"PENMARRIC" (1979) Review

 

"PENMARRIC" (1979) Review

British author Susan Howatch had a prolific career as a novelist for roughly thrity-nine years. Three of them were family sagas, whose characters paralleled the lives of one of Britain's royal families - the Plantagenets. The first of those novels, 1971's "Penmarric", ended up being the only one adapted for the screen.

Paralleling the life of King Henry II of England, his wife Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine and three sons; "Penmarric" told the story of the Castallack family through two generations, spanning between 1890 and 1945. The story was told from the viewpoint of five characters - landowner-historian Mark Castallack, his older wife Janna Castallack, Mark's younger illegitimate son Adrian Parrish, his and Janna's third son Philip Castallack and their youngest child, Jan-Yves Castallack. When the BBC adapted the novel in 1979 as a twelve-part miniseries, the screenwriters changed the story's setting between the mid-to-late 1860s and 1940. Apparently, the miniseries' producer(s) wanted to include the backstory of Mark's mother, Maud Penmar Castallack, and her failed attempts to secure inheritance of the Penmarric estate. The miniseries had included another major change. The screenwriters ended the Castallacks' saga in 1940, five years before Howatch did in her novel.

Overall, I thought "PENMARRIC" proved to be a good, solid adaptation of Howatch's novel. Aside from the changes, there seemed to be no other major diversions from the story's main saga. Through twelve episodes, I thought the miniseries did an excellent job of conveying the fortunes and misfortunes of the Castallack family. I also found myself impressed by how the production conveyed how three particular incidents - Maud Penmar Castallack's failure to gain inheritance of her father's estate, the violent breakdown of Mark and Janna Castallack's marriage and a major disaster involving one of the Penmarric's tin mines - had such major consequences on the family's fortunes and their lives.

In a production as large as "PENMARRIC", it was only natural I would encounter scenes I found very enjoyable or satisfying. Some of my favorite sequences featured the Penmars' reactions to the death of Maud's only brother, Maud's verbal conflicts with both her father and her Penmar cousins, Mark and Janna's volatile courtship, Philip and Adrian's conflicts following the breakup of the Castallack marriage, Jan-Yves' affair with his widowed sister-in-law Rebecca, his relationship with his first wife, Felicity Cranforth, Philip's relationship with the miner Alun Trevose, the Senen Garth mine disaster and Jan-Yves' ever changing relationship with both Philip and Janna. I believe these aspects of the miniseries highlighted the screenwriters' ability to re-capture the complex nature of Howatch's characters and their relationships. This especially seemed to be the case of the marriage between Mark and Janna, whose failed marriage stemmed from class division, resentment, bigotry and a violent act that permanently damaged their relationship. Fiction tends to romanticize mixed marriages, especially those between people from different classes.

The production values for "PENMARRIC" seemed to veer from solid to first-rate. It seemed clear to me that the film stock used for the miniseries may not have been of best quality. I could tell that some of the footage - namely the exterior scenes - have begun to show signs of aging. I am aware that "PENMARRIC" had aired thirty-five years ago. But I have seen television productions from both sides of the Atlantic that have aged a lot better. However, I cannot deny that I found Erik Messerschmidt's cinematography a bit mind-blowing. I thought he did an excellent job of utilizing the Cornwall and Devon countryside for the miniseries' exterior shots. I also have a high regard for the costume designs team of Anne Bailey, Doreen James and Janet Tharby. Each woman designed costumes for at least four episodes and all three did an excellent job of recapturing the fashions of the late Victorian era and the early 20th century.

Most of the performances featured in "PENMARRIC" struck me as solid . . . competent, including those from Gene Foad, Patsy Kensit, Ralph Bates, Kim Braden, John Patrick, Lesley Dunlop, Shirley Steedman, a young Alan Cox and especially Rosalind Ayres. There were one or two that struck me as a bit over-the-top. One of those "dramatic" performances came from John Castle, who portrayed Mark Penmar - Maud's father and young Mark Castallack's maternal grandfather. Castle has always struck me as a very skillful and subtle actor. Yet, he seemed to have given an exaggerated portrayal of an eccentric Victorian landlord. Another performance that rubbed me the wrong way came from Holly de Jong, who portrayed the volatile Rebecca Rosalyn Castallack - Mark and Janna's daughter-in-law, Hugh Castallack's widow and Jan-Yves Castallack's sister-in-law and mistress. De Jong had her moments as excellent acting, especially in those poignant scenes featuring Rebecca and Jan-Yves. But when it came to Rebecca's more emotional moments, de Jong seemed incapable of reigning in or controlling her performance.

