Main Cast: Mia Farrow, Joan Plowright, Natasha Richardson, Adrian Dunbar, Jim Broadbent
Release Year: 1994
Country: IE/UK
Run Time: 102 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
In the Irish town of Kilshannon in the 1920s, a matriarchal clique of widows tightly sets the rules for behavior. Heading the town's ruling circle is the doughty Mrs. Counihan (Joan Plowright). The only non-widow in town is a reclusive middle-aged spinster, Miss O'Hare (Mia Farrow), who seems to be guarding some kind of secret. Crashing into this provincial coterie is dashing, urbane Edwina Broome (Natasha Richardson), who immediately starts feuding with O'Hare, for no apparent good reason. Broome mangles O'Hare's prize roses and bumps her skiff in a boat race. Counihan's dimwitted son, Godfrey (Adrian Dunbar), proposes marriage to Edwina. Eventually, the true motives of all involved are revealed. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
Review
The mounting conflict between Mia Farrow and Natasha Richardson in Widows' Peak makes for a fun poke at the usual stuffy-shirted mentality of period pieces, and it puts the viewer in the position of rooting for different characters at different junctures depending on the latest salvo fired in the battle. The payoff, moreover, is well worth the wait. Widows' Peak is a welcome installation in the wave of quirky British comedies that swept the cinema in the 1990s, with funny performances by both leads, as well as the men in their lives and the matriarch who oversees the roost (Joan Plowright). The underhanded tactics used by both women to gain favor in the community are at odds with the level of propriety practiced by most of the townspeople, making for a freshness that mostly keeps the narrative from dragging. The "loose lips sink ships" theory is also at work, as an equally gauche gossip-monger helps propel the events of the plot, as well as making hypocrites out of those who listen. In both story and execution, the film snubs its nose at snobbery. A minor film to be sure, Widows' Peak should please both the Masterpiece Theatre crowd and those who enjoy more ribald flights of fancy like Waking Ned Devine. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
Anne Kent - Miss Grubb; John Kavanagh - Canon; Rynagh O'Grady - Maddie; Gerard McSorley - Gaffney; Michael James Ford - Rokesby; Garrett Keogh - Grogan; Eileen Colgan - Mrs. Fogerty; Marie Conmee - Mrs. Lawless; Ingrid Craigie - Mrs. Purdieu; Malcolm Douglas - Townie; Rachel Dowling - Tall Thin Girl; Phelim Drew - FX; Sheila Flitton - Mrs. Mulrooney; Clive Geraghty - Garda Super; Maria McDernottroe - Penitent; Britta Smith - Mrs. Colgan; Michael Casey - Pianist; Jasmine Russell - Bridgie; Tina Kellegher - Dolores; Doreen Keogh - Mrs. Buckley
Credit
Nuala Moiselle - Casting, Tracey Seaward - Co-producer, Consolata Boyle - Costume Designer, Martin O'Malley - First Assistant Director, John Irvin - Director, Peter Tanner - Editor, Michael White - Executive Producer, Carl Davis - Composer (Music Score), Peter Lindsay - Musical Direction/Supervision, Lois Burwell - Makeup, Leo Austin - Production Designer, Ashley Rowe - Cinematographer, Steven Mackler - Producer, Julian Schlossberg - Producer, Jo Manuel - Producer, Gerry Johnston - Special Effects, Hugh Leonard - Screenwriter
It had been intended for Maureen O'Sullivan to play the role of Miss O'Hare, a part that went to O'Sullivan's daughter Mia Farrow. O'Sullivan declined the part due to her advanced age and dwindling stamina.
The film was shot mainly shot on location in the counties of Wicklow and Kilkenny.
At the beginning of the film characters are seen in a movie theater watching The Ten Commandments. The actor that appears in the clip shown is Theodore Roberts.
Set in the 1920s, the film's period wardrobe needs were handled by Angels & Bermans as well as Costumi d'Arte and European Costume Company.
