Widows' Peak

I was forced to watch this and ended up loving it. I just can not believe how terrific this film is. I thought I knew where this thing was going, and then it went the other way, and then yet again!!

This is my first film experence of Natasha Richardson. How delightful she is in this. Joan Plowright is a gem of course, and what a surprise it was to see that Mia Farrow could actually act!! I have never seen such abilities before, at least not since "Hannah and Her Sisters"(not much then either).

Natasha is a newcomer to Widow's Peak and not all are glad to see her. She seems to change the quiet little village into a media circus. I won't spoil it by telling you any more. You will have to watch and enjoy it for yourself. This is a must see!

This is billed as a suspense/comedy, but is really lacking in comedy. The acting is fairly good, but the script forces us to accept numerous incidents of inexplicably outrageous behaviour from the characters culminating in an ending that my wife and I anticipated, but may be a surprise to some. While the ending reveals the characters' hidden motivations, it is paper thin. We really don't care what happens to the characters anyway, so the ending fails to deliver its punch to the viewer.

Nowadays,nine movies out of ten feature two male actors as the leads.For a change,"Widows Peak' boasts three actresses at the top of the bill.And what a threesome:Mia Farrow,a spinster,the Cinderella of a bunch of posh and distinguished ladies whose queen is none other than Joan Plowright.This wealthy widow ,with her hoity-toity ways, annoys anyone and all,including her son,a would be handy man,actually a big ninny,always tied to his mother's apron strings,although he firmly denies it.Enter Richardson,who plays a beautiful English widow,and Plowright would like her offspring to marry this rich heiress.A mortal feud begins between Farrow and Richardson.But things are not what they seem and prepare yourself for a lot of unexpected twists,till the very end.And you'll dig such witty lines as (the ironical lawyer to Plowright)"your real treasure is the love of your son".

More than the shrewd plot,the everyday life of the little community is exquisitely depicted:the film (excerpts of De Mille's "ten commandments"(1923,of course!)during which Plowright is enjoying sweets,the mass on Sunday morning,the local dance during which Farrow and Richardson fight for... two tickets for King Vidor' s "the big parade",the regatta,the only time Plowright's son feels manly.

An user regrets James Ivory did not direct it.One would probably have a better movie,for sure.The characters -particularly the lady and her son- verge on caricature. But anyway,watch it,if you like great actresses.

This is an absolute masterpiece. I have watched the film innumerable times and still enjoy, with the best and most unpredictable climaxes I have ever seen. This film starts off as a great film and just gets better and better.

I'm feeling a bit silly here, but I thought Natasha Richardson was British. In this film, she has an American accent that sounds very cultivated, although I couldn't tell whether it was fake or simply voice training.

I do like this movie, though, in fact I like it very much! Natasha was wonderful despite my confusion about her accent, and Mia Farrow was quite good, although it was hard to really see her as plain as she was in this film. It was fun to watch, though, and has you thinking at the end. Joan Plowright was superb, as usual.

9/10.