There were a handful of performances in "PENMARRIC" that struck me as exceptional. One of them came from Angela Scoular, who portrayed the ambitious and single-minded Maud Penmar Castallack. I thought Scoular did an excellent job in conveying Maud's more prominent traits - her arrogance, eccentricity, ambition and emotional desire for the Penmarric estate - while maintaining control of her performance. Thomas Ellice struck me as equally skillful as the domineering Mark Casallack, whose arrogance, self-involved and controlling nature led him to make questionable decisions that had major impacts on his family. I might as well be frank. Mark proved to be one of my least favorite characters in the story. Yet, Ellice still managed to convey certain traits in Mark's character that made him occasional sympathetic in my eyes. One of my favorite characters in this story happened to be Janna Castallack, the beautiful daughter of a Cornwall fisherman, who became Mark's wife. I might as well be frank. Janna was no saint. She could be evasive, reactionary and quick-tempered. I thought Annabel Leventon did a superb job of conveying Janna's emotional journey - from the financially struggling young widow who became acquainted with a well-born man of a higher class, to the angry wife estranged from her husband and finally to the aging matriarch of the Castallacks who struggled to hold her family together.

One of the most complicated characters in Howatch's novel proved to be Philip Castallack, Mark and Janna's third son and the latter's favorite. Superficially, Philip struck me as a hot-tempered and righteous (perhaps too righteous) personality, who could be very obsessive over people or issues that mattered to him. I thought Rupert Frazer did a superb job in capturing these many facets of Philip's personality in a performance that struck me as both emotional and skillful. At times, I found myself wondering if Philip Castallack might prove to be Frazer's best role. My favorite character in the 1971 novel ended up being the youngest Castallack sibling, Jan-Yves. Jan-Yves proved to be such an entertaining, cynical, yet complicate character. I had been worried if the miniseries would cast the right actor for this role. Eric Deacon ended up portraying Jan-Yves. Granted, he was handsome in compare to the plain-looking Jan-Yves from the novel. But I might as well admit it . . . Deacon did an excellent job in conveying everything about Jan-Yves I found fascinating. Everything, which included Jan-Yves' wit, cynicism, insecurities, intelligence, and vindictiveness. If someone ever decides to do another adaptation of Howatch's novel, I hope and pray that person would find someone just as perfect as Deacon was in the role.

If I had any serious issues regarding "PENMARRIC", it would have to be the narrative. At first I did not mind the narrative's detailed look into Maud's backstory, her attempts to acquire the Penmarric estate for herself and how she ended up securing her son Mark as her cousin's heir. At first. But this entire sequence featured a great number of flashbacks that dragged into Mark's own narrative. Come to think of it, his initial romance with his mistress Rose Parrish, his courtship of Janna, his discovery of Janna's relationship with his father and his encounters with his Penmar cousins were conveyed within three-and-a-half episodes. Mark and Jenna's wedding did not occur until at least by mid-Episode Four. I do not recall Howatch taking this long to reach the couple's nuptials in her novel. It took three-and-a-half episodes for Mark and Janna to get married. It took fourteen years and one-and-a-half episodes for their marriage to fall apart. Wow.

Due to the producers' decision to stretch out the beginning of "PENMARRIC", the miniseries featured twelve episodes. Unfortunately, not even twelve episodes were enough for the screenwriters to do full justice to Jan-Yves Castallack's own arc. They cut it short once Jan-Yves became the master of Penmarric. Yes, the miniseries had conveyed his courtship of and marriage to Isabella Clay. But not long after the wedding, the miniseries did not take long to jump to the outbreak of World War II and the final scene. The miniseries never bothered to reveal the fate of Jan-Yves' sister-in-law, Rebecca Castallack. It never bothered to convey the clash between Jan-Yves and Rebecca's son, the churlish Jonas. It never bothered to reveal Jonas' fate, let alone Jan-Yves' wartime experiences. And if that was not enough, the series' portrayal of Isabella Clay Castallack proved to be nothing like her literary counterpoint. The literary Isabella was a ethereal, yet pragmatic woman with a penchant for witticisms. This television version of Isabella proved to be another one of those mild-mannered, "angel-in-the-house" types straight from a Charles Dickens novel.  In other words . . . BORING. I do not blame actress Deborah Makepeace. I blame the producer(s) and screenwriters.  As much as I had enjoyed the miniseries, both its portrayal of Isabella Castallack and the ending proved to be very disappointing to me.

