Director: Ralph Fiennes
Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Felicity Jones, Kristin Scott Thomas
A film about Charles Dickens and the mistress he had until his death.
I’ve never been a huge fan of Dickens. I find him difficult to read but it’s a good basis for a movie. However, it didn’t work for me.
The foundation was good. Jones played Ellen, who was an aspiring actress that was taken by Dickens. However, she’s appalled at his emotional cruelty and the fact that she has to keep their relationship a secret, but is also given an opportunity at a life few people got. But stories like these really depend upon the chemistry between the two actors and it didn’t come through in the film. I never got the intensity that was suggested by the subject matter, and thus I wasn’t involved in the characters or their plight.
Unless you’re a die-hard Dickens fan this is probably one to avoid.
