted someone else to play a role. It's as if you're apologizing for your film and that, if so & so were in it (as I wanted) it would have been better. Definitely think that Colin's not appearing also ruffled her fine feathers. And thank you in advance, Aishling, for prowling through the dustbins on my behalf. :-D

(Karen) However, from that, I can only conclude that something happened post-production between the two (Ms. Sagay and CF). So do I (that's what I meant by my 'no love lost' comment, Aishling). As for Sagay's bad taste in mentioning her desired cast, perhaps that was a rookie mistake (I'm going out a limb for her when she doesn't deserve it).

(Aishling) I thought it very bad taste to say they wanted Jeremy Irons and that he wanted the part but by the time they were ready for filming, he was committed elsewhere Oh, that Ms. Sagay appears to be a real bitch! I�m so glad that Colin didn�t bother to show up. On the other hand, we don�t know what has happened between them and it�s obvious that she is really deeply pissed off for some reason......I only wonder what could have caused it. This is probably the first time ever that I hear someone being so very displeased with him. Thanks for all your comments Aishling, very interesting!

Aishling and Tineke, what question lead to this unnecessary comment from Ms. Sagay, or did she offer it off her own bat so to speak. There can't have been many Firth fans there on Saturday or else I am sure there would have been a riot, I would have been furious to think that she had something like that in such a public place. Poor Colin and it is such a lovely film, and it is so romantic and the romance so convincing im my opinion anyway, but this has soured it for me, I shall always think that Colin fo one reason or another did not like it which makes the film less than convincing.

Ann, I'm rather dubious as to whether CF actually said anything derogatory about SLOW. I think that possibly he was preoccupied and misheard what was said to him. His response could be interpreted to refer to almost anything. SLOW may not be "Citizen Kane", but neither is it "Mad Cows"! As to Ms Sagaye. I'm geniuinely puzzled by her remarks. CF may not be a man without fault, but he seems to have an unblemished record of good working relationships, often leading to continuing friendships. Perhaps she never got over the disappointment of not getting J. Irons as leading man!! Or does she blame CF for the chequered history of SLOW's release.In all honesty, I don't think he could be expected to attend the Q&A,...he'd had a fairly punishing day with two performances. And he will promote (FP, IL, 3DOR) All in all, Ms Sagaye strikes me as highly unprofessional!

Did the director concur with the producer's comments? What was his attitude to CF? And why did the reference to a "good cast" apparently exclude CF? It will be interesting to see if CF does promote SLOW... promotional interview(s) often appear the weekend before release, so there's still time. Actually, Ms Sagay doesn't need CF to publicise SLOW.....as a first-time writer/producer, and a black female, she would attract attention in her own right. The BFI recently produced a report on under-representation of black minorities in film production. the media would be interested in this sort of breakthrough, especially if SLOW gets a mainstream release.

Bethan, I am not quite sure what your first paragraph means, I don't think I said Colin said anything derogatory about SLOPW did I. Aishling did say that someone who had attended 3DOR spoke to him and said they had come to see SLOW and he said "Oh Dear" or something like that, is that what you mean? and was Colin really excluded from the "good cast" comment, this is too much. Even if I were not a Colin Firth fan I would say that he was the best thing in the film and I am sure J.I could not have done bett r or W.H. better than Nia Long. Her dialogue certainly left much to be desired not Colin's acting!! Bethan you will love SLOW, I definitely did and despite everything I shall certainly be buying the video.

Regarding Ms. Sagay, is it possible she did not mean to deride Colin at all but was miffed that her film did not focus on the story she wrote - the relationships among this matriarchal society. By saying she'd rather his scenes were cut, could she mean she didn't want the love angle to be as important as the story of the women? There must have been some reason for this incomprehensible film title. It sounds as if she lost control of her own project - a bitter pill to swallow. Curious...if Nimi is just another conquest, do we see Matthew with other women as well? Excluding his wife though I'd like to know more about that relationship too. Thank you ladies, and Mark, for satisfying our curious natures so well.

I can understand that she may have been a bit miffed at as you say Heide ,losing control of her own project but that is no reason to make it sound that if she had gotten Jeremy Irons the film would have been better. (gr?) The camera did focus on Colin quite a lot and he is in most scenes, perhaps that is what she means by "they wanted to make a film of Colin Firth." Heide, we did not see Matthew with other woman and actually I hadn't realised he was a womanizer.

Although we didn't see Matthew with other women, we had the scurrilous tittle-tattle read out from the papaer by the priest, and we had his agent say to him "I can come down there and sort out the mess - you know I've done that before for you." And he was happy(ish) in his open marriage. I think Jenny implied to Nimi that she was just another girl (but she would). None of that is conclusive, I admit. Is it possible they made Ms Sagay change the ending? Maybe Nimi originally dumped both suitors and went off on her own (secretly laughing). And if Jeremy Irons had played Matthew, it would have been a very different film.

(Mark)And if Jeremy Irons had played Matthew, it would have been a very different film You must be right, Mark. Haven�t seen SLOW but personally I can�t stand Jeremy Irons and the thought of someone wanting him somewhere instead of Colin looks insane and a sacrilege! I�ve felt disgusted with JI at least since The French Lieutenant�s Woman or what was that dumb movie (sorry JI fans, just my humble opinion :-)

I've read through the production notes, which emphasize the collegiality of the entire project: how Sagay basically picked out Schwabach and how they worked closely together. Lots of complimentry things about Colin in the notes, but then again, these were written by PR people, who wouldn't make such a mistake. BTW, Evelyn said the comment was made in response to a question about whether Sagay had fulfilled her vision (or some such baloney). Not getting the cast of her dreams is something she should ha e kept to herself. I'll let Evelyn elaborate later today when she gets home and online. Nothing in the notes that helps with the title, but I like your take, Mark. Think I'll ask a woman I know, who is married to a Nigerian, about the title.

(Bethan) I'm rather dubious as to whether CF actually said anything derogatory about SLOW. I think that possibly he was preoccupied and misheard what was said to him. I know what you mean, Bethan; I had the same reaction. Re: Sagay's comments--again, it sounds to me that her comment breached the unwritten rules of professional etiquette (never diss your cast, directly or indirectly). She's new at this, right? She answered the question honestly but failed to see the impact. Possibly we're the only ones offended by her remarks, though. (Mark) Maybe Nimi originally dumped both suitors and went off on her own (secretly laughing). Hee hee! Back to the particulars... How do Matthew and Nimi end up *ahem* in bed? What were some of Matthew's funniest lines (in context)? And what about these action sequences?

