VIOLET (2000) / ** 1/2
Directed by Rosemary House, from her screenplay. Starring Mary Walsh, Peter MacNeill, Andrew Younghusband. Running time: 105 minutes. This film is not yet rated by the MFCB. Reviewed on October 23rd, 2000.
By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN
It has often amazed me that a place like Newfoundland, blessed with any number of dazzling landscapes in which to film and more than enough theatrical talent to go around, has had so little success at cultivating a popular home-grown feature film. This is not to say that there are no good Newfoundland movies; pictures such as "Secret Nation" (1992) put a lie to that notion. But unfortunately, much of the quality Newfoundland output to date has been nigh inaccessible to anyone not from the region -- "Secret Nation", for example, was likely impenetrable to anyone lacking a good working knowledge of Newfoundland history.
Now comes "Violet", a dark romantic comedy which, although possessing a distinctly Newfoundland flair, can nonetheless be appreciated by cinemagoers everywhere. Having made its world premiere at the 2000 Montreal Film Festival in August, "Violet" was one of two headlining Newfoundland films at the eleventh annual St John's International Women's Film and Video Festival. It was screened before an overfull house on October 19th, the second day of the festival.
"Violet" stars Mary Walsh in the title role as a middle-aged woman who believes she will die shortly after her fifty-fifth birthday. Several family members -- most recently her brother -- perished at that age, and the superstitious Violet fears the curse will visit her next. She quits her job as a librarian and retires to her home and nursery in the lush Mt Scio area of St John's, Newfoundland's capital city, to await the inevitable.
Alternately caring for and antagonising Violet are her three children, all of whom have problems of their own. Carlos (Andrew Younghusband) flirts with the groundskeeper's assistant but has fled his teaching position at McGill University for reasons kept to himself. Rex (Barry Newhook) is a perpetually broke wannabe music producer. And Ramona (Sue Kent) finds her impending nuptials in turmoil just weeks before the scheduled date. Meanwhile, Violet's cousin Lynda (Bernie Stapleton) and uncle (Brian Hennessey) scheme to seize the nursery from her -- whether by relying on the curse or by taking an active hand themselves. And through it all, the faithful groundskeeper, Rusty (Peter MacNeill), cultivates a secret affection for Violet of which she is blissfully unaware.
Part drama about middle-aged life, part madcap comedy, "Violet" straddles the line between the two and does so mostly successfully. The script by Rosemary House (who also directed) does well not to take the darker elements too seriously, nor to take its zanier moments too far (though some of the comedy does fall rather flat). And while the pacing occasionally drags -- there are far too many scenes, for example, of Violet moping about in bed, a poor use of such an energetic performer as Walsh -- House manages to keep things moving through effective use of her subplots. There are several of these running through the movie, but they never become overwhelming nor neglected. Ultimately, they serve to paint a more complete picture of Violet and her family than otherwise would have been the case.
Walsh is terrific as Violet -- even languishing in bed, she still puts more character and feeling into her dialogue than many performers reaping top-scale salary in Hollywood. Viewers familiar with Walsh only from the CBC comedy series "CODCO" and "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" may be caught a little off-guard by her more dramatic turn here, but the unmistakable Walsh wit is a part of Violet's composition too. Violet is a woman who feels that the best times of her life -- epitomised by a memorable trip to Italy in her youth -- are behind her, never to be recaptured. Walsh portrays this despondency perfectly, and yet manages to keep Violet grounded in realism, not allowing her to become an altogether depressing character.
MacNeill, meanwhile, brings a quiet strength and nobility to his role of Rusty. His is, in many ways, the key performance of the film. The movie turns on our ability accept the Violet/Rusty relationship at all its stages, and MacNeill convincingly pulls it off. Rusty is never too distant nor too doting, and the resolution of their would-be romance is entirely satisfying. MacNeill also demonstrates an almost clandestine sense of comic timing. One scene in particular, in which Carlos begins to tutor him in Italian (so that he may better court Violet) is an absolute classic, and must be seen to be savored.
Amongst the secondary players, Younghusband stands out, showing great range as Carlos. Although Carlos seems to be more of a comic figure through much of the film, there is a vague seriousness underlying his words and deeds, and when the reasons for this finally come out, Younghusband makes the transition of character with enormous conviction. Stapleton and Hennessey are also a lot fun as an odd sort of comic duo, although the script does allow them to go over the top a few times too often, particularly toward the end.
House's direction is not quite as assured as her scriptwriting, though she and cinematographer Nigel Markham do take great advantage of the beautiful Mt Scio environs. House is generally competent throughout "Violet", but there are several underwhelming moments. For example, when on the night of her birthday Violet discovers a codfish on her porch which she believes is a premonition of her impending demise, it is only through the dialogue that the importance of the discovery is made clear. "Violet" is also extended well past its natural conclusion with an unnecessary and poorly-conceived coda which serves only to try the viewers' patience.
Although not the best feature film to come out of Newfoundland -- it has too many flaws and is simply too conventional to earn that honour -- "Violet" is nonetheless an entertaining and multi-faceted movie which should enjoy wide appeal. If nothing else, it is a terrific showcase for local performers such as Walsh and Younghusband, who demonstrate that not all the best Canadian actors have fled south of the border.
Copyright © 2000 Shannon Patrick Sullivan. Archived at The Popcorn Gallery, http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sps/movies/Violet.html
_______________________________________________________________________ / Shannon Patrick Sullivan | "We are all in the gutter, but some of us \ | shannon@mun.ca | are looking at the stars." - Oscar Wilde | \___________________________|__________________________________________/ | Popcorn Gallery Movie Reviews www.physics.mun.ca/~sps/movies.html | | Doctor Who: A Brief History of Time (Travel) /drwho.html |
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