Okay . . . yes, "PENMARRIC" had some disappointments that prevented it from being a truly excellent adaptation of Susan Howatch's 1971 novel. But the 1979 miniseries had virtues that outweighed what I believe were its flaws. Aside from a problematic beginning and ending, I really did enjoy "PENMARRIC", thanks to the production values, the team of screenwriters and a talented cast led by Annabel Leventon, Thomas Ellice, Rupert Frazer and Eric Deacon. However, I would like to see the BBC produce a better effort.

"PENMARRIC" (1979) Photo Gallery

 

Below are images from "PENMARRIC", the BBC's 1979 adaptation of Susan Howatch's 1971 novel. Directed by Tina Wakerell and Derek Martinus, the twelve-part miniseries starred Annabel Leventon, Thomas Ellice, Rupert Frazer and Eric Deacon:

"PENMARRIC" (1979) Photo Gallery

"THE WOMAN HE LOVED" (1988) Review

 

"THE WOMAN HE LOVED" (1988) Review

I have come to the conclusion that any movie producer willing to do a project on Wallis Warfield Simpson, later the Duchess of Windsor would eventually realize that said project is bound to generate a great deal of emotion - not only in Great Britain, but even in the United States. I have never come across a female historical figure who has polarized the public the way this 20th century American-born socialite has.

The first screen production about Wallis Simpson and her romance with Edward, Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII and the Duke of Windsor I ever saw was the 1978 BBC miniseries, "EDWARD AND MRS. SIMPSON". But I have seen screen portrayals of both Mrs. Simpson and Edward VIII in other productions, including this television movie called "THE WOMAN HE LOVED". The television movie aired on CBS in 1988. I wish I could say this movie was the best on-screen interpretation of the infamous romance that rocked the British monarchy back in the mid-1930s. However, I would be lying if I did. But I certainly do not believe it is the worst.

"THE WOMAN HE LOVED" told the story of the famous romance mainly from Mrs. Simpson's point-of-view, via flashbacks. The movie began in 1972 with her arrival in Britain for the first time in years to attend the funeral of her third and final husband, the Duke of Windsor. While the recently widowed Duchess seeks solitude inside Buckingham Palace as a guest of the Royal Family, she reminisces about about her marriage to American-born businessman Ernest Simpson in 1928 and how it led to her entry into British high society and to her relationship with Edward Windsor. Aside from the 1972 flashbacks, most of the movie began with Wallis' marriage to Simpson and ended with her marriage to the newly created Duke of Windsor in May 1937. It also covered Wallis and Edward's affair, which began when he was Prince of Wales and continued after he became King Edward VIII. Also, Wallis' marital problems with Simpson, along with their divorce and the Abdication Crisis, which occurred during the fall of 1936 were also covered in this film. This is not surprising, considering this is the narrative formula that is used in most productions about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

How did I feel about the movie? Well . . . I did not hate it. But I did not exactly love it. I must admit that its production values were top notch for a television film with a foreign setting. One has to give Kenneth Sharp credit for a detailed re-creation of London and Great Britain between 1928 and 1936. If there is one thing I can say about "THE WOMAN HE LOVED" is that it is a beautiful looking period drama. Sharp's work was ably assisted by Brian Morgan's sharp and colorful cinematography. Hell, his work looked better than many period dramas I have seen on both the small and large screen. Although I found Allyn Ferguson's score not particularly memorable, I thought he and director Charles Jarrott did an excellent in selecting certain tunes that added to the movie's 1930s setting. But one aspect of the movie's technical aspect that really blew my mind was Robin Fraser-Paye's costume designs. Can I say . . . WOW? Or better yet, below are images of Fraser-Paye's work:





