The Children

The Children based on Edith Wharton novel about a man who finds himself a guardian to a group of children.

Good: The Acting...however(see bad)

The final scene at the ball.

Bad: Over explanation to keep the viewer from getting lost.

There were moments it felt like I was watching a comedy.

There was a mixture of over acting and under acting.

I wondered if Karen Black purposely paused or she briefly forgot her line.

Joe Don Baker playing another stereotypical good old boy character.

The children were annoying brats. There was absolutely nothing likeable about them.

Some characters were one dimensional.

Ugly:

Rough transition between scenes

Martin is a very unlikable unstable toxic character.

There is a moment where Martin (Ben Kingsley) freaks out in front of the characters, then the next scene, he is walking along cool as a cucumber and no one mentions his freak out.

It felt this movie needed to be longer to get a better grasp of the story.

I am curious to read the book. After watching the film, I have a feeling the book is going to be much better.

Over all, this movie does not have depth, interest and heart.

If there is a movie that is deemed "lost" it is the movie Ben Kingsley and Kim Novak made in 1990 called "The Children". I say lost because this film was produced and then the distribution fell apart. I saw out on Video Cassette and was supposed how good Kingsley and Kim Novak are in this film based on Edith Wharton's novel.

Interestingly Ben Kingsley Oscar Winner and brilliant actor has been mentioning this movie as one of his favorites and the Director Tony Palmer as one of his fave Directors. Per Mr. Kingsley Palmer and Kingsley are looking for investor to restore the cuts made to the ilm and the re-launch it. Apparently nothing has happened

Back to the movie: it is a love story between Kingsley and Novak It has a sterling performance by Kim Novak looking gorgeous and has a terrific supporting cast: Geraldine Chaplin, Karen Black, Joe Don Baker, Britt Ekland. Kingsley as always is superb. The surprise is Kim Novak's detailed performance. Speaking of Novak who typically gets behind a film with great PR as only a great star of the Golden Era can do. I do not recall a interview or any PR that Novak did for this film. It is truly "Lost"

Kingsley and Novak give memorable performances in this adult drama about a beautiful middle aged woman who competes with his children for the love of a widower. Too bad this underseen drama didn't lead to more roles for Kim. She is startingly beautiful. Karen Black, though, is wasted, in an extremely small cameo.

Kim Novak- the great star of Vertigo, Bell Book and Candle, Middle Of The Night, Strangers When We Meet, Of Human Bondage, The Mirror Crack'd- and looking beautiful returned to films as star of "The Children" shot in Europe and co starring Oscar Winner Ben Kingsley and featuring a strong supporting cast that includes, Robert Stephens, Joe Don Baker, and two lovely actresses Geraldine Chaplin and in a small cameo Karen Black.

Kim Novak was a fine actress but her films such as Just A Gigolo and Liebestram in the latter part of her career were not widely distributed, thus few saw this fine actress at work in her more recent films. I do not know if this film is even out on DVD. Kim Novak delivers one speech in The Children particular powerfully and shows the range of a fine actress whose work is now being re discovered.