Eileen How do Matthew and Nimi end up *ahem* in bed? What were some of Matthew's funniest lines (in context)? And what about these action sequences? We've heard previously that in Nimi's culture, first names have a mystical property and their use can be an intimate act. "Like making love?" asks Jenny's gormless lover. "Yes". So when Matthew and Nimi end up alone and indoors, he tells her to say his name (before she called him Mr Field, and he called her Mrs da Silva, as he didn't know her first name), so that once she does, he unwraps the bottom of her outfit... Cut to post-coital scene. Sounds awful written down, but was well acted. The action sequence was the above-mentioned scene where Sammy nearly drowns on the rickety wrecked speedboat which falls into the sea. Colin performs an underwater rescue, kicking in the window to pull Sammy out, and handing up to his anxious mother. Funny lines - I will try to recall. In his first scene, having spotted a drawing of Saracen's transporter on the hiding Sammy's wrist, he bluffs Sammy's friend with a long speech about how Star-rule 37G forbids the revelation of his whereabouts during a mission, blah, blah, or something. It was so unexpected that the audience fell about.

Thanks, Mark!

she didn't seem to like Colin apart from saying that she would have liked J.I. (which was bad enought) was there anything else she said that made you think she didn't like Colin and did the Producer/Director seem to agree with her. Personally I think she is getting above herself,although it was a sweet funny film it wasn't a great screenplay and with JI, it would neither have been sweet or funny. Sorry to any JI fans, just my opinion, and Whitney Houston & Ji. nevah!!

he tells her to say his name (before she called him Mr Field...) This is from another movie. I've heard this used before and I can't remember. It's killing me. Same type situation where the woman had never used his first name before, so he asks her to say his name. (Ann) with JI, it would neither have been sweet or funny. Totally agree and I haven't even seen the movie. ;-D Humbug on Humbert!

Could I add what I think the title of Secret Laughter of Women means. Although I haven't seen it (obviously, I'm in Boston), but could it be the language between women (i.e. friends?). Say Nimi and her friends and Jenny and her friends?

Thanks Ann, Tineke, Aishling and Mark once again for enlightening us so thoroughly! I don't think you have left a stone unturned in your quest to bring us every SLOW detail. I think I am really looking forward to seeing it and Ann has particularly convinced me by saying the video is one to keep (and treasure!) when it does eventually appear. Just one question - does he look as thin as he is now in 3DOR, or would you say he has lost weight?

Hi Gang....Mark, Ann and Aishling....you have all given a great synopsis of the film...Here is mine: ~~~~~~ Mark...sorry we missed you on the Friday screening..but Duty called, I see: to write the first SLOW review!!Thanks Mark.We took off to the distribs for press kit. Not too much to add to all my predecessors remarks.. They could have called SLOW �Man Behaving Badly and they wouldn�t have been far off the mark....and with a less skilled actor the audience would have loathed him. But even knowing his intentions are disingenuous , the audience is swept along and seduced by Matthew ..just like Nimi. You know th plot and the predictable ending. The dialogue at times is �Screen-Writing 101�stuff..but there are a few clever lines...three!I found the dialogue among the Nigerian women most appealing...esp. the preponderanceof proverbs to make a point. Misan Sagay seems to write women -talk best...along with dialogue between Matthew and Sammy ( she should, she�s a pediatrician!)Most unappealing are the lines between Matthew and Nimi....baaaad.Peter Schwabach has seen P&P more times than I have...and stolen all the best Andrew Davies scenes...He should sue. But hey, we�re the beneficiaries.As one reviewer says �CF saves the film�...and he has never looked better. So with apologies to Moon: TEN REASONS WHY I LIKED SLOW... 1. ODB has the starring role 2. He speaks French 3. He dances 4. He smolders (with sexual undertones!) 5. He flirts...(with that �on foot� smile) 6. Lots of snogs ...alas no foreplay and no shags:-( 7. Wears clothes to die for 8. Lots of close ups...plainly seen: ears pierced, neck (for those of you who are into mole-counting!)....and we noticed a small flaw under the left nostril!) 9. Good Chemistry with Nia Long. 10. Cute banter with Sammy. ~~~~~~ Womanizer references are several: 1. Jenny confronts Nimi with "there have been several"...and implies that she is another one. 2. The Reverend Folla reading in the newspaper about Matthew Fields; "...had a heart attack while bonking an MP's wife". BTW Matt has a heart attack in this film too...(alas not while bonking anybody.)It takes two viewings to get the gist of this film... ~~~~~ This is a cute film...don't know why a British distributor didn't pick it up sooner.It was available to them. IMO it has a better potential for a US audience than FP. (Somebody tell Phaedra!!)Definitely, the best ODB has looked since P&P. We will have a real party discussing this one. ~~~~ I'll give The Ritzy Report later....enough to say that it was an exasperating experience. Aishling and I reconstructed the Q&A. I spoke to the director on the way out...pertaining to US distribution. I can see that my job isn't over...if she is right.

Thanks for your comments, Evelyn. Now *shining a bright light in your eyes* it's your turn for the interrogation. I found the dialogue among the Nigerian women most appealing...esp. the preponderance of proverbs to make a point Aha! Has this something to do with "secret laughter?" Loved your top ten list! 2. The Reverend Folla reading in the newspaper about Matthew Fields; "...had a heart attack while bonking an MP's wife". BTW Matt has a heart attack in this film too...(alas not while bonking anybody.) Alas, indeed! You've lost me on the heart attack business, though. Others have referred to the newspaper article--a heart attack in one so young would be unusual (now, in someone of Jeremy Iron's age...), so it was likely a ruse--but what do you mean about Matt having a heart attack in the film? IMO it has a better potential for a US audience than FP. (Somebody tell Phaedra!!) You're right. Poor Phaedra. FP did so poorly in NY it seems to have vanished. I spoke to the director on the way out...pertaining to US distribution. I can see that my job isn't over...if she is right. Do tell! Do tell!

Welcome back, Evelyn! Loved the top 10! It is definitely one to swoon over. ;-D Did anyone point out the faux-pas to Sagay? I would have! What does the 3DOR poster look like? Have we seen the pix? Tell us all about your encounter with Colin. Did you ask about Flashman, or any future project? Do you have a pix of your lovely group? Eileen, I believe Matt was recuperating from his heart attack in the south of France. Now we know when it happened. Age is not neccesarily a factor for one to have a heart attack.

