I Capture the Castle

Starring:Marc Blucas, Rose Byrne, SinÃ©ad Cusack, Tara Fitzgerald, Romola Garai, Bill Nighy, Henry Thomas, David Bamber, Henry Cavill, James Faulkner, Sarah Woodward, Helena Little, Florence Jones, Harrison Ward, Joe Sowerbutts, Ray De-Haan, Sorel Johnson, Dolly Wells, James Warrior, Christopher Ettridge
Director: Tim Fywell
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

When her family moves into a glamorous castle in the English countryside, Cassandra (Romola Garai) imagines great things will happen. But the decaying castle loses its appeal as her novelist father (Bill Nighy, Love Actually) develops writer's block and her mother dies of cancer. From this sad beginning, I Capture the Castle turns into an utterly engaging coming-of-age story as 17-year-old Cassandra and her older sister Rose (Rose Byrne) struggle to win the attentions of their new American landlord (Henry Thomas, E.T. The Extraterrestrial)--but when everything goes the way Cassandra hopes, her hopes fall apart. Garai's wonderful performance carries the audience through bittersweet discoveries about life and adulthood with hope and yearning. The entire cast---also featuring Tara Fitzgerald (Brassed Off) and Marc Blucas--is superb. I Capture the Castle is an absolutely lovely movie, delightful and surprisingly wise. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Romola and Rose.......2007-05-08

My dear Little British Pixie:

Thanks for alerting me to this Rose Byrne movie. Based on the package, I never would have rented it myself. But the opportunity to see Rose again after discovering her in the Aussi THE GODDESS OF 1967, then enthralled by her in the American WICKER PARK, was too much. And what a joy! Here were people who knew how to bring out her angelic beauty. And, doesn't she have the prettiest profile in all Christendom? What amazes me most is that in those 3 films, she created 3 distinct characters. If I hadn't known, I'd never make the connection.

While it was correct to make Rose the prettier sister (she played "Rose" -- isn't that a nice coincidence), don't underestimate Romola Garai as the sane and sensible sister with her potent girl-next-door allure. She had to carry the film on her 17 or 18 year-old shoulders (the age of the characer she played -- another nice coincidence). And she did it is with ease.

If you haven't yet, check out the commentary by the director, producer and screenwriter. They are chatty and informative at the same time. However, they were a little disingenuous when they spoke of the American actors, Henry Thomas and Mark Blucas. The producer and director said they were the best American actors they auditioned capable of uttering the "literary" dialog. A more honest appraisal would be that they were the best actors they could get to fit within their P-pinching budget. The dialog wasn't that unnatural and there are many young American actors who could have done better. At least, these two managed to show more dimensions than British pretty boy Henry Cavill.

I can't say enuf about the rest of the supporting cast, however. Bill Nighy, Tara Fitzgerald and Joe Sowerbutts as the rest of the family couldn't be better. In a few scenes, Sinead Cusak, as the young mens' mother, renders a perfect accent and wonderful vividness as the blunt American matron.

And let's not forget to include the decaying castle representing the plight of the family. And the 1930s recreations (in costume and setting). All evocatively filmed.

Like other British films with American characters, this could be seen as allegorical, but this presents the culture clash so ambiguously that it doesn't qualify as anti-American. Now, that's different!

Thanks, again. I need to get myself a copy for my DVD library.

--TV Yank

I lost a bet but liked the movie........2007-02-18

I saw this movie because I lost a bet with my wife. We bet on who would be the first to yell at the kids an I lost, so my wife got to choose a "chick flick" and I was obligated to watch and actually pay attention.

So, she chose this movie, and between the beautiful scenery (the castle was cool!) and the very competent acting I can say I actually enjoyed this movie. Oh yeah, and the ending was not what I expected. Not bad for a "chick flick".

1930's England as You Rarely See It.......2007-01-03

I purchased this DVD after fully enjoying reading the quirky book (written by Dodie Smith, author of 1001 Dalmations) along with my book club. The characters from the book come vividly alive in the DVD and the story remains, for the most part, true to the book. Be aware there are two scenes with nudity, as Topaz, the eccentric step-mother is a 'naturalist'. The book was a bit more enjoyable, but I do have this movie in my collection and we pull it off the shelf fairly often.

Not moved.......2006-10-04

I'm going to assume the book "I Captured the Castle" is better than the movie. The cinematography is excellent, and the acting is decent all around except for the lead character played by Romola Garai. In her most dramatic scene, a confrontation with her father, she played out her emotions in an over-slow, melodramatic manner like a bad, bad stage play. I'll give her a break because this is one of her first films, but thank goodness Bill Nighy carried the rest of the scene. The funny thing is when you listen to Romola during her interview in the special features, you think "Why couldn't we get this part of you in the film"? She's an intelligent and witty woman, but her performance as the lead character was just underwhelming. That's a horrible shame. The lead always sets the tone for the film. This would explain why the movie seemed to drag.

I found this film to be a bore despite the wonderful talent.

Yawn.......2006-09-19

My main dispute with this Cinderella romance between young sisters and the conveniently available rich bachelor's from far away America -- it's rated R. Why did the director feel it necessary to tell what is essentially a chocolate-chomping girl's heartbreak with nudity and graphic groping? Teens love their romance, boy-girl breakups, and crush's. This media world of overt-sexuality and easy porn - come on --- let the kids have their childhood.

Oh, how many young sis' have coveted their older sister's boyfriends. All of them! And that sexual awakening thing is happening at breakneck speed, but in 60 percent of American girls - the actual event begins with marriage. In this film marriage is not portrayed as something folks do for love: the sisters want to marry up at any cost. Is that a good lesson for teen gals?

Perhaps I'm not being fair on the philosophical side, but how about a believable story we can care about? You won't find it in I Capture the Castle. You'll instead discover your first yawn developing about ten minutes into the production as the eccentric wife does her nude scene, the eccentric writer does his prison scene, the girls do their not enough to eat in this romantic castle scene, and suddenly the guys show up like Price Charmings out of nowhere like we haven't seen that one before. I'm sorry. I think I'll take a nap.

Average customer rating:

Romola and Rose
I lost a bet but liked the movie.
1930's England as You Rarely See It
Not moved
Yawn

I Capture the Castle [Region 2]
Starring: Marc Blucas , Rose Byrne , Sinéad Cusack , Tara Fitzgerald , and Romola Garai
Director: Tim Fywell
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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