Kelli (who says she was too tired to come up with a clever screen name) sent in this look at MISS POTTER, which has nothing to do with HARRY POTTER. This one’s about Beatrix Potter, creator of “Peter Rabbit” (who has nothing to do with Roger Rabbit save for his hoppy legs and twitchty little nose).
MISS POTTER is directed by Chris Noonan, who folks may recall was the director of the first BABE movie (George Miller co-wrote and produced the first & co-wrote and directed the second film). This one stars Rene Zellweger as Beatrix and Ewan McGregor as Norman Warn, her publisher. You can check out the film’s trailer HERE.
It should come to the U.S. via limited release at the end of this year.
Your site has graced my favorites list for years, but this is only the second time I've deemed something worthy enough to send in to you. The first was a movie-still that, sadly, did not make the cut.
I recently had the opportunity to attend a free screening for the new Renée Zellwegger movie, "Miss Potter" this evening. The film tells the story of author Beatrix Potter, creator of the famous "Tale of Peter Rabbit" and other stories. The movie also stars Ewan McGregor as Beatrix's shy publisher and Emily Watson as his witty, single sister.
It was my first screening ever and I was pretty stoked, so I RSVPed my mother and myself and we drove to the theatre. It was the usual (I'm assuming) procedure for a free screening. Arrived about an hour early, got frisked and found a seat amongst the taped off sections and people yakking on their cell phones (additionally I discovered why movie-theatres should never be well lit). I watched the reserved seats for familiar faces, but sadly I didn't recognize the occupants. A few minutes later a woman ran up front and thanked us for coming. Apparently we were one of the first audiences to see the film (the lack of a specific number however led me to believe we were probably somewhere around the twentieth).
The movie was described to us as a "work-in-progress" and those organizing the screening asked us to bear with any odd coloring or missing music. For my money I have no idea what they were talking about, the film seemed fairly complete. Music, coloring and all.
The film opened and we were introduced immediately to the film's namesake, Beatrix Potter. Zellweger portrays Beatrix as a fully-grown woman of 19th century English society who still clings fiercely to her childish whimsy and imagination. She has no qualms telling her publishers that her drawings are her "friends" and talks to them both in public and in private. Beatrix's character develops nicely as the story progresses, starting as a single woman still living with her parents to becoming a fully independent and successful author. It was a good performance on Renee's part, but not quite deserving of the Oscar Harvey Weinstein seems convinced that she deserves. There were times where Renee's accent got in the way; it made me wonder if she had food in her mouth.
Another quirk I've noticed during Renee's "English" performances is a sort of squished side smile that becomes almost distracting at times. Maybe I'm just the only one who notices these things.
It was easy to love each of the characters as they were introduced. Beatrix's parents perfectly complimented and contrasted with each other. Beatrix's mother (Barbara Flynn) is a woman obsessed with her image as a wife and her daughter's potential as member of society. Bill Paterson does a wonderful job as wealthy old dad: a man with all the appearance of high society while quietly harboring a fondness for his daughter and her creations.
Ewan McGregor lit up the screen as the young, inexperienced publisher Mr. Norman Warne. I'm convinced his character was purposefully written as the complete opposite to his Catcher Block in "Down with Love", a movie I tried hard not to despise. Needless to say I was very pleased with McGregor's Norman.
The youngest of three brothers in publishing, Beatrix's children's stories are pushed to Norman to give him something to do and keep them both out of the way, but he is immediately transfixed by both the stories and their author. What begins as a business relationship quickly and smoothly develops into a romance. There was a scene between the two that immediately became my favorite, with Norman teaching Beatrix to dance. Shock of all shocks, Ewan manages to find an opportunity to sing a few bars, but he's probably required by contract to do that now.
By far the favorite of the audience turned out to be Emily Watson. She was saucy and fun as Norman's sister Millie. Her happy defiance of societal expectations gave the film most of it's humor and made you eager to see her again. Her first scene with Beatrix was particularly enjoyable to watch because you find yourself wishing that you had a friend like her. Well written dialogue helped her steal nearly every scene she was in.
Now I do have to talk about the film's best feature: the animation. It was a very nice surprise to see Peter Rabbit blink and move about while Beatrix watched. It may be the most charming aspect of the movie. You could tell that Potter poured a lot of love into her illustrations and gave us a great insight into her overactive imagination. It could have very easily cheapened the quality of the film, but you can tell a lot of care was taken to insert the animation in just the right places. They don't distract from the story in the least. It's strange, but without it I think Miss Potter would have come off as more insane than anything else.
They asked us to forgive any missing music, but I found Nigel Westlake's composition to be a great asset to the film. His and Rachel Portman's contributions were lovely and added to the film's charm without taking away too much from the scenes. Director Chris Noonan also took every opportunity to show off the beauty of the English countryside, giving cinematographer Andrew Dunn a lot to work with. For a work-in-progress, the colors were gorgeous, so the final cut ought to look spectacular.
The film wasn't without it's flaws, though. While the development of the relationship between Beatrix and Norman was near perfect, her friendship and eventual engagement with William Heelis (Lloyd Owen) felt like a side note. This happens often with films that pour everything into a relationship they want you to love, but it tends to overshadow anything else. Perhaps we didn't need every insignificant detail about their marriage, but the lack of development left the ending with something to be desired. I'm also compelled to go back to Renee's performance. It never really left me satisfied, mostly due to her reaction when she learns of the death of a loved one. It may have been the editing, but I wanted something more from the scene. With some more tweaking, I'm positive it will be able to inspire a lot of emotion.
There you have it. Overall it was an excellent film and should do well with the biography and period film-goers. I guess you could look at it as a pro-feminism tale, but thankfully it isn't shoved down your throat and you can take it as simply the life an amazingly talented woman. I grew up reading Peter Rabbit myself, so it was wonderful to learn about his creation and the sacrifices made for him.
If you decide this is post-worthy, call me Kelli. I'm too tired to come up with a clever name.
