The Moonstone (1997)
Greg Wise (Sense and Sensibility) and Keeley Hawes (Karaoke) star in this sumptuous adaptation of Wilkie Collins' classic mystery, the first detective novel ever written. The Moonstone, a sacred Hindu diamond was stolen from the head of the Moon God, in its shrine by John Herncastle in 1799. The stone is said to be cursed if it is removed from the shrine. In 1848, a man named Franklin Blake announces to Rachel that the Moonstone has been bequeathed to her by Herncastle. Blake gives her the jewel on her birthday and offers to mount the jewel for her, in order that she might wear it. Inevitably, the jewel is found missing the next morning and Rachel believes Blake stole it. Determined to prove his innocence, Blake leaves in order to pursue the real truth behind the theft.
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Reviews
Simply Perfect
A Masterpiece!
The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
On its own it's fine, but it does a great injustice to Wilkie Collins' Victorian masterpiece. Collins' novel is not just a thriller, but a collection of wonderful character studies. This screenplay omits a few characters and alters many of them. By doing so it fails to capture the delightful humor of Collins' work.
The Moonstone was of course a landmark Victorian novel it being the first detective novel.There is much to enjoy here, the scenery and settings are great, the photography and music excellent. The principal actors, Greg Wise and Keeley Hawes, are fine, playing it straight and acting their way through the twists and turns of the often ridiculous plot with great sincerity. I wasn't too keen on Anthony Sher's Inspector Cuff I found it too stagy and mannered and some of the minor characters are over blown but all in all it's a good production.Lots of fun if taken in the right spirit.
Even though the plot is complete incredible, the screenplay is quite faithful to the original book by Wilkie Collins. The cast is excellent: Greg Wise as the long-lost cousin who brings the priceless Moonstone, Antony Sher as the famous Sergeant Cuff who investigates its disappearance, Peter Vaughan as the faithful old butler and Keeley Hawes as the charming and beautiful owner of the priceless gem.Plus, the film has a nice soundtrack and a lovely setting.
I consider the acting in this movie quite good, especially of the famous detective who tries to solve the case, and also the scenery (quite English, quite period) is good, but unfortunately the story isn't believable anymore for late 20th century people. Still, I would recommend watching this one.