November 28, 1999
I just came back from seeing Felicia's Journey... And I wish I hadn't read the book: I'm sure the film is really good if you don't know how amazing the novel is. I was trying to stay objective while watching the film, but it was hard. What I can say though, is that the performances are amazing, even if some characters have been altered in a way that defeats the whole point of the book.
Bob Hoskins is great as Hilditch, but Hilditch isn't really Hilditch anymore; not with Egoyan altering his past, his mother's character, and ultimately, his true essence...
Elaine Cassidy is wonderful as innocent Felicia. She was more or less perfect. (Sandy Powell (costume designer) kind of got carried away where her blue shoes were concerned, though).
And of course Peter McDonald is just such a joy to watch, even in a small (yet vital) role such as Johnny's. I think his gift for subtlety is remarkable and it is thankfully used to great effect here, creating a three-dimensional character where it would have been so easy to fall into the stereotypical cold-hearted seducers type. So indeed, it is true that there are no small parts, only small actors� and McDonald is definitely not a small actor. ?
Combined with great performances, viewpoints, and cinematography, Egoyan creates an atmosphere of doubt and suspense where anything is possible in this ordinary world. But read the book� after you�ve seen the movie. For this one, the rule of reading the novel first does not apply. Believe me, you�ll just be disappointed with what should be considered an exceptional film.
One of my favourite films of all time. Reasons:
#1: Conor McPherson's screenplay is pure wit and passion.
#2: The characters are hilarious yet very human and believable.
#3: The performances by Peter McDonald and Brendan Gleeson are amazing and complement each other perfectly.
#4: It shows the more unromantic side of Ireland.
#5: It makes you laugh and cry and think and yell at the screen and jump and wish there were more films like it.
This film, Natural Nylon's first production, was enjoyable especially because of the smooth performances. However, the story seemed bumpy and the night shots were grainy and grey (but my friend the film student really like that...). There seemed to be too much emphasis on sex and not enough on Joyce's writing. If you haven't read The Dubliners, you might get pretty lost... But Ewan McGregor was great and Susan Lynch was good and Peter McDonald was billed 3rd (yay for Mr. McDonald!) and was obviously amazing in his tweed suit.