The Chaperone

A well-paced and excellent adaptation of the Laura Moriarty novel. The film captures the symmetry between the differences in 1920's Kansas and NYC, as well as the differences between the two main characters, Norma and Louise. Both highly intelligent, Norma is a reflection of the still-Victorian culture of 1922 Kansas while Louise has a near-feral need to burst out of the culture's restrictions. The journey to NYC results in both learning valuable life lessons.

Norma, the title character, is the central point of the film. While Louise becomes the famous one, this movie is not her biography. Her role is one that feeds the Norma character and propels her through the story. Prohibition, post-WWI dynamics and the tossed salad of the 1920's NYC atmosphere provide a fascinating historic framework.

While not for everyone, I highly recommend this film to anyone interested in 20th century US history, and good film making in general.

The story takes place when the teenage Louise Brooks (Haley Lu Richardson) leaves Wichita for New York City. She has been accepted to a major dancing academy and has no doubt that she'll be asked to join their dancing troupe. She is, as required at the time, accompanied by a chaperone, Norma Carlisle (Elizabeth McGovern). The spirited Louise and the proper Norma seem to have little in common other than wanting to be in New York City. But we soon learn that there is more to Norma than meets the eye. A couple of surprises explain Norma's earlier behavior in her interactions with her husband (Campbell Scott) as well as her later behavior as the story progresses. McGovern and Richardson share most of the screen time along with some brief appearances by Amanda Otto, Blythe Danner and Géza Röhrig. I continue to be impressed with Richardson who came to my attention, in 2016, in Split and The Edge Of Seventeen.

A married woman, Norma, in the 30s decides to chaperone a young girl, Louise, from Wichita to New York so she can try out for a prestigious dance class. Norma has her own reasons for making the voyage, to learn about her personal heritage but why? There are many situations and talking points that address a traditional small town way of life vs a more free-spirited big city excitement. Especially, while Norma has to play the role of mother to Louise during their excursion. Both woman's character arcs are easily noticeable as they depart the small town for the big city and how both handle the more freeing environment differently. Solid acting, nice period piece sets and costumes. Satiates an appetite for this genre nicely.

The Chaperone definitely didn't feel as roaring as they say about the 1920s, so it's safe to say you don't need to bring one yourself.

The film has its pleasures, but nothing too wild actually happens. Which is interesting, since the story is actually about Louise Brooks (Haley Lu Richardson), an actress best known for some provocative silent films and her free-spirited life who was living her life way ahead of time. The other main character who goes through a life changing experience is Norma Carlisle (Downton Abbey's Elizabeth McGovern), Brooks' chaperone.

We meet Norma in Wichita, Kansas, in 1922, where she and her husband Alan (Campbell Scott) are attending an evening of dance to benefit the Children's Home. The star of that event is young Louise, who charmingly glides over the floor in her white robes and captivates Norma within seconds. When she overhears Louise's mother talk about needing a chaperone to accompany Louise to classes given in New York by the biggest company in modern dance, run by Ted Shawn (Robert Fairchild) and Ruth St. Denis (Miranda Otto), she impulsively volunteers for the job.

Soon we'll realise that Norma's marriage is not in an ideal state. But that's not the main reason for the trip: she arrived in Kansas on an orphan train from NYC, and she hopes to find more information about her birth parents in the metropolis. On the other hand, young Louise is only interested in her future and her dreams of becoming the best dancer on the planet. She doesn't believe in rules and isn't afraid to break them, but being a teenager she doesn't have another choice than to bring an adult with her on this voyage.

Early on in the story, it becomes obvious that Louise is a magnet to men of all ages, she can convince them to do anything for her, but also doesn't realise how this makes her look to the world surrounding her. Norma's quote about "men not liking candy that has been unwrapped" will get a much deeper meaning further along in the story. Once arrived in New York, each of them embark on a self-discovering journey that will change their lives forever.

Both writer and director (Julian Fellowes and Michael Engler respectively) worked on the Emmy-winning tv-series Downton Abbey and its forthcoming feature film. The entire idea for the film was pitched by producer and star of the film McGovern, who came across the novel the film is adapted from. It was also great to see Géza Röhrig playing a key role in the story, after seeing his work in Academy Award-winning feature Son of Saul.

Everything is pretty much by the book, but it's wonderful to see two women in different stages of their lives, changing the course of events and by doing so, changing the world around them how big or small that world may be.

I aware of Louise Brooks as a big silent movie star but aside from seeing the trailer, I didn't know what to expect. I was completely engrossed by the story of the precocious Louise Brooks' start as a talented dancer & the entwined story of her chaperone, played by Elizabeth McGovern. McGovern's is the main story & charts her growing independence. I loved the shots of New York in the 1920s. The story occurs in the context of the burgeoning women's rights movement, shifting moralities & attitudes towards black Americans. I would have loved to have seen Louise's trajectory in the jazz era movie business & beyond, but that would be a whole other film. Can someone please make it?