Friday, July 14, 2017

Movie Review - The Beguiled

The Beguiled opens in 1864 Virginia. It’s a hot steamy day as a young girl combs the woods for mushrooms. She comes across a wounded Union soldier and helps him back to the Seminary Girls home and school where a few young ladies remain. The headmistress (Nicole Kidman) helps clean his wound and sew him up. She chooses to not put out the blue scarf as a signal to the local Confederate patrols. Instead she agrees to protect him as he heals. And so the tension begins.

The soldier (played by a charming Colin Farrell) has his smooth Irish brogue working for him as he verbally seduces each female – girls from age 10 up to the older teen (a hot stifled Elle Fanning) to a yearning for a man’s touch young woman (a repressed but lovely Kirsten Dunst). And the headmistress herself is not immune to his charms. Each female in the house slowly feels she is “special” in his eyes and they vie for attention. Whether it’s dinner where they all dress up, play music, sing, and flirt. Or if they come into his room to “check on him”.


Tension mounts and this movie is a slow burn. Each moment hints at danger, and in the distance musket shots echo. Director Sofia Coppola has an eye for filming a pretty picture, each southern tableau dripping with moss and sexual heat. Jealousy builds and then erupts. Then all hell breaks loose in the house. Let’s just say this does not bode well for the one man in the pit with circling cats. I won’t say more. The Beguiled is a mood movie. It’s a slow pace build to quite a finale.  Excellent acting and storytelling. When do you wave the blue scarf?

12 comments:

  1. One man getting circled by three, sure doesn't bode well from the get go haha

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  2. Yep. he should have known better

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  3. I think this story was produced before with Clint Eastwood as the soldier. This sounds like a great cast.
    Ann

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    1. You know your movies. Yes this is a good little remake

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  4. This sounds an excellent film to watch.
    Great review.

    Yvonne.

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  5. Sounds terrific! I'm a bleeding heart... I don't think I would have ever waved that blue flag.

    Have a super weekend, kiddo. Try to keep cool. (Yeah, riiiiight...)

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    1. Yeah...cool. What's that?
      Best to stay cool in a theater

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  6. This sounds so good! I want to see this. Thanks for the review.

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  7. If it was truly Colin Farrell, I never would be waving the blue flag :) Sounds good but at the rate we've seen movies this year, it could be years before we see this when it comes out to rent :)

    betty

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    1. Put it in queue. You never know if you'll get snowed in. Oops. Not where you are!

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