The Real Charlotte

One of the worst period films I have ever seen. I completely agree with the last review. I have not read the book and this movie adaptation certainly won't make anyone want to. To say that it starts slowly is an understatement. It's like watching paint dry. You keep waiting for some character development and a lot less amateurish acting, but no such luck. At times it almost seemed like a parody of a period film. With the exception of the actors portraying Pamela Dysart and Christopher Dysart, the acting seemed like really bad period soap opera. I really enjoy period films, but this was the worst hands down. Steer clear and save 4 hours of your life!

Four hours spent watching "The Real Charlotte" is time well spent, if you know what you are looking at. "The Real Charlotte" is based on a novel actually written during those times (circa 1900) by two Irish aristocratic women, and they know what they are writing about. It is a fascinating and beautiful piece of Irish social history, something of an Irish "Gosford Park". The latter film was also often misunderstood and panned by reviewers. These films are not Hollywood, folks! They tell the story of how people lived in a different time and place, and they do it well. Either you're interested in that sort of thing or you're not! As for "The Real Charlotte", the lead character, Charlotte, is all too well-developed, as is the character of the man she loves. Although I felt that the story began a bit slowly, as I got into it and began to understand what was going on, I really got drawn in. It is a story of greed and ambition, and a story of life and love. It is the story of three men loving one woman, and of a different woman loving one of those men. I could NOT predict what was going to happen, and the abrupt ending came as something of a shock. I could hardly believe that a story from those times would have such an ending, although in retrospect I can see it now.

Have we become so jaded that we no longer care about the life and loves of people who were as real then as we are now? Are we not interested in a world still recognizable, a world known to our grandparents or great-grandparents, charming yet desolate, so near and yet so far? I believe most romantics, and many thoughtful people, would enjoy this film. I certainly plan to spend another four hours of my life enjoying it again.

One would think that in four hours a film could tell something vaguely like a story. One would be wrong. 'The Real Charlotte' meanders about, never capturing the viewers interest, until it finally, mercifully ends leaving you wondering why you should care. They never truly develop any characters, there is never any dramatic tension, honestly nothing happens of consequence in the entire film. Being a nice looking period piece is not enough and the world of cinema will be better off when film makers finally accept that fact.