Great comments, Evelyn! and we noticed a small flaw under the left nostril!) Definitely a point we need to discuss! IMO it has a better potential for a US audience than FP. (Somebody tell Phaedra!!) Oh no!!!! It should go to somebody somewhat competent. These people don't have enough clout to get their coffee refilled at the nearest Denny's let alone find an "avelilable" [sic] screen in the entire US! I see 10 excellent reasons to see this film, when only one would have sufficed and these are double-barrelled reasons, counting two apiece: 4. He smolders (with sexual undertones!) 5. He flirts...(with that �on foot� smile) *be still my heart* (Eileen) a heart attack in one so young would be unusual (now, in someone of Jeremy Iron's age...) You are baaaaadddd! Of course, a heart attack in one so young is usually massive and fatal. But with this second one, he isn't even taken to the hospital, but to Nimi's house or her mother's house.

Hopefully, you will see the poster tomorrow. Right now it is masking taped to my wall where I photographed it this morning. Will pick up the prints tomorrow for scanning. It is an *ooohhhh yeahhhh*

It is an *ooohhhh yeahhhh* Go ahead and tease us, we tremble with anticipation. ;-)

Welcome back, Evelyn. XOXOXOX We missed you! Before I get maudlin, back to the film... What is with this heart attack business, we all want to know. He's suffered two already at his age? This film may not be a good candidate for "will they live happily ever after." Looking forward to my new SLOW wallpaper.

(Eileen)but what do you mean about Matt having a heart attack in the film? Just what I said....you see him slumped over in the car...with the people carrying him out...Then he's taken to Nimi's house!!! "The doctor said he would release him.. when we found his relatives"...then...."We found your wife" says Nimi. You see what I mean about the riveting dialogue. ~~~~ (Moon)Did anyone point out the faux-pas to Sagay? I would have! What does the 3DOR poster look like? Have we seen the pix? Tell us all about your encounter with Colin. Did you ask about Flashman, or any future project? Do you have a pix of your lovely group? Moon...I posted the encounter with Colin on 123. The 3 DOR poster is the same as the pic on the brochure. I did not ask any questions. I treat this encounter as a social one ...not an interrogation. I have no agenda when I go ....I never plan to ask him any questions. I did not ask him for an autograph ( I don't have one) and I did not take a picture.In January, I would like to take a pic of Karen and him ...I feel the poor girl was cheated in March.Like I said.. I go to relish the moment. I did not confront Ms. Sagay with any derogotory comments ...that would have been rude.I did ask her privately about the US distribution....I will give you that account later. The film ended about 11:20...the tubes stop running at midnight...and Brixton was to hell 'n gone. There were no tubes from Brixton and I was not sure we could get a taxi to Victoria to make the midnight deadline. Susan....you were our inspiration...if Susan did it alone...I felt the three of us could do it together.So we were anxious to get out...yet we wanted to stay til the end of the Q&A. We were fighting the clock. The SLOW poster is absolutely gorgeous...as is the film. This movie is a survivor...I'm convinced it will be shown in the US. A natural for Lifetime channel on cable. Definitely a "chick-flick", a date movie.A heart-stopper for sure.

I did not confront Ms. Sagay with any derogotory comments ...that would have been rude. Evelyn, you misunderstood me. Ms. Sagay should have been checked on her comments but there is no need to be derogatory or rude in doing so. I did not ask any questions. I treat this encounter as a social one ...not an interrogation. I have no agenda when I go Asking a question about a future project does not make for an interrogation and certainly in no way could he have thought you to have an agenda by asking a question. We are interrogating you with all our questions, as we do have the tendency to assail the lucky ones who chat with OVDB. I hope you do get a chance to take his picture with Karen, she deserves it! How was Summerfolk?

I feel the poor girl was cheated Don't mind me. Just sitting here wallowing in self-pity. ;-D BTW, Moon, I must have misread your comment about the poster. The 3DOR one is the same that's been posted at the theater websites, like Albemarle's. But the SLOW one is a variation of the Nimi artwork that HandMade had used. Poor Ms. Sagay, they've added Colin Firth to the poster. *boo hoo* Now people might think it's a movie about Colin Firth! ;-D

(Moon) Age is not neccesarily a factor for one to have a heart attack. It most certainly is. (Karen) You are baaaaadddd! Most of the time, yes, but I was speaking medically here. And humbug, Humbert, indeed! he isn't even taken to the hospital, but to Nimi's house or her mother's house. Guess he had an American HMO. (Evelyn) you see him slumped over in the car...with the people carrying him out...Then he's taken to Nimi's house!!! Thanks for the clarification, Ev. The place to go after a heart attack (or as Mari calls it, a My-oh-Colin-al Infarction) or even an angina episode is not someone's house. Matthew probably just had gas :-D Harumph. If Sagay is a pediatrician, she ought to know this. Bad story line. Veddy veddy bad. If I ever come face-to-face with ODB, I'd be lucky to get an intelligible word out of my mouth. You knew what was appropriate for the time and place, Evelyn. But it doesn't stop the rest of us from wanting to ask by proxy!

MLSF is at #15 in the Australian top films, not bad for a little film only showing on 16 screens. BTW does that mean that there are only 6 reels now in use in the US.Well done all CF fans in Aussie.

(Evelyn)I treat this encounter as a social one That�s what makes that encounter so great, your instincts work perfectly, Evelyn! He came to you to say he was glad to see you there, not to answer a flow of curious fan questions. If you had started to question him he wouldn�t come to you deliberately again.

he isn't even taken to the hospital, but to Nimi's house or her mother's house. (Eileen) Guess he had an American HMO. ROTF! If you're right, Eileen, one can only hope that Dr. Nimi, the Primary Care Physician, had a fresh supply of leeches on hand!;-) Note to self: 1. Swallow coffee before reading posts. 2. Purchase plastic slipcover for monitor if neglect to do # 1. Evelyn, you are amazing. As I told Karen, most of us bring home red double-decker bus magnets; leave it to you to haul a Colincopia of Firthabilia! Am greatly enjoying your posts. Would love to hear more about the *exact* moment that you realized he recognized you and was coming over. I have to confess: in March I was one of those curious fan types who asked him questions, just work-related stuff, you know, like "boxers or briefs?";-) Mari

(Mari), I have to confess: in March I was one of those curious fan types who asked him questions, just work-related stuff, you know, like "boxers or briefs?";-) Mari you should know better than to make such a confession here. We need all the details before we can absolve you. :-) Please continue...

(Evelyn) Peter Schwabach has seen P&P more times than I have...and stolen all the best Andrew Davies scenes. Could you elaborate? Was there a lot of sparring-type situations between Matt and Nimi? In January, I would like to take a pic of Karen and him. Most definitely! Susan....you were our inspiration...if Susan did it alone...I felt the three of us could do it together. You're sweet to say this, but I shouldn't be anyone's inspiration. If I was any kind of a competent driver my trip would have been a piece of cake. Guess he had an American HMO. LOL, Eileen!

