Enid

This drama, the first in a series entitled 'Women We Loved', has Helena Bonham-Carter portraying children's writer Enid Blyton. Although she is very good, and ably supported by Matthew McFadyen and Denis Lawson as her two husbands, this story suffers by presenting Blyton as one-dimensional, uncaring of her own family, and single-minded about her writing.

Sumptuously shot and accurate to the time in which it is set, 'Enid' is nevertheless strangely unsatisfying, and I really would have liked to have seen a more rounded piece of biography. Yes, Blyton probably did have many faults, but according to this she is only one step back from the Wicked Witch of the West!

I enjoyed this film and thought all the performances were excellent. As I watched it, however, I couldn't help but think that no real person is as unremittingly awful as the Enid portrayed here. The film also implied that Enid's life was one of complete lack of fulfilment and success. Erm, this was one of the most loved and successful writers ever?

I could imagine a totally different film where Enid's driven approach to writing and her 'neglect' of personal relationships would have been put down to her artistic genius. As it was, despite her huge success, the Enid here was basically portrayed as a failure and a bad person because she wasn't a chocolate-box mother, she had one affair and had one unhappy marriage. The film seems to be saying that despite her success she ultimately was a failure because she didn't pass the test as a wife and mother.

For this reason, I actually thought the film was a bit sexist, although perhaps reflecting sexist attitudes of the time. A good watch in itself, but didn't make me feel I'd got to know Enid Blyton.

I have been an avid Enid Blyton fan all my childhood. Like me if you have been one too, and happen to watch "Enid" the first thing that happens is morality kicks in. You feel betrayed, robbed of the childhood fondness and unknowing partaken to support the evil Enid Blyton was in real life. You would think life would have been better off not having watched it in first place, leaving the uncontaminated innocence as it should be and to narrate the Enid Blyton tales to your grand children. Alas truth is stranger than fiction.

Nonetheless, playing the devils' advocate - I still feel I should give due credit to Enid Blyton for all that magical adventures I have been during my childhood. The fond memories of Famous Five and Secret Seven are too strong to be dusted off. For whatever she was in personal life, that was her prerogative. I hardly paid any attention about it in my childhood so why should I now?

Enid had ghosts of her own but prefers to live in her own wonderland, and this was brilliantly brought to life on the screen.

Helena Bonham Carter put her life and soul into breathing life to the character of "Enid Blyton". I always thought Tim Burton mentoring her success, but clearly she can stand tall for herself.

Mathew Macfadyen and Denis Lawson provide adequate support.

This film promulgates the stories spread about that Enid Blyton was a horrible person and a cold mother. This is not factual. If you read Barbara Stoney's very accurate biography - "Enid Blyton, The Biography" with a foreword written by Miss Blyton's own daughter Gillian - you will see that she adored her children and loved both her first and second husbands. She contributed enormous amounts of teaching aids to the teachers and children of the twentieth century, and should be remembered with love and admiration. Do not take this cinematic telling of her life as factual. It isn't. In her daughter's own words - "I was very close to my mother, and talked with her freely from early childhood." which disputes the notion of her having been a cold mother. I have read her biography, and whilst this film captures the atmosphere of the time, it does not capture the true events.

When I was a child, I absolutely adored Enid Blyton's books; like Beatrix Potter's simple but charming, whimsical and beautifully illustrated stories, her books were full of characters I could relate to(ie. Silky from the Magic Faraway Tree stories), magical or exciting adventures and moments where I laughed and cried. At 17, I still have the utmost respect for her work, and while it was flawed, I liked this biographical drama.

One definite plus was the way it was filmed, it was shot in a very sumptuous visual style that was most suitable. The costumes were ravishing, the scenery was breathtaking and the makeup was immaculate. The music score had parts that were a) haunting, b) poignant and c) hypnotic, the same effect that a minimalist score would have. I also liked the embedded references to her books, some as Enid sat at her typewriter, the script was well above average and the ending was somewhat moving.

The acting is very well done. Both Matthew Macfadyen and Dennis Lawson turned in great work as Hugh and Kenneth, and to some extent I felt sorry for both their characters; Hugh because of the way Enid treated him and Kenneth because he was seemingly oblivious to what Enid was really like. Helena Bonham Carter looked beautiful and gave a wonderful performance. If I were to be honest though I prefer her more passionate and headstrong characters in A Room with a View and Howards End.

It is here though where the flaws of this drama come. I think it was more to do with how she was written than how she was acted, but somehow I wasn't sure whether Enid was really that one-dimensional, here she is quite hypocritical and insensitive, then again it may be just me. Another problem if not so significant was that I felt some of the earlier scenes, particularly the scenes where Enid is a child, were a tad rushed.

Overall, I generally liked this biographical drama, not perfect in my opinion but worth watching. 8/10 Bethany Cox