A FEAST AT MIDNIGHT
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1996 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 7.5 Alternative Scale: *** out of ****
United Kingdom, 1995 Running Length: 1:45 MPAA Classification: No MPAA Rating (Mature themes) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Shown at the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema, 5/5/96, 5/7/96, and 5/11/96
Cast: Freddie Findlay, Aled Roberts, Andrew Lusher, Lisa Faulkner, Christopher Lee, Robert Hardy, Edward Fox Director: Justin Hardy Producers: Yoshi Nishio Screenplay: Justin Hardy and Yoshi Nishio Cinematography: Tim Maurice-Jones
A FEAST AT MIDNIGHT is a delightfully comic family film that celebrates youthful rebellion. Taking place within the cloistered walls of a British boys' school, the story seems somehow removed from time, invoking images from Dickens' novels as often as it pulls a term from JURASSIC PARK. Dryden Park is the kind of place where dozens of serious dramas are set (most about repression and abuse), yet co-writer/director Justin Hardy has something lighter in mind, playing with the dreary "boys' school image" while allowing his narrative to progress in a more upbeat fashion.
Circumstances have forced young Magnus (Freddie Findlay) to go to boarding school while his father is recuperating from an unspecified disease. Since it's a family tradition to attend stuffy Dryden Park, that's where Magnus is enrolled. Once there, he immediately feels out- of-place, and his inability to excel at cricket is a cause for further isolation. But Magnus isn't the only misfit at Dryden, and he soon bands his fellow social outcasts into a secret society dedicated to the art of cooking. By nights, under Magnus' careful direction, the boys (and one girl) sneak into the forbidden kitchen to whip up culinary delights. Their chief nemesis on these nightly excursions is Mr. Longfellow (Christopher Lee), the humorless Latin Teacher who looks severely upon even the most minor infraction of school rules.
Stories about children rebelling against authority are typically grim affairs, and often involve a great deal of melodrama. Not so in A FEAST AT MIDNIGHT, where the unlikely method is the act of cooking, and the medium is decidedly comic. The boys in Magnus' "Scoffers Society" (named after the French L'Escoffier's) are nevertheless striking a blow for their own freedom, rejecting the school's "healthy diet" of tofu lasagna and grated beetroot in favor of creme brulee and chocolate cake.
Freddie Findlay is yet another marvelously adept European child actor. His innocent face and unaffected manner make Magnus completely believable. He's a pleasure to watch, and his performance never strikes a wrong chord. Equally enchanting is Lisa Faulkner, who exhibits great appeal in playing an ugly duckling-turned-beautiful girl. Best of all, however, is veteran horror actor Christopher Lee, who willingly sends up some of his Dracula-like mannerisms. While never letting his stern expression slip, Lee pokes fun at the grotesque, monstrous image that established his reputation.
Hardy lampoons everything from MASTERPIECE THEATER-type dramas to American TV and motion pictures. There's a delightful takeoff of MISSION IMPOSSIBLE as Magnus sneaks into town to get ingredients for a cooking session. On another occasion, the raptor-searching-the-kitchen scene from JURASSIC PARK is recreated, with Christopher Lee standing in as the dinosaur.
A FEAST AT MIDNIGHT is one of those rare family films that offers as much (if not more) for adults than children. The way to an audience's heart may be through its stomach, but A FEAST AT MIDNIGHT provides a delectable, alternative means of entry.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net web: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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