Of Swords and Parasols

I just watched The Secret of Moonacre, based on The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge, which I have not read, but not want to. I’m sure there were tons of changes. It stars the actress from The Golden Compass as Maria, a Victorian teenager who, along with her governess, goes to live in in the countryside with her uncle after her father dies in debt. There, she learns that her family has a centuries long feud with the De Noir family, bandits who live in the forest, and that the feud is tied to a curse that will Destroy Them All very shortly. Her grumpy gothic uncle is played by Horatio Hornblower, Tim Curry plays the head of the De Noir clan, and her governess strips her parasol of fabric so she can go into battle and Rescue Her Charge. There’s also the Obligatory Love Interest, who kind looks like a baby Joaquin Phoenix with way too much eyeliner, trying to channel a toned-down Johnny Depp. With lots of black leather. He was kind of endearing in that way that makes you wonder exactly what your fictional tastes were at 13. Here’s the trailer:



It’s definitely meant for the 12-15 range but, aside from a few near-preachy bits with banal lines about pride being the downfall and such, I don’t think that will interfere much with the enjoyment for much adults, and the plot and acting are solid and the visuals amazing. I’m sure people will start complaining about how unrealistic it is for a Victorian girl to do some of the things Maria does, but whatever. (Like Alice In Wonderland, there are valid criticisms to be made about the movie. I just don’t think that’s one of them, particularly when the plot itself rejects reality and is centered around Victorian Girl Has Magical Adventures.)

The movie will be released on DVD in the US on September 12, and Amazon has it for $14 right now.

Not on the subject of TSoM itself, in the 5 Things meme (which I need to get back to answering) I chose several fantasy novels for "books that should be a movie," and joked that it would more than double the fantasy movies with female protagonists. So, out of curiosity, what fantasy movies (live action, with at least limited theatrical release, regardless of country of origin) can you think of where the central protagonist is female. (For example, though very fond of them, I discount Legend, Stardust, and The Princess Bride [and some others] in this case because, while the narrative is split between the male and female central protagonists, they still lean towards the male as the main protagonist, and the female as the seconadry protagonist.) I came up with:

Alice In Wonderland (2010)
Enchanted
The Golden Compass
Labyrinth
Mirrormask
Penelope
The Secret of Moonacre

I'm forgetting a big one (ETA: That was Echanted) that I may even own, and no doubt several others. I thought about Pan's Labyrinth, but I think that's actually horror, despite having elements more standardly connected to fantasy