THE GOVERNESS
A movie review by Joe Barlow
(c) Copyright 1998
STARRING: Minnie Driver, Tom Wilkinson, Florence Hoath DIRECTOR: Sandra Goldbacher WRITER: Sandra Goldbacher RATED: R (for nudity and adult situations) YEAR: 1998 SEEN AT: The Studio, Raleigh NC
RATING: *** 1/2 (out of a possible *****)
Sandra Goldbacher's "The Governess" is, like Minnie Driver herself, a creation of uncommon beauty. Every frame of the film shimmers with color and exquisite visuals, thanks to Ashley Rowe's incredible cinematography and keen eye for detail. The lovely score from Edward Shearmur finds the proper tone for every scene, never once intruding into the dialogue or serving as a phony emotional cue (ie, "This is a sad moment, so we'll beat you over the head with weepy violins now.") Even if it contained nothing but these items, the movie would still be worth a peek.
Fortunately for us, it also contains one of the year's best performances. Rosina da Silva (Ms. Driver) is the educated, spirited daughter of a wealthy Jewish merchant, living with her family in one of London's Sephardic communities during the early nineteenth century. Although content with life, Rosina sometimes feels constrained by the demands imposed on her by Victorian etiquette ("Try not to look so tall, dear," frets her mother). Although she has no training, she dreams of one day leaving home to become an actress, exposing her soul on the stage for all the world to see.
Her dream soon becomes reality, though not in the way she'd hoped. After her father passes away unexpectedly, the family finds itself in desperate need of money. Rosina, the eldest daughter, decides to look for a domestic service job to help the family struggle by, and she eventually receives an offer to act as governess to young Christina Cavendish (Florence Hoath) at the Cavendish family home in Scotland. The only catch: the devoutly Christian Cavendishs don't know that Rosina is Jewish; if they did, she'd never be allowed to work for them. Needing the job, Rosina buries her heritage and invents a Gentile persona named Mary Blackchurch. If questioned about her heritage, she plans to tell her employers that her olive skin is the result of the (fictional) Italian blood she received from her mother's side of the family. Thus begins Rosina's acting career... though it's far from what she originally had in mind.
After arriving at the Cavendish home, Mary quickly becomes enamored with her employer, Charles (Tom Wilkinson, last seen as the grumpy foreman in "The Full Monty"). Highly intelligent, and charming in his own fumbling way, Charles is working in an exciting new field known as "photography," though he has not yet figured out how to keep an image from fading mere moments after the picture is developed. Rosina/Mary, possessing an extensive knowledge of chemistry, begins to assist him in his work. Soon a strong bond forms between them, the ramifications of which will change both of them forever.
As usual, Minnie Driver devours her role, acting with such skill and charisma that I forgot about everything in the world except the story I was watching. I wasn't looking at a movie screen; I was gazing through a window into the nineteenth century, watching a beautiful, intelligent young woman trying to sort out her own tormented emotions. Ms. Driver was nominated for "Best Supporting Actress" for her work in last year's "Good Will Hunting," though the award ultimately went to Kim Basinger ("LA Confidential"). I predict another Oscar nomination, and quite possibly a win, for her performance in "The Governess."
The material could have been approached in a number of ways: as a Great Statement about prejudice, a commentary on nineteenth-century social classes, a depiction of the maternal relationship Rosina/Mary develops with young Christina, a journey of female self-discovery, a steamy historical romance, etc. Director Sandra Goldbacher, however, has chosen to include ALL these things in her film. It's both the movie's strength and biggest hindrance.
Quite simply, there's a little too much story contained in "The Governess"; at its conclusion, we're left with as many questions as answers. In particular, the final scene is maddeningly vague, and we're left to ponder its meaning as the end credits roll. It's not a fatal flaw; the film still resonates with enough simple truth that it can't be derailed so easily, but the less interesting subplots (such as the ones involving Charles' son Henry) do cause the pace to drag from time to time.
One other (admittedly petty) thing concerned me: why does Rosina/Mary need to go to Scotland for a job? Is no one in London hiring? Or England, for that matter? There may well be a good reason for this; my knowledge of Victorian Europe is basically non-existant, but the question nagged at me while watching the film. If the script hadn't made it so clear that Rosina was uncomfortable about taking a job so far away from her family, I would've simply chalked it up to her spirit of adventure.
With that said, "The Governess" remains a film of rare beauty. Its wonderful acting, cinematography and music place it a notch above the usual historical costume drama. Only an overly long running time and a slightly unfocused script detract from its visual elegance. This is a fine debut; if Sandra Goldbacher can learn to prune her future work a bit more liberally while keeping her direction and photography at this level, she could very well emerge as one of Europe's most interesting female directors.
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