(Evelyn)I treat this encounter as a social one (Elena) That�s what makes that encounter so great, your instincts work perfectly, Evelyn! He came to you to say he was glad to see you there, not to answer a flow of curious fan questions. If you had started to question him he wouldn�t come to you deliberately again. But he might expect Evelyn to ask him some questions since he knew she was not one of those stalkers (you know what I mean, don't you?) then Colin could be disappointed for not having an exciting conversation with one of his finest fans ;-) I do wish Evelyn would ask him to get onto cf.com for his film discussion (that may get him interested). Thanks to all who posted the latest 3DOR and SLOW reviews. I'm having a great time to absorb them. Now go back to my little corner, see ya!

(Mari)I have to confess: in March I was one of those curious fan types who asked him questions, justwork-related stuff, you know, like "boxers or briefs?";-) Mari, you're the greatest....and coming from you, I am sure he would laugh and not be offended. I guess, I just don't care that much....I am happy to see him on stage anytime, anywhere. Anyway, asking questions when I don't know anyone personally is just not me...sorry. ~~~~~~~ )(Evelyn) Peter Schwabach has seen P&P more times than I have...and stolen all the best Andrew Davies scenes. (Susan)Could you elaborate? Was there a lot of sparring-type situations between Matt and Nimi? P&P cloned scenes 1. He looks out the window (wearing a ghastly dressing gown)at Nimi while she is sketching his garden. (She is a landscape architect). 2. He rescues Sammy in a boating accident ...swims in a tank...comes out with dripping wet shirt.. 3. Lots of smoldering looks. I have notes someplace...Springfolks who attended please add to this list.

OOOHHH!!! What glimpses of ODB to whet the appetite! Evelyn, great top 10 and Karen we await your skilled photography with keen anticipation. I can see I will have to focus on his nose at my next 3DOR visit! I have lapped up every detail, thank you.

P.S Is the dripping wet shirt white as in Pemberly white?

Blue, I think Lizza!

(Evelyn) 1. He looks out the window (wearing a ghastly dressing gown)at Nimi while she is sketching his garden. Wot?! She wasn't frolicking with a dog? ;-D Does Colin do his trademark (Andrew Davies) snuff out a candle with bare fingers? (Lizza) we await your skilled photography I guess I must be one of those who cuts off heads. ;-D Sorry, the others will have to wait. I've had a hard day picking up pictures, taking another roll (hanging the poster on outside walls, garage doors, etc.), having that developed, trying to figure out if any were good, picking up the slides from another place, then scanning the lot of them. 'Fraid I don't even want to look at them right now....at least until tomorrow. BTW, the kid at the photoshop thought the closeup one of Matt and Nimi in bed (which you've already seen) was "really neat." ;-D

THE RITZY REPORT After the screening there were some Q&A�s for about 25 minutes with Misan Sagay, the writer /producer and director Peter Schwabach.the questions came from members of the audience...one we felt was planted.The audience was not as enthusiastic as at the Friday screening. That might have had something to do with the fact that it was a real marathon to get to the Ritzy since the tubes had quit running. The Ritzy BTW is a misnomer...the place is a dive.The cinema had about ten rows..with seats that defied viewing the film. Brixton BTW is OK....we never felt threatened.Busy High Street. (I am paraphrasing the following....would like Tineke and Aishling to comment/correct) Q. Did you feel you accomplished your mission in making this film? Misan: Well, yes and no.I wanted to make a film about Nigerian women for women...but the financiers[ Handmade] wanted a film about Colin Firth.They actually wanted me to cut out the part with the women....then you just would have had CF walking around.[Much laughter] She then spoke at length about the trials of getting financing.I got the idea that they were grateful that the LFF had given them a slot. Someone asked if the film would be shown in the UK and she said yes from Nov. 26 Optimum would distribute it. The US distribution rights were still in the hands of the bank. [That got a big WOT? from me] BBC wanted Whitney Houston and only wanted a budget of 400,000 UKP.�Why that�s WH�s haridresser money!!� They also wanted Jeremy Irons but when the production was delayed, �he couldn�t fit the dates into his schedule.�[This lady was so inarticulate].So we got Colin Firth.Three weeks into production, Handmade went bankrupt and I had to pay the bills on my credit card. At times I hid among the cast when the bill collectors came. Finally I went to the Art Council for money to pay the creditors. Q. Why did you make an English film in the south of France. PS said because it is a picturesque spot and there is a colony of expats [Brits] there and a Nigerian community. Q. What was you background ? Misan said she was a pediatrician and was used to having children on her knee giving them shots.[No kidding she said this].PS spoke about his educational credentials. Q. Did you shoot more than one ending for this film? Much laughter from director....�that only happens on 30 million UKP films.� On the way out I asked her if I heard her correctly whenshe said the US distribution was still in the hands of the bank and she said �Yes, but we�re trying to talk them out of it�. ~~~~~ Hey kids...that's all I know.

I want to add that the Nigerian native dresses are absolutely exquisite. Nia Long looks particularly beautiful when she wears them...she has a dazzling smile and a impish, ironic intelligence about her.Was perfect for the part as was the little boy [actually I preferred him to Fraser in MLSF].The bi-racial topic was never an issue..more cross-cultural. [Could have been Anglo-Italian!]The director said it was a film about an individual vs. the community. Also forgot to add that Misan wanted African music and the financiers insisted on a mainstream soundtrack.They do play African music when the women dance at Sammy's Birthday party.Nimi is very a graceful dancer and Matthew an appreciative audience!!( With that "on foot" smirk)

She then spoke at length about the trials of getting financing. Excuuuuuuuuuuuz me???? From the Production Notes and I quote:The filmmakers were fortunate to be offered financing very early on. The script was picked up first by British Screen and then the European Script Fund who funded the first two drafts. "I'm afraid I don't have one of those wonderful epic stories about how it took 20 years to get the script funded," states Misan. Peter concurs: "In terms of attracting money it wasn't an uphill struggle because the material was so good. British Screen having seen Attenborough put the first money into the script followed by the European Script Fund. HandMade Films were next to come on board with Gareth Jones as Executive Producer. The relationship with HandMade Films was a happy one, they were very committed and a real pleasure to work with."[...] The film wrapped after a seven week shoot. Peter Schwabach was never really daunted by the task of directing his first feature: "It was project I'd worked on for a couple of years already and I'd been intimately involved with writing the script. I also spent a lot of time casting it, we flew to Lagos to get Nene, and the film was of a sufficient budget that I was able to hand-pick the people I wanted. In that sense the film wasn't compromised in the way that when you make a short you have to get people for free."So which is it?

