- Director:
Nick Willing - AMG Rating:
- Genre: Drama
- Movie Type: Fairy Tales & Legends
- Themes: Mythical Creatures, Haunted By the Past, Death of a Partner
- Main Cast: Toby Stephens, Emily Woof, Ben Kingsley, Frances Barber, Philip Davis
- Release Year: 1997
- Country: UK
- Run Time: 104 minutes
Plot
Featuring neat special effects, this romantic fantasy is loosely based on the story of the Cottingley Fairies, a tale of two cousins who, in 1917, swore that they had photographed the magical wee folk dancing in their garden. The story the girls told captured the war-weary imagination of Britishers everywhere. That the girls later admitted it was all a hoax, didn't matter much to "true believers" of fairy and magic books. This tale, like the original story, is set in the British countryside but centers on a jaded WW I photographer who makes a living in 1918 London debunking phony pictures of ghosts and other supernatural phenomenon -- that is until one day a woman brings him a picture of a fairy that defies explanation.Charles Castle didn't set out to be a hard case towards humanity, It just happened. Shortly after his wedding day, his new bride Anne-Marie died after falling down a suddenly appearing ice fissure on a Swiss Alp. He has never gotten over his grief and desperately wants to see and speak to her again. Charles spends the war on battlefields photographing the dead. The photo that changes his life is given to him by the enigmatic Bea Templeton who claims that her daughters took the picture outside their country home. Unable to restrain his curiosity, Charles visits the area. Soon after, Bea dies mysteriously, and Charles becomes obsessed with the idea that talking to the fairies will somehow allow him the chance to contact his late wife. A magic white flower provides the key to his happiness and helps lead into the story's beautifully done climax. Parents may want to know that some of the fairies appear in various states of undress. This is one of two 1997 films based on the same true story. The other film is titled Fairy Tale: A True Story. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Review
Of the 1997 movies inspired by the Cottingley fairies case of 1917, Photographing Fairies is the darker of the two, and its deceptively simple title doesn't convey the insight and philosophical nature of the story. Based on the novel by Steven Szilagyi, this costume drama takes a decidedly intellectual approach to the fantastical subject matter. As the bereaved photographer Charles Castle, Toby Stephens makes a cold protagonist who allows himself to be transformed into a believer on a kind of spiritual quest. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (who wrote a book about the photographs in 1922) is excellently portrayed by Edward Hardwicke, who leads the group of theosophists, and Ben Kingsley is appropriately uptight as the jealous Rev. Templeton. The special effects are magical and well crafted, especially for being placed within the context of a Victorian-era period film. For audiences interested in speculating on the function of the soul and the search for spiritual truths, Photographing Fairies is sure to provide a thoughtful, introspective experience. However, those interested in the story of two girls with a wild sense of wonder and amazement would be best to check out Fairy Tale: A True Story. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie GuideCast
- Toby Stephens - Charles Castle
Emily Woof - Linda- Ben Kingsley - Rev. Templeton
- Frances Barber - Beatrice Templeton
- Philip Davis - Roy
