Main Cast: Romola Garai, Rose Byrne, Henry Thomas, Marc Blucas, Bill Nighy
Release Year: 2003
Country: UK
Run Time: 111 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Based on the novel by Dodie Smith (101 Dalmatians), director Tim Fywell's comic romance follows 17-year-old Cassandra Mortmain (Romola Garai) and her quirky family as they attempt to make the best of their meager existence in a crumbling English castle. While her father (Bill Nighy) has been struggling for over a decade to repeat the success of his debut novel, her beautiful sister Rose (Rose Byrne) frequently voices her displeasure with their current situation, and nudist stepmother Topaz (Tara Fitzgerald) proves little help at much of anything. The arrival of American landlord Simon Cotton (Henry Thomas) and his brother Neil (Marc Blucas) provides a glimmer of hope as the initially repelled Rose soon takes a liking to Simon and the two arrange to marry. Lost in the chaotic shuffle of marriage plans and increasingly complicated relationships, the hapless Cassandra soon begins to blossom into womanhood as she experiences aspects of life that were heretofore unknown to her. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Review
I Capture the Castle starts out as a pleasant, engaging, and mildly amusing coming-of-age tale about a young woman growing up with a quirky family in an unusual setting. As the relationships between the characters become increasingly complicated, the film's mood becomes less effervescent and the story line becomes more melodramatic. The filmmaking seems a bit dispassionate despite the attempts to convey a sense of romantic delirium with an overdone score and flowery voice-over narration by the lead character, Cassandra Mortmain (Romola Garai). Fortunately, Garai gives an appealing performance and makes Cassandra seem sufficiently likeable to emotionally involve the audience in her struggle to cope with her intense feelings. Unfortunately, the actors in the various romantic couplings (potential or otherwise) don't have a lot of chemistry with each other, which undermines this aspect of the film. Also, the actors sometimes sound like they're reading a speech instead of speaking in a normal conversational tone; Marc Blucas in particular sounds like he needs to relax and worry less about projecting his voice. Still, this film is often appealing and charming even though it doesn't seem fully realized. ~ Todd Kristel, All Movie Guide
Leigh Walker - Art Director, Mike Stallion - Art Director, Mark Cooper - Co-producer, Charlotte Walter - Costume Designer, Tim Fywell - Director, Roy Sharman - Editor, Mike Newell - Executive Producer, Mark Shivas - Executive Producer, Bruce Davey - Executive Producer, Steve Christian - Executive Producer, Keith Evans - Executive Producer, Dario Marianelli - Composer (Music Score), John Paul Kelly - Production Designer, Richard Greatrex - Cinematographer, B.S.C. - Cinematographer, Anant Singh - Producer, David Parfitt - Producer, David M. Thompson - Producer, Judy Farr - Set Designer, Heidi Thomas - Screenwriter, Dodie Smith - Book Author
The film follows 17-year-old Cassandra Mortmain (Romola Garai), and the fortunes of her eccentric family, struggling to survive in a decaying English castle. The characters include: Cassandra's father (Bill Nighy), a writer who hasn't written anything in the twelve years since the spectacular success of his first novel; her exquisite sister Rose (Rose Byrne) who can only rail against their fate; and their Bohemian stepmother, Topaz (Tara Fitzgerald), a nudist who is no help at all. Salvation comes in the form of their American landlord Simon Cotton (Henry Thomas) and his brother Neil (Marc Blucas). Although initially repelled by Simon, Rose is determined to make him fall in love with her and succeeds. A wedding is arranged and Cassandra is left on the sidelines as everyone around her is drawn into a maelstrom of interconnected relationships. But events spiral out of control, and before the summer ends she will experience frustrated desire, first love, and a broken heart.