Well, Evelyn's report is accurate. Misan did go on at length about the financing (or lack of it). She did acutally say she was very grateful to the LFF for screeening the film.

I guess there's no sympathy available for producers who get the money easily - better to overspend, dodge creditors and tell stories about how harrowing it's all been. The heart attack - I assumed it was all a ruse to get into Nimi's house; I'm sure Nimi is told "he's lying on the couch, and they can't find anything wrong with him at all". I don't know anything about him recovering from another h.a. Otherwise they have a clouded happy ever after together - she's already lost one husband. Eileen asked for the funny lines a while ago; I'm having trouble remembering them all but when CF has caused consternation at the party and Sammy explains: "You must never touch food with your left hand; it's dirty - you wipe your bottom with it", he replies "Not necessarily" - that got a big laugh. (probably British toilet humour)

Very funny, Mark. The director said it was a film about an individual vs. the community. Hey, this is Donovan Quick! Thank you, Evelyn for the report.

(Mark) The heart attack - I assumed it was all a ruse to get into Nimi's house; I'm sure Nimi is told "he's lying on the couch, and they can't find anything wrong with him at all". I don't know anything about him recovering from another h.a. The first one, incurred while--how was it put?--bonking a politician's wife sounded like a ruse to me (no doubt influenced by all those Flashman books I've read!). A repeat of the same ruse to get into Nimi's house makes sense. Thanks for trying to remember the funny lines! (Elena) That�s what makes that encounter so great, your instincts work perfectly, Evelyn! He came to you to say he was glad to see you there, not to answer a flow of curious fan questions. If you had started to question him he wouldn�t come to you deliberately again. Very well said, Elena. Evelyn, you haven't been christened 'Dame Evelyn' for nothin'! Thanks for the Q&A summation. IMO the production notes have been 'spun' and Sagay spoke the truth during the Q&A--a little too bluntly when it came to "settling" for CF instead of JI. We know HandMade went bankrupt, that's for sure! Evelyn, what do you think about your friends at the bank pursuing US distribution? Did the UK release breathe new life into the project?

(Mark) she's already lost one husband Really? Did they ever say that Nimi had been married? What happened to the other husband? I got the impression that Sammy was produced out of wedlock. The notes mention several times that Nimi's mother's greatest desire is for Nimi to wear a "married woman's head-tie" for her "chance of respectability." A widow is very respectable in most cultures. Don't know if Nimi had been married before and her husband just left her or divorced her...and what that would say about her status in the community. A ha!! Found this:"There are few stains that a married woman's head-tie cannot disguise .." [synopsis lead in] We are introduced to Nimi da Silva at the Church of the Anglican Ascension. Women in bright traditional African dress flutter around like birds of paradise discussing the latest gossip as tehy stand in pecking order of head-ties. Towards the front, under the pulpit are the noble head-ties, silken and luxurious; at the back, simple cotton prints and more animated converesation. Nimi enters the church with her seven year old son Sammy and heads towards the back, nervously adjusting her humble scarf - the cl ar sign of her shameful unmarried status. (Eileen) IMO the production notes have been 'spun' and Sagay spoke the truth during the Q&A I agree that the production notes have been spun, but why go to such lengths to fabricate a story about the ready availability of financing. To place blame for the delayed release on the film to HandMade's bankruptcy as opposed to the film's brilliance? ;-D

The film makes it quite clear that Nimi's first husband, Sammy's father, drowned (no explanation of how or why, but I guess it adds extra poignancy to Sammy's subsequent brush with death). I was taking it as a charming point in MF's favour that he didn't immediately ask about Sammy's father, or indeed seem to be bothered. The information was given well into the movie (I think in response to a question from the priest or his parents). I now think it may have been because someone other than the original writer demanded that Nimi have a *decent* explanation of her situation. The implication was that the culture was even more oppressive because despite her widowhood, the Nigerian women needed to shame Nimi into re-marrying.

Thanks for the Q&A, Evelyn. Which was the question you feel was planted? I asked her if I heard her correctly when she said the US distribution was still in the hands of the bank and she said Yes, but we�re trying to talk them out of it. Am I confused, or is she saying that she hopes the film *won't* be distributed in the U.S.? This woman really sounds like a piece of work. No wonder Colin seems to want to wash his hands of the whole thing.

(Karen) but why go to such lengths to fabricate a story about the ready availability of financing. To place blame for the delayed release on the film to HandMade's bankruptcy as opposed to the film's brilliance? ;-D Tee hee! Good point. Since posting my last I thought of another question, then promply forgot it. Thankfully Susan has thought of it also: Which was the question you feel was planted? Was it the one about Sagay's vision for the film?

(Karen) I've heard this used before and I can't remember. It's killing me. Same type situation where the woman had never used his first name before, so he asks her to say his name. Don't know if this is the one you were thinking of Karen, but I saw it in a BBC version of Emma. Mr Knightly asked Emma to call him "George" (I think that was his name; I always think of him as Mr Knightly). I'm going to see MLSF again on Sunday (another 250km trek). My Mum may come with me. I've convinced her she will like the film even though she doesn't have a firthsession. Cathey

Actually, the Timothy Dalton "Jane Eyre" keeps surfacing, but I think it's something a bit more recent. Don't think it was the BBC's Emma. I've tried to forget that one. ;-D

IMO the production notes have been 'spun' and Sagay spoke the truth during the Q&A Karen, did you say that the production notes were probably written by Handmade Films....probably before they went bankrupt.It was sudden...I was in contact with them in those days...and those girls did not know they were going to be out of a job. ~~~~~ I understood that Nimi was an unwed mother... (Big Spoiler!)At the beginning Matthew tells her their relationship would have limitations (he's married!). She then decides to marry Rev. Folla in order to give Sammy a name . At the end Matthew says: "Field is a name too". And they embrace among the tomatoes.

Re; US distrib... According to Misan, the bank still has the rights of distribution in the US.. and she is trying to get it so it can be shown in the US.It seems convoluted to me...but next week I plan to call the bank for verification

Aaaah! My kind of film! I'll keep my eyes wide open for some promo in the press this weekend. SLOW doesn't have to be outstanding to attract some attention. There's enough that's "different" about it...the setting, the fact that the director is a woman and Nigerian (I presume), the theme, the culture clash, and the fact that there are two very photogenic leads. It opens the same week as the latest James Bond, so I'm really hoping to see some publicity! I don't think Handmade went bankrupt during the filming...well afterwards, surely. And I don't think the BBC would budget only �400,00 for a full-length film!

