[yasr_overall_rating]
At a girls’ school in Virginia during the Civil War, where the young women have been sheltered from the outside world, a wounded Union soldier is taken in. Soon, the house is taken over with sexual tension, rivalries, and an unexpected turn of events.
“The Beguiled” was originally a novel, written by Thomas Cullinan in 1966, about a wounded Union soldier found in the woods by one of the young women of Miss Martha Farnsworth’s Seminary of Young Ladies. For one man, fleeing the brutality of war and now rescued by beautiful Southern belles, it is all too irresistible for him to charm the women for his own needs and pleasures. “The Beguiled” is a story of fear and sympathy tangled with competitive desires and dark infatuation, but in the end, leaves you wondering who exactly was wooed and who was deceived. Don Siegel first directed a film adaptation of the book in 1971, featuring Clint Eastwood, and now, writer and director Sofia Coppola makes some changes to the story in her remake of the film.
The most significant change is that she approaches the story from the perspective of the women rather than Corporal John McBurney (Colin Farrell). She also decided to completely remove all traces of slavery elements in her presentation of the story, including a key character named Hattie from the first film. In the very beginning of Coppola’s film, the slaves are mentioned in one line as being among the people still remaining at the homestead despite the raging war, but other than that, no slaves are visible or even referenced again. For those who are obsessed with movie trivia or historical accuracy, there are already plenty of opinions concerning Coppola’s exclusion of slavery in her storytelling, labeling her decision as laziness, avoidance, or utter disregard. (Eisenberg, http://www.cinemablend.com/news/1675309/why-sofia-coppolas-the-beguiled-doesnt-feature-the-storys-most-controversial-character, para 1-3).
But, do we really need to debate the agenda for the Civil War as we learned it in elementary school? (That’s a rhetorical question, by the way.) Also, it’s not likely that the average theater patron will know or even care about these changes to the original story as most viewers will be comprehending the plot for the first time. For these reasons, this review is intended to rate Coppola’s remake primarily on the basis of storytelling alone. The story is set in wartime, but it is about survival and seduction, not slavery or any other particulars regarding the war. Emotional accuracy is far more relevant for this film than comprehensive historical accuracy.
Even so, Sofia’s story falls short.
First, the timeline of the story, as portrayed by the film, is a matter of weeks, maybe two months at most. Because of this, the emotional events need to happen rather quickly and with an intensity that is appropriate for such a dramatic conclusion meant to elicit feelings of betrayal and horror. The initial reactions of curiosity and extra preening seem natural given the fact that we know both the Corporal and the women have been isolated through the war thus far. But once Miss Martha, the headmistress, allows for the presence and temporary protection of the soldier, all relationships to the man are brand new.
Even the stories between the women themselves are vague and seemingly inconsequential. The three female lead roles are Miss Martha (Nicole Kidman), the teacher, Edwina Dabney (Kirsten Dunst), and the oldest student, Alicia (Elle Fanning), but their stories are only hinted at with the barest of details. Miss Martha’s father used to host grand parties in the house, Edwina is evidently from a place of bared shoulders and more freedom, while Alicia is a presumptuous tease, daring Corporal McBurney to notice her as a sweet Southern fruit, ripe for his picking.
Additionally, the film itself is only 94 minutes in length and the first half of it is spent gazing at scenes of wistful Southern sentiment, the necessary labors of survival and the tedious recovery of the Corporal. There is little emotional development of the plot, except long glances and careless excuses for checking on the soldier’s wellbeing…until the eve of the Corporal’s departure as decided by Miss Martha. Suddenly, John utters a proclamation of love to Edwina and she only barely pretends to refuse it or question its legitimacy before they kiss. Culturally speaking, both the love declaration and the kiss are awkward, at best, in the context of Southern propriety.
From that point on, it almost seems that a sort of spell falls over the women and the Corporal, bewitching them all to act beyond reason against a presumably decent upbringing. The Corporal openly pries into the intimate desires of both Edwina and Miss Martha and makes physical advances toward both of them. Alicia makes her interest quite obvious and he does not question her childish whims. And of course, the turning point comes down to sex. Corporal McBurney whispers his desire to visit Edwina that night and she anxiously awaits his coming, but instead, the soldier turns his desire toward Alicia and goes to her room instead. A horrifying discovery and a violent push down the stairs, the soldier’s wound is ripped open again and his leg is broken.
Ultimately, it may have been ineffective to tell the story from the viewpoint of the women. The women are not necessarily united, even in the final conclusion, and that fractures the perspective of the storytelling. You don’t get fully drawn into any one person’s story and therefore, it feels disjointed and detached. Of course, feeling disjointed and detached does enhance the gruesomeness of the final scenes and in that regard, Coppola succeeds in closing the film with a surprising twist.
However, while the story may point to a bitter irony for the man who attempted to beguile the women, the question remains: Will the film prove to be enchanting enough to seduce its audience into feeling the same curiosity, infatuation, desire and then the betrayal of deception?
Honestly, I was more bewildered, than beguiled. And that’s a completely different book by Thomas Cullinan.
In select theaters Friday, June 30th