On the other hand, William Luce's screenplay failed to have the same effect upon me. As I had hinted earlier, the screenplay for "THE WOMAN HE LOVED" was the basic narrative used for most productions about the historic couple. I would go even further to say that Luce's work was basically a paint-by-the-numbers job. There were moments that did impress me. Most of those moments featured conversations between Wallis and Simpson - especially when their marriage was breaking apart. I was especially amused by one particular quarrel between them that ended with Wallis sharply ordering their dog from her bed. Some of the biggest problems I had with "THE WOMAN HE LOVED" is that Wallis and Edward's story was treated solely as a movie adaptation of a romance novel. And I am not a fan of romance novels. I did not expect the movie to be some Charles Higham-style trashy revelation about the Windsor couple. I have seen plenty of recent productions - "UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS (Season One)" and "THE KING'S SPEECH" - that portray Wallis as some kind of gauche, gold digging whore. Unfortunately, "THE WOMAN HE LOVED" went to another extreme - painting Wallis as some kind of American-born Cinderella and Edward as this poor, misunderstood prince who had been denied some sliver of happiness due to royal tradition. The movie did offer crumbs of the couple's ambiguity - Wallis' affair with Edward and the latter's determination to steal another man's wife. But despite these moments of ambiguity, "THE WOMAN HE LOVED" was simply an exercise in romantic gloss.

"THE WOMAN HE LOVED" featured the screen reunion of Jane Seymour and Anthony Andrews, who first co-starred with each other in the 1982 television costume movie, "THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL". Both were outstanding in that film. I wish I could say the same about their performances in "THE WOMAN HE LOVED" . . . but I cannot. I am not saying they gave bad performances. Their screen chemistry remained intact. And both Seymour and Andrews offered some examples of their talent in a few scenes. Most of Seymour's best scenes were with actor Tom Wilkinson, who portrayed Ernest Simpson. Perhaps her performances in these scenes led to her Emmy nomination. Perhaps. However, I found it easy to question this nomination, due to Seymour being forced to portray Mrs. Simpson as an occasionally star-struck adolescent. I could blame her questionable Upper South accent (the American socialite came from an old Baltimore family), but I never believed that a bad or questionable accent could really harm a performance. Andrews had a particularly effective scene in which his Edward angrily expressed his frustration with the British Establishment, who refused to accept Wallis as his future wife. I found this scene to be a breath of fresh air, considering most of his consisted of dialogue that struck me as wooden. But in the end, both actors were simply hampered by Luce's romantically one-note screenplay.

Olivia De Havilland also received an Emmy nomination - a Best Supporting Actress nod for her portrayal of Wallis' aunt, Bessie Merryman. And if I must be honest, I find this puzzling. I am not criticizing De Havilland. I thought she gave a solid performance, considering the slight amount of screen time given to her. But there was nothing about it that dazzled me. Lucy Gutteridge portrayed Edward's previous mistress, the American-born Thelma, Viscountess Furness. By some ironic twist, Gutteridge portrayed Furness' twin sister, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, in the 1982 television movie, "LITTLE GLORIA, HAPPY AT LAST" and earned an Emmy nomination. As for her portrayal of Thelma, it was pretty solid, but not particularly mind dazzling. In fact, none of the other supporting performances in the movie - Julie Harris, Robert Hardy, Phyllis Calvert and David Waller - did not strike me as particularly memorable. I must admit I was surprised to see Waller reprise his role as Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, which he had originated in "EDWARD AND MRS. SIMPSON". Only Tom Wilkinson's wry and cynical portrayal of the cuckolded Ernest Simpson came close to really impressing me. While everyone else seemed to be a bit too theatrical or simply going through the motions, Wilkinson made the low-key Simpson a rather interesting personality.

I really do not know what else to say about "THE WOMAN HE LOVED". I cannot deny that visually, it is a very beautiful looking movie that did an excellent job of re-creating Great Britain during the two decades between the two world wars. But instead of providing a balanced and ambiguous portrait of Wallis Simpson and her third husband, King Edward VIII; director Charles Jarrott and screenwriter William Luce decided to portray their relationship as some kind of cinematic romance novel. And I believe their work may have hampered the performances of the cast led by the usually talented Jane Seymour and Anthony Andrews. If you want a realistic feel of the Wallis Simpson/Edward VIII affair, this may not be your movie. But if it is an onscreen fairy tale romance you are looking for, this might be your cup of tea.