Enid (TV 2009)

Edwardian child Enid Blyton begins to tell stories to her brothers as an escape from their parents' rows before the father deserts the family. Whilst training as a teacher after the Great ... See full summary »

Director:

James Hawes

Writer:

Lindsay Shapero

Stars:

Helena Bonham Carter, Matthew Macfadyen, Denis Lawson

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Helena Bonham Carter	...	Enid Blyton
Matthew Macfadyen	...	Hugh Pollock
Denis Lawson	...	Kenneth Waters
Claire Rushbrook	...	Dorothy Richards
Joseph Millson	...	Hanly Blyton
Ramona Marquez	...	Imogen Pollock
Sinead Michael	...	Gillian
Pooky Quesnel	...	Theresa Blyton
Philip Wright	...	Thomas Blyton
Lisa Diveney	...	Enid - aged 19
Alexandra Brain	...	Enid - aged 12
Samuel Hilton	...	Hanly Blyton - aged 8
James Warner	...	Carey Blyton - aged 4
Eileen O'Higgins	...	Maid Maggie
Gabrielle Reidy	...	Mrs Waters

Storyline

Edwardian child Enid Blyton begins to tell stories to her brothers as an escape from their parents' rows before the father deserts the family. Whilst training as a teacher after the Great War she sends her stories to publishers, one of whom, Hugh Pollock,takes her on and also marries her. They have two daughters but Enid is a terrible mother, letting a nanny rear them whilst she, ironically, bestows treats on anonymous children who worship her for her stories. She is completely self-absorbed,driving Hugh to drink and then to another woman. Enid uses the children as emotional blackmail to get a divorce on her terms before marrying Kenneth Waters, a weak man similar to her father. After World War Two she is as popular as ever, despite accusations of using a syndicate to pen her books and will carry on,adored by children who do not know her true nature, for another twenty years and her death in 1968.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 November 2009 (UK)

Also Known As:

Den sanna Enid Blyton

Filming Locations:

Barrow Hills Golf Course, DERA vehicle testing track, Longcross Lane, Longcross, Surrey, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Carnival Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Made as one of a three-part season called "Women We Loved" on BBC Four. The other two films in the series were Gracie! and Margot.

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Quotes

[to her father]
Imogen: Do you want to come see our rabbit? We did have two, but Mummy and Uncle Kenneth ate the other one.

User Reviews

Sumptuous, absorbing and well performed biographical drama about one of my favourite childhood authors

When I was a child, I absolutely adored Enid Blyton's books; like Beatrix Potter's simple but charming, whimsical and beautifully illustrated stories, her books were full of characters I could relate to(ie. Silky from the Magic Faraway Tree stories), magical or exciting adventures and moments where I laughed and cried. At 17, I still have the utmost respect for her work, and while it was flawed, I liked this biographical drama.

One definite plus was the way it was filmed, it was shot in a very sumptuous visual style that was most suitable. The costumes were ravishing, the scenery was breathtaking and the makeup was immaculate. The music score had parts that were a) haunting, b) poignant and c) hypnotic, the same effect that a minimalist score would have. I also liked the embedded references to her books, some as Enid sat at her typewriter, the script was well above average and the ending was somewhat moving.

The acting is very well done. Both Matthew Macfadyen and Dennis Lawson turned in great work as Hugh and Kenneth, and to some extent I felt sorry for both their characters; Hugh because of the way Enid treated him and Kenneth because he was seemingly oblivious to what Enid was really like. Helena Bonham Carter looked beautiful and gave a wonderful performance. If I were to be honest though I prefer her more passionate and headstrong characters in A Room with a View and Howards End.

It is here though where the flaws of this drama come. I think it was more to do with how she was written than how she was acted, but somehow I wasn't sure whether Enid was really that one-dimensional, here she is quite hypocritical and insensitive, then again it may be just me. Another problem if not so significant was that I felt some of the earlier scenes, particularly the scenes where Enid is a child, were a tad rushed.

Overall, I generally liked this biographical drama, not perfect in my opinion but worth watching. 8/10 Bethany Cox