(Bethan)I don't think Handmade went bankrupt during the filming...well afterwards, surely. And I don't think the BBC would budget only �400,00 for a full-length film! That's what Misan said....elaborated on it too. Said the funding was cut three weeks into production. The Art Council finally gave her money to pay the bills. But they had no money for post-production..which is why it went on for a year...! Let me assure you..according to her it was a real Pity Party.

(Evelyn) did you say that the production notes were probably written by Handmade Films...probably before they went bankrupt Oh, definitely, they were done by HandMade...before. In Colin's bio, it says: "and most recently, 1000 Acres (Jocelyn Moorhouse) and World of Moss (Hugh Hudson)." (Mark) The film makes it quite clear that Nimi's first husband, Sammy's father, drowned (Evelyn) I understood that Nimi was an unwed mother... Sammy's father could have drowned, but he may not have been Nimi's husband. The significance of the head-tie (rank) appears integral to the story. (Evelyn) the bank still has the rights of distribution in the US. The only thing I can make of this is that Optimum didn't have enough $$$ to buy the film outright from the bank. It could only afford distribution rights within the UK. So the bank or its sales agent may be continuing to parcel it out. Plausible. (Bethan) And I don't think the BBC would budget only �400,00 for a full-length film! Where did BBC come from? It isn't mentioned anywhere in the credits or production history. (Bethan) It opens the same week as the latest James Bond Would be a tough choice for me! ;-D so I'm shallow ;-p

(Bethan) And I don't think the BBC would budget only �400,000 for a full-length film! (Karen)Where did BBC come from? It isn't mentioned anywhere in the credits or production history. I think BBC must be the same as The Art Council funding. She did mention BBC...and if I remember correctly at the beginning it says: "Paragon Films, Handmade Films and BBC". Bethan, 400,000UKP would not have been the whole budget for this film...their was other funding. ~~~~~~~ Hey....Karen....you changed Mathew's shoes!!!!

Love the 'shoes among the tomatoes' pic on the main page. But will you be revealing the rest of his body? Yikes, we're sooo demanding! Let me get this straight, Evelyn. In your opinion, was Sagay's sad tale of bankruptcy, lack of funds, hiding among the actors to escape bill collectors, etc. (BTW, were violins playing in the background?) an exaggeration of the truth? Or did HandMade go bankrupt much later on in the process? Thanks. Also, which question in the Q&A do you and Aishling feel was a plant? I promise to turn off the bright light that's shining in your eyes very soon :-)

Eileen, am working on it now. ;-D OK, you people who saw SLOW, why didn't you say that Christopher Bowen plays Rupert, who I assume is Jenny's lover? Fond memories of Cold Comfort Farm (when I wasn't admiring Rufus)! ;-D

(Karen)OK, you people who saw SLOW, why didn't you say that Christopher Bowen plays Rupert, Who cares about CB??Anyway that was one anemic performance...:-) ~~~~~ No Eileen..I don't think Misan was exaggerating....as improbable as it might seem. She had the director standing next to her and I doubt she would have blatantly lied.If she said Handmade went bankrupt three weeks into production and Peter Schwabach agrees...who are we to say they didn't. There was a lot going on at that time. You see, Paragon Entertainment Corp. a Canadian Company and parent company of Handmade went bankrupt.In the process they tried to see the distribution rights to Handmade's stable of 22 films. When that didn't happen...the bank took over the assets.

Thanks, Ev. I was aware of the basic chain of events but not the timing.

*wiping brow* It's done. Hope you like!

So much for putting a link up??? Just go to my Drool Bucket: http://www.spring.net/~KarenR/mdbro.main.html Lots of new stuff for SLOW ;-D

Thank you Karen! And Evelyn! First-rate stuff. Fascinating production notes, and the synopsis is excellent. I like Nia's comments about Colin, oh, and the fact that he can relate to the commitment-phobic Matthew, and the moment of really falling for someone (I paraphrase!) Looking forward to seeing this!

Karen I clicked on the above URL but got Not found.

Oops I see the mistake. BTW, you can always get there from the 3Deers main page. http://www.spring.net/~KarenR/mdbro/main.html

SLOW...don't know if this is significant, but the Times Metro lists as its "coming next week" three films, the Bond movie, "The Astronaut's Wife" (Johnny Depp) and SLOW. Given that about ten films seem to open each week and several suffer the indignity of being totally ignored, this is recognition of a kind. I also noticed that in our region, "Onegin" is playing in very few theatres...about par with "The Winslow Boy" when it was first released. Suprises me in view of the blanket promotion it received. BTW, Colin may find that courtesy of the new Bridget Jones and the ES awards (hopefully!), SLOW may get some indirect publicity!

Any sighting is significant. :-D Think I was inspired by the television show I taped for Evelyn about the WWII code breaking. There is another interpretation for Colin's remarks in the Donmar lobby about SLOW. He said something to the effect of "sorry it didn't work out." In addition to (1) sorry you missed it and (2) sorry it turned out so bad, there is also the possibility that he's expressing regret that it took so long to come out. I'll know more when I find my codebooks. ;-D

That's a beautiful page, Karen. The colors are brilliant and the photos - argh, I wanna see this film. I'm greedy. In addition to (1) sorry you missed it and (2)sorry it turned out so bad, there is also the possibility that he's expressing regret that it took so long to come out. Sounds like Moon's cue for the other seven reasons to make her Top Ten list.

Super job on the SLOW page, Karen! Thanks to you and Evelyn for these goodies. Nice to see that Nia Long has joined the ever-growing list of Colin's Leading Ladies Who Love him. But what's with the tomato pic? Looks rather . . .seedy.;-) Sigh. Remember when guys brought you roses? ;-) (Karen) There is another interpretation for Colin's remarks in the Donmar lobby about SLOW. He said something to the effect of "sorry it didn't work out." Maybe he really said, "sorry *I* didn't work out." Nimi might have immediately gone for a guy with pecs! ;-D

Thanks to you and Evelyn for these goodies. Hey..not me....all I did was carry the stuff home. Aishling schlepped that poster all over London(found the tube) and Tineke found the Optimum cubby-hole on Charring Cross Rd. A real Spring-team effort. ~~~~~~ BTW anybody planning to bring home a 3 DOR poster, you can purchase tubes at a post office...but the closest ones to the Donmar is on Trafalgar Sq. US poster shops have shoulder strap carriers. They are fiendish to carry through Heathrow.

LOL, Mari! * Evelyn, next time remember to bring a piece of string and some sticky tape...;-) * Btw, isn't it time to open a new SLOW board?

Btw, isn't it time to open a new SLOW board? Sure, it's only fair. When does the film open for general release and will you UK ladies be able to see it so we get some posts?

