Okay for what it is - a forgettable TV "mystery movie of the week" type thing. However, this is not a "classic" and has only a few things in commone with the books it stole from ("The Making of a Marchioness" and it's sequel by Frances Hodgson Burnett). No Merchant/Ivory, Julian Fellows or Andrew Davies level screenplay here, though when it begins you think that is what you are getting. Dissapointing.
I wrote "stole", not "based on", because while there are a few plot points and names that match, those who made this movie just did their own thing. Background info that helps us understand what made Emily into the overly kind person she is has been left out (in this movie she just comes across as stupid), important details and plot lines are omitted, people who are good in the book become questionable characters here, and events that never happened were added while story changing events that did happen are ommitted. The only thing the endings have in common is things turn out well.
If you want a much better developed story with some depth, read the books. If you want an hour and a half television action/crime drama with some pretty fluff at the beginning, watch this, but don't delude yourself that you are seeing what the author originally wrote or intended. She would be mortified. I hate it when movie producers massacre good books.
Because I enjoyed the books and hated what they did with them here, I would normally give one star. However, there was one thing I like better about the movie. That is happy little "epilogue" at the end. I also appreciate that they kept it reasonably wholesome. At least they respected the author in that. For that, I'm giving an extra star.
I wrote "stole", not "based on", because while there are a few plot points and names that match, those who made this movie just did their own thing. Background info that helps us understand what made Emily into the overly kind person she is has been left out (in this movie she just comes across as stupid), important details and plot lines are omitted, people who are good in the book become questionable characters here, and events that never happened were added while story changing events that did happen are ommitted. The only thing the endings have in common is things turn out well.
If you want a much better developed story with some depth, read the books. If you want an hour and a half television action/crime drama with some pretty fluff at the beginning, watch this, but don't delude yourself that you are seeing what the author originally wrote or intended. She would be mortified. I hate it when movie producers massacre good books.
Because I enjoyed the books and hated what they did with them here, I would normally give one star. However, there was one thing I like better about the movie. That is happy little "epilogue" at the end. I also appreciate that they kept it reasonably wholesome. At least they respected the author in that. For that, I'm giving an extra star.