USA TODAY International Edition
Sofia Coppola’s ‘ The Beguiled’: The bland and the beautiful
Writer/ director Sofia Coppola’s
The Beguiled showcases good manners and bad deeds, though it lacks the edge to make it a satisfying revenge thriller.
A new take on Thomas Cullinan’s 1966 novel, the artsy drama ( out eeEE of four; rated R; in select theaters in New York and Los Angeles Friday, nationwide June 30) tries to roil psychosexual tension in a girls’ school during the Civil War by inserting a man into a land — or house, as it were — of women. While Coppola creates some gorgeous imagery, the drama amounts to an overly pretentious version of a sudsy made- for- TV movie, complete with bodice ripping.
In 1864 Virginia, the teachers and the remaining female student body go about their days of sewing lessons and handwriting critiques while war rages outside their gates. They’ve created a buttoned- up oasis free of men and their battles — that is, until young Amy ( Oona Laurence) finds injured Union soldier John McBur- ney ( Colin Farrell) outside with a nasty leg wound.
The school’s headmistress, Miss Martha ( Nicole Kidman), is concerned about bringing him in, wondering if she should alert the Confederate troops. His slightly lecherous comments (“I’m grateful to be your prisoner”) make it seem this would be an intelligent course of action.
The more he hangs around, with the ladies tending to his every need, the more sway he has over them. He shares a brandy with Martha, opines about “the delicate beauty” of teacher Edwina ( Kirsten Dunst) and puts serious moves on teenage Alicia ( Elle Fanning). McBurney’s various seductions reveal hidden rivalries until the jig is up, he turns violent and the Southern belles scheme to give him his comeuppance.
The 1971 movie adaptation of the novel, with Clint Eastwood as the soldier, created more emotion among the characters and felt more dangerous for the women. ( The new version also omits an important slave character, who in the ’ 70s movie took care of Mc- Burney.) For all the machismo and hotheaded nature of Farrell’s Yankee stud, the stakes never seem that high. Even when Martha utters the ominous line “Edwina, bring me the anatomy book” and everything hits the fan, it all leads to a rather mundane finale.
From a filmmaking perspective, though, The Beguiled is on point. The cinematography is beautiful, using daylight and candles to conjure an ethereal atmosphere, especially during evening suppers where emotions are passed around like a plate of mushrooms. Adding to the effect is a moody score by the band Phoenix ( fronted by Coppola’s husband, Thomas Mars) that riffs on Claudio Monteverdi’s Magnificat.
All that style overwhelms the substance. While Coppola has told compelling stories with the standout Lost in Translation and The Virgin Suicides, The Beguiled is slow to develop and never really cooks. As a period thriller, The Beguiled won’t leave you hot but more likely bothered.