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Basil |
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Basil |
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| Plot Summary: The movie begins with a very long section about Basil's young life which is not in Basil but which explains the background to his family life. It also includes a contrived meeting between Mannion and Basil which leads to Mannion introducing him to Julia (Margaret). He courts Julia and she responds with contempt and greed and their relationship is played out under the watchful eye of Mannion. They marry with her father's rather mercenary blessing. Mannion and Julia have had a secret affair for some time and Basil catches them in bed in Mannion's rooms. He brutally attacks Mannion and leaves him for dead. In fact he is left with a face so disfigured that he never looks at himself again. Basil is rejected by his father and is reduced to working for his bread. Mannion follows him and eventually reveals that he wanted revenge on Basil's family because his brother Ralph had seduced Mannion's sister and she had died in an abortion attempt. There is a showdown on the cliffs and Mannion, having seen the state of his face, throws himself off to his death. Basil is reconciled to his father and sister. |
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| It is a watchable and almost believable film. Although the plot does not follow the book precisely it is a credible film version of it and the scenes of Victorian London are lively and real. But several key parts of the book - which would have had huge dramatic impact - are missing such as the moment when Basil falls in love with Margaret Sherwin on the omnibus and the scene where Basil's father tears the page out of the family bible to dismiss Basil from the family. The final scene on the Cornish cliffs is changed so that Mannion commits suicide rather than falls to his death while fighting Basil. Basil's father has had an addition to his character - he is rather free sexually - and Basil's sister Clara is turned into an adopted child who is not the supporting and loving sister of the book. Derek Jacobi is excellent as Basil's father, Clair Forlani is suitiably beautiful and disdainful, her father is played well by David Ross showing all the greed of the nouveau riche, and Christian Slater makes a fine villain. Jared Leto's acting lets the whole production down. The photography and sets are excellent, though the time and effort to travel by coach between Cornwall and London in the early 19C is taken rather lightly... from http://www.deadline.demon.co.uk/wilkie/basilf.htm |
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