Lorna Doone (2001)

Excellent but underrated film

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

A really awful butchery of R.D. Blackmore' minor classic. It departs from the novel early on and by the middle of the movie I doubt that Blackmore, were he living, could identify his work by any means other than the title. The novel is highly recommended, this lame video trashing of it not so much...

I had not heard of this production, so I had no expectations of it. I am a fan of the BBC literature miniseries, and the lead actor (Richard Coyle) in this had a small, disagreeable role in "Wives and Daughters." What a nice surprise to see him in such a positive role, so charming and sincere. He is wonderful here, complex and layered.I found this film to be an unexpected joy. The plot has many twists that went in unusual directions, the countryside vistas are gorgeous, it is like a rustic country vacation with a love story. If you want to find faults, there are always some to be found. The villain is handsome but one dimensional - and what is up with the "soul patch" beardlette and the hair? (And he is the reason why this is a 9 and not a 10... too modern phsyco, rather than tempestuous highlander.) The heroine is lovely, but really a bit too young to have the acting complexity to hold our interest for this long. One of the sisters has horrible modern highlighted blonde hair which many actresses have now, and it is the bane of period movies... why didn't they fix that? Some of the plot points are silly and expected, but still... overall, this is a delight, and the costumes, sets and villages feel authentic and isolated and real. At the half way point, the story completely surprised me and took us to a different place. How fun. This film is also a rare one; in that I think BOTH my parents would enjoy it. It is enough of a man's story to hold my father's interest, but enough of a woman's story to keep it lively and lovely. Much of the action is outdoors at some locations which are part of a national preserve/park which lend a fairytale quality to the action, perfect for this legend of a magical romance in a very real world.Completely enjoyable!

The scenery and photography are stunning.The casting and acting are both first-rate.Some elements of the book have been omitted from the film, but nothing essential has been left out.Very fast paced. There is a fair amount of violence, but no gratuitous violence.A few elements of the story are a bit unrealistic, e.g., it is hard to believe that Baron de Whithouse's son would risk his life for the Doones, but this seems rather minor.In summary, a first-rate piece of historical fiction.

Lorna Doone was the Victorians all time favourite novel, and it does contain everything a sentimental reader could ask for: love and treachery, revenge and sudden twists, all set against a colourful local and historical background... Today we can't help noticing that the plot contains more holes than a farmer's sieve, but this production covers them up by its drive and opulence, supported by convincing casting and some very good acting. The only discrepancy is Lorna's Estuary English, but as she's so pretty and acts well –