May I suggest that we're doing just fine with this one, so far? Why not have a general "Current Film Spoilers" Topic so you won't have to keep creating new ones ... remember, next year is going to be a busy year. We shouldn't be creating a new topic every other week ...Activity on any given "Spoilers" Topic is usually pretty short-lived. They rarely fill up with very many responses and having a long list of numbered topics can be v. confusing. [This coming from the Muddle Champion of all Time!!] :-)

Karen's got this review on her SLOW page (the link is posted at 123) "...Firth seems uneasy throughout, particularly when his catty British wife, played by Caroline Goodall, comes calling. /.../ This collision of cultures tale chugs along quite pleasantly but ends up going nowhere, despite the lively acting of the almost uniformly excellent Nigerian cast members. /.../ Bogged down in local colour the British contingent fail to be sufficiently interesting and thus the love story can have no real heart. A bit biased, don't you think?

...Firth seems uneasy throughout, particularly when his catty British wife, played by Caroline Goodall, comes calling. /.../ Of course he's uneasy...the guy is in love with Nimi and is getting ready to dump Jenny. The Nigerian cast??? Only one is from Nigeria. The others are from UK. Sammy comes from Surrey!!Rev. Folla has played with the RSC!! ....love story can have no real heart. Should read..."The love story has no real plot...." But it is an OK film. I would see it again.

Evelyn's right. The only Nigerian is the actress who plays Nimi's mother. Her bio was pretty interesting. She has mounted a Nigerian production of "An Ideal Husband." I get the feeling that people are disappointed because they were expecting something different. As if using a Nigerian-English premise would somehow lift it out of being a usual and customary romantic comedy. But aren't many rom-coms about opposites attracting?

Secret Laughter of Women now on new Topic 126 - Spoilers for Current Firth Productions.

Hi everyone, I've been lurking and enjoying all of your conversations so much! Thanks to Mari and her kindly telling me that MLSF is playing in Doylestown PA I have finally seen it, and I really enjoyed it. The theater is about 30 min. from my sister's house (site of our Thanksgiving), so I sent the rest of my family home this morning and I went to see the movie....a perfect day after Thanksgiving! I've loved reading all of your comments on the movie, and I don't have a lot to add...I don't think anyth ng much went on in the moss, though! CF looked great and that alone was worth the price of admission. I'll certainly be wearing out the video tape when it comes out! Lynn in Lancaster PA

Hi everyone, I've been lurking and enjoying all of your conversations so much! Thanks to Mari and her kindly telling me that MLSF is playing in Doylestown PA I have finally seen it, and I really enjoyed it. The theater is about 30 min. from my sister's house (site of our Thanksgiving), so I sent the rest of my family home this morning and I went to see the movie....a perfect day after Thanksgiving! I've loved reading all of your comments on the movie, and I don't have a lot to add...I don't think anything much went on in the moss, though! CF looked great and that alone was worth he price of admission. I'll certainly be wearing out the video tape when it comes out! Lynn in Lancaster PA

Hi Lynn, welcome to Firth World. What a Thanksgiving treat for you. Did you see it alone? So nice to wallow in MLSF without distraction. This is definitely worth getting two videos - one to watch over and over, the other to keep as the "good" copy. I know Allentown isn't that close to Lancaster, but it's playing there at the 19th Street Theatre starting 12/26 if you're looking for a second viewing.

Thanks Heide, and sorry about the double posting! I'm still holding out hope that it will show up in Annville or Millersville, but at least I've seen it once on the big screen!

Welcome Lynn.....good to have you on board. I hope you will join us on the other topics. Stick around!

LYNN!!! Great to see you come out of lurking, Lynn. Like you, I can't wait to see MLSF again. It's been months!! :-( January can't get here fast enough. So tell us any scenes, looks, lines or anything else that particularly struck you? We all have our favorite Colin outfits and little scenes. How about you?

Lynn, I'm so glad it worked out for you. One more thing to give thanks for, eh? Don't give up hope on Millersville or the other college towns; I believe it did play in Kutztown. This is the little movie that could!

Why can't it come back here? An Ideal Husband is going around...one..last...time.

MLSF in Oklahoma played at an art house theatre . The timing could not be worse...on the weekend before Christmas, who has time to go to the movies? AND , as Karen pointed out, college kids are gone (Norman is home to Univ. of OK.)Normally, they are more receptive to foreign films than the general population.So we had a private screening (two local Firthfans and me). My friends enjoyed it but had a problem understand the Scottish accent.The scene with Fraser and the maids in the kitchen was a goner.But everyone agreed that it was Colin at his best and hang the fact they could understand it. The film suffers from brutal editing leaving the audience confused. And Malcolm Mac Dowell looks older every time I see him...I swear I saw him limping! MEM is a gem in this..she conveys such deep affection for Edward...I�m sure it helped that in real life Colin is�a friend of the family� and the affection is real. My favorite scene is still when he is explaining the facts of life to Fraser. He has a similar scene in SLOW with Sammy. He does �being embarassed �so well...in both these films as well as in FP at the restaurant , and meeting Lizzie at Pemberley. Still no review in the newspaper, though the Miramax guy told me there would be one. Apparently, Miramax sent it the day before it was to begin.There does not seem to be a master plan for this film. Sad...it�s a treasure. I love it...can�t wait for the video.

And Malcolm MacDowell looks older every time I see him...I swear I saw him limping! Hee hee! can�t wait for the video Neither can I. Only a couple more weeks, right? I wonder what version of the film we'll see (1920, 1927 or with the Australian version's ending). I'm also looking forward to not seeing his head melt (as occurred when I saw it in July).

Just had an interesting conversation. The version of MLSF that will play in the UK is the same as has been showing in Australia, with Fraser going off to boarding school and Edward fooling around and imparting his *words of wisdom.* This is from someone who saw it about 4 months ago at a cast/crew party. Shoot!! Forgot to ask if the game plan then was to premiere it in October!!

Amazing but true -- MLSF is *still* playing in one theatre in Newton, a suburb of Boston. It's been there since August, so must be doing decent business. Evelyn, what was your impression of the infamous "loft" scene? Did he or didn't he?;-D

(Susan)Evelyn, what was your impression of the infamous "loft" scene? Did he or didn't he?;-D You know...the first time I saw it, I thought :"Nah...just a few snogs and a grope or two"...but this time I think he might have and it ended up on the cutting room floor..to get the PG13 rating.If not, then Edward is the biggest liar, 'cause he sure acts like it. BTW I saw the 1920 version.And Simon Rattle conducting the Birmingham Symphony is magnificent playing Beethoven's Fifth.Wish they had cut a soundtrack.

