A faithful adaptation of Dodie Smith’s classic 1948 book, this film stars Romola Garai as 17-year-old diarist Cassandra Mortmain. She really is perfect for the part. I have to admit that none of the other actors are quite how I imagined the characters, particularly Topaz (Tara Fitzgerald – not ethereal enough), Mr Mortmain (Bill Nighy – not sure why, he just doesn’t seem right) and Stephen (the gorgeous Henry Cavill – not shy and awkward enough). The acting is all very good though and the settings fantastic.
The film follows the book closely, including most of the plot points and a lot of original dialogue. As is the way with all films, the tearjerker topics – romance and the healing of a broken family – dominate the storyline. The main element left out is Cassandra’s angst about her religious beliefs. This means that the vicar’s role becomes very minor. Notably he is played by the same actor who was Mr Collins in the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice, obviously an Austen reference there. However, we see so little of him that his inclusion seems pointless. Thomas, the younger brother of Cassandra and Rose, has a few years taken off him in this film and is a little nerd. Miss Marcy, the giggly librarian, is a minor character from the book who was left out of the film. Other characters not appearing are the pub landlady, a farming family and the cat. The outdated racial perspectives in the book described the appearance of Leda (a terribly avant-garde photographer, whom Cassandra hates) as ‘dark’ and ‘greasy’ – in the film, her otherness is instead marked by a bizarre hairstyle and vamp lipstick.
I would say that the film is a good substitute for reading the book and ‘captures’ the essence effectively.
Image taken from BBC iPlayer.