Greetings, salutations, and welcome to my considerations and recommendation of The Thirteenth Tale.
Story: 1.25/2 - Direction and Pace: 2.50/4 - Performances: 1.50/2 - Enjoyment: 1.25/2
TOTAL: 6.50/10
This movie deserved to be so much better than it turned out. It possesses a good story concept, fine cinematography, and a robust cast. Sadly, the writers cannot make the most of the concept, or the director unsuccessfully transposed it to film.
A famed reclusive writer is dying, and before she passes, she's chosen a biographer to write her story. She claims her tale is the missing story from her collection of shorts entitled The Thirteenth Tale, in which there are only twelve stories. But it's not. It's a real-life tale of lovelessness, mental illness, mayhem, and murder. But who is the killer in this unfolding mystery? Is it the authoress or her twin sister?
The writers give the audience a narrative filled with interesting characters and dark deeds, all hidden away from the outside world by the slowly decaying walls of the great house. However, there is a fault with these characters. The principal players are okay, but some fleshing out is required, especially for the aggressive twin Emmeline. Why was she so combative? A smidgen of more light on her mental state would've been beneficial and added more power to the tale. Also, more on their mother and uncle would've empowered the picture more. And there're plenty of quiet places that the director fills with slow and beautiful compositions. Though these are nice to look at, being a character-driven story, using this time to build more involved characters and their backgrounds would've been ideal.
Another thing that struck me as a tad poor was the performances. You have Olivia Coleman and Vanessa Redgrave, yet they feel underused. They meander through the film with no power in their performances. For two strong actresses, I expected more. I suspect this is down to the director rather than the cast. For example, the most robust actress was Madeleine Power, who portrayed both twins, and is excellent. She adds a nice, quiet subtleness to Adeline and an erupting volcano of violence and hate to Emmeline. Sadly, the actresses who follow in her older incarnations cannot provide the previous intensity, which is a pity, as they're only required to portray one character. So the director failed to show why Emmeline had quietened down or failed to push the actresses to be fierier. Then you have Tom Goodman-Hill as Dr Mawsley. Now, Goodman-Hill is a fine actor, but he tends to have one acting style - solid and powerful; even his stance oozes strength. And that's how he comes across here. So I reckon the director allowed the cast a lot of leeway in their portrayals. It's not a terrible thing with this cast, however, because all of them are highly talented.
So in the end, I enjoyed the movie but wanted more. I'm happy to recommend The Thirteenth Tale for one viewing, but I don't think I'll be returning for a second helping.
Check out my Killer Thriller Chillers and Dramatisation Of Life lists to see where I ranked the movie.
Take Care, Stay Well, And Merry Christmas.
Story: 1.25/2 - Direction and Pace: 2.50/4 - Performances: 1.50/2 - Enjoyment: 1.25/2
TOTAL: 6.50/10
This movie deserved to be so much better than it turned out. It possesses a good story concept, fine cinematography, and a robust cast. Sadly, the writers cannot make the most of the concept, or the director unsuccessfully transposed it to film.
A famed reclusive writer is dying, and before she passes, she's chosen a biographer to write her story. She claims her tale is the missing story from her collection of shorts entitled The Thirteenth Tale, in which there are only twelve stories. But it's not. It's a real-life tale of lovelessness, mental illness, mayhem, and murder. But who is the killer in this unfolding mystery? Is it the authoress or her twin sister?
The writers give the audience a narrative filled with interesting characters and dark deeds, all hidden away from the outside world by the slowly decaying walls of the great house. However, there is a fault with these characters. The principal players are okay, but some fleshing out is required, especially for the aggressive twin Emmeline. Why was she so combative? A smidgen of more light on her mental state would've been beneficial and added more power to the tale. Also, more on their mother and uncle would've empowered the picture more. And there're plenty of quiet places that the director fills with slow and beautiful compositions. Though these are nice to look at, being a character-driven story, using this time to build more involved characters and their backgrounds would've been ideal.
Another thing that struck me as a tad poor was the performances. You have Olivia Coleman and Vanessa Redgrave, yet they feel underused. They meander through the film with no power in their performances. For two strong actresses, I expected more. I suspect this is down to the director rather than the cast. For example, the most robust actress was Madeleine Power, who portrayed both twins, and is excellent. She adds a nice, quiet subtleness to Adeline and an erupting volcano of violence and hate to Emmeline. Sadly, the actresses who follow in her older incarnations cannot provide the previous intensity, which is a pity, as they're only required to portray one character. So the director failed to show why Emmeline had quietened down or failed to push the actresses to be fierier. Then you have Tom Goodman-Hill as Dr Mawsley. Now, Goodman-Hill is a fine actor, but he tends to have one acting style - solid and powerful; even his stance oozes strength. And that's how he comes across here. So I reckon the director allowed the cast a lot of leeway in their portrayals. It's not a terrible thing with this cast, however, because all of them are highly talented.
So in the end, I enjoyed the movie but wanted more. I'm happy to recommend The Thirteenth Tale for one viewing, but I don't think I'll be returning for a second helping.
Check out my Killer Thriller Chillers and Dramatisation Of Life lists to see where I ranked the movie.
Take Care, Stay Well, And Merry Christmas.