Just had an interesting conversation. The version of MLSF that will play in the UK is the same as has been showing in Australia, with Fraser going off to boarding school and Edward fooling around and imparting his *words of wisdom.* This is from someone who saw it about 4 months ago at a cast/crew party. Shoot!! Forgot to ask if the game plan then was to premiere it in October!! (Karen) Karen, you really do have sources everywhere! What cast/crew party was this? I just can't see any reason for the delay in showing MLSF in the UK..... if they're just planning an art-house release, they can do it any time. And if they'd shown it in October, it would have linked in with David Puttnam's much publicised retirement. Your sources can't cast light on the reasons for the delay, can they?

From Anne H: Australian (and UK) Ending for MLSF The four wheel drive sets off with the chauffeur in front and Fraser in the back. His mother has just informed him his father is waiting for him at the loch. At they loch they stop - and his Dad can be seen climbing out of the loch in the strange regalia of a tyre and waders. He comes up to Fraser to say goodbye and after a few pleasantries he informs Fraser he has looked up the word Fellatio and now knows its meaning and suggests to Fraser that he doesn't practice it at school!!!!!!! Fraser looks at hi father in some puzzlement and is heard saying over - I can't remember the exact wording - but suffice to say he hadn't a clue to his father's meaning. [Cathey will I am sure give you the exact wording.] The four wheel drive then continues on, the chauffeur suggests Fraser comes and sits in front with him and they exchange caps and then music. I think I am right here - after all I have only seen it twice. Anne H

In the voice over Fraser says he is pleased his Dad has at last told him something useful, even though he doesn't have a clue what he means. This final scene starts off with Fraser saying goodbye to his mother and the servants. He asks his mother if it was his fault that his father's flying experiment didn't work earlier in the summer and she reassures him that is was not and that his father wasn't meant to fly, he was meant to stay with them "all the animals in his zoo". She is trying not to cry while she says goodbye to him. After the car drives off leaving Edward it shows Fraser climbing over the seat into the front and he and the chauffeur exchanging caps with Fraser saying (in voice over) "so that is My Life So Far". There is then some wording on the screen which I assume the American version also had. If not, let me know and I'll see how good my memory is.

Umm... actually, I think I prefer the U.S. ending. The juxtaposition of the fellatio reference with the chauffeur inviting Fraser to join him in the front seat brings to mind that scene from "Airplane" -- "Hey Joey, you ever seen a man naked?" Maybe it's just my sick mind;-D

I like the American ending too.Who cares about that kid going off to school? I'm more interested in Moira and Edward making up and dancing in the moonlight. Perhaps, they did this to appease Sir Denis Forman in his home country since this is his life...so far

I prefer the American ending, too. The last thing we see is Colin's handsome face. And the reference to fellatio and Edward telling his ten-year old son not to do it at boarding school gives me the shivers. Can't believe Edward would have said such a thing. Takes the sweetness from the film.

I may prefer the American ending too but I sure wish I could see that extra footage anyway so I could decide for myself. Thanks for sharing, Anne and Cathey.

I spotted this in next week's (Jan 22-28) TV Guide, On Video section: "My Life So Far" (Miramax, available January 25) Set in post-World War I Scotland, this affecting memoir is told through the eyes of a 10-year-old boy and stars Colin Firth and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. All of which we know, of course. I was surprised to see it mentioned. I wonder if it'll turn up on pay-per-view?

Apparently My Life So Far has hit South Africa. Found this in a publication called Business Day (14 January 2000). Excellent review AGRICULTURE AND SEX IN THE IDYLLIC '20S The childhood reminiscences of Dennis Forman, a prominent figure in the arts in the UK, have been turned into a film of considerable charm and merit by Hugh Hudson and producer David Putnam, the duo responsible for Chariots of Fire in 1981. Blessed with a well-to-do, happy family, Fraser (Robert Norman) takes full advantage of his comfortable, stimulating circumstances. The 1920s may have been a period of change and uncertainty for others the plight of the nearby miners is mentioned only in passing but, for the 10-year-old boy, it was a time of discovery and exploration, not least as far as sex was concerned. The main influence on Fraser was Edward (Colin Firth), his father and a man of vision which, although blurred in some instances, makes him a hero to his son. Their relationship is cemented by a shared interest in matters scientific, mechanical, musical, sporting and, as ill-luck would have it, carnal. Edward is married to Moira (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), whose mother, the indefatigable Gamma (Rosemary Harris), owns Kiloran, the Scottish estate Edward runs in his own eccentric and idealistic way particularly in regard to his stubborn insistence on continuing the harvesting of a moss. Morris (Malcolm McDowell), Moira's brother, is a hard-headed businessman who sees little point in persevering with an unprofitable crop when money could be made far more easily. But it is not only a difference of opinion on agriculture that creates tension between the brothers-in-law, both of whom hope to inherit the property on Gamma's death. There is also the question of Heloise (Irene Jacob), Morris's French fiance, who enchants Edward and, less harmfully, Fraser. Filled with rich, colourful characters superbly played by a near perfect cast, My Life So Far presents an idyllic world that exists today only in memory and even that, one suspects from Simon Donald's adaptation, is pen to interpretation. Firth brings out all Edward's idiosyncrasies, yet is still able to suggest the frustration and, perhaps, the passion that lie beneath his devotion to family and duty. McDowell impresses as the acquisitive trader, while Harris excels as the stern but kindly holder of the purse-strings. Jacob possesses just the right amount of exotic appeal that would upset the delicate balance in a sheltered household. Much as Norman's performance adds depth and insight to Fraser's half-understood view of the adult world, mention should also be made of the angelically impish little boy who plays him as a mischievous three year old whose innocent yet dangerous prank sets the tone. The only one seemingly out of synch with the proceedings is Mastrantonio, who is given little to say until, towards the end, she delivers a speech that expresses all her pent-up feelings and reveals that she is far more aware than anyone, inclu ing the audience, might have supposed. My Life So Far is necessarily episodic, but each event has some bearing on Fraser's development and his family's equilibrium. Hugh Hudson's direction effectively mixes nostalgia with perception. The film is dedicated to the late Ian Charleston, the actor who played the devout Christian in Chariots of Fire. This film is set in roughly the same period and has a similar respect for traditional values coming to terms with a changing world. While its circumstances are not quite as dramatic, it makes a comparable point with equal acuity. Phillip Altbeker

That's a very impressive review, not because he liked the film but because the reviewer actually seems to have paid attention and understands it. He's the first one I recall who ever mentioned 3-year old Fraser too. I like it.