The Making of a Lady (2012) Reviews

• Rushed, but surprising

  isabelle-frater2013-01-06

  A lot of reviews say this is bad, but I didn't think so. Before watching, I had no knowledge of the story, just that it was a period piece. I'm glad for that, because it surprised me. It did start out as a love story, and just when I was settled to watching another period romance (I don't like romance), it suddenly became something different. I admit, the story was a bit rushed. I don't know the original book, but maybe a two-part treatment would have been better. The beginning does start off at a good pace, but then suddenly everything seems to happen in a short space of time. I have seen it compared to ITV's other period piece, Downton Abbey, but the comparison is completely wrong. While both have beautiful pictures, excellent costumes, and happen when women still wore long skirts, the similarities stop there. This is a TV movie, that is a long series. This is somewhat Gothic in feel, and centers around one woman, that has the character list that could be the length of one of my old school headmistresses' speeches (she was known for speaking for hours). I thought the acting was done superbly. The main character, Emily, is played by Lydia Wilson, and she shows the required amount of gentle intelligence and slight naiveté that is required for the story. The other characters are sufficiently creepy, helped along by the equally creepy music. I am going to read the book, and I'm sure the movie will wet other people's appetites as well. Partly because it feels like there should be more of the story.

• Excellent Film

  daria-morgan-esq2014-02-15

  I was also surprised by the negative reviews. I admit this movie is a bit different than most... but I was captured from the start. The first half is a wonderful romance followed up by rather a bizarre, if not particularly scary, horror type yarn. It is different but not bad. Emily Fox Seaton is poor and works for the very haughty Lady Maria. Emily knows Lady Maria's nephew Lord James Walderhurst who is, older (50s) and looking for a wife. While doing a favor for Walderhurst and moving a particularly annoying potential bride away from him at dinner, Emily is fired by Lady Maria. Walderhurst, follows Emily home and asks her to marry him. His proposal is as romantic as nails with him basically saying... what choice do you have? Emily accepts and prepares herself for a loveless marriage and her "duty". Thankfully, the relationship unfolds in a tender and pleasing way and they come to share a steady mature love that I was rooting for. But then, Walderhurst goes on a mission to India. Alone, pregnant, and living in a somewhat empty mansion 10 miles from the nearest village she is overjoyed when Walderhurst's cousin and his wife come to visit. Alec will inherit the estate if Walderhurst does not produce an heir and thus is not to be trusted, but Emily is lonely and wants to believe. Things get quite crazy from this point on in the "Lifetime" movie of the week vein. But it doesn't go on long and is very captivating. I found the first half of this film very enjoyable so even if the second seems not your cup of tea I would recommend it.

• Nice Surprise...it's a suspense movie!

  johnathindozer2015-03-25

  I agreed to watch this one just for my girlfriend, so we could spend some quality time together, and it turned out to be pretty good. I was expecting a major yawn-fest about ladies in big hats drinking tea, but it actually had a very intriguing plot, full of deceit and attempted murder, etc.; it wasn't really an "edge of your seat" type of thriller, but it had enough to keep me interested throughout. The plot was somewhat original, although not entirely dissimilar from some of the other standard fare from this genre, such as Jane Eyre. It was also very well-acted and had good production values; the sets and locations looked very authentic and the background score was appropriate. In my opinion, it was an entertaining film.

• Loved it.

  pastorjo20042014-02-12

  I was shocked at the number of people who said they didn't enjoy this movie. When it first came on, I thought perhaps it was a new series. I was so relieved when an hour passed, and the plot kept going. I absolutely fell in love with the lead character. Now granted I was a college English major and later earned a Masters of Divinity. I do love the "Hand me a handkerchief" emotion which doesn't seem to reach recent literature. I have a passion for stories which take place in old England. Most of my favorite writers fall into the category of romance in the 1800's, early 1900's. I will very likely now read the book and buy the DVD. I am surprised I haven't run on to it before. Thank you for a beautiful job...such a relief from reality shows and bad comedies.

• The Making of a Lady?

  timewhorl2013-08-14

  I was recently shown this film by a friend and was very surprised by it, mainly because I am familiar with Frances Hodgson Burnett's other works: The Secret Garden and A Little Princess. I thought it a very strange story for her to have written and very out of character due to the suggestive content. I asked my friend if she had read the book, The Making of a Marchioness, and she said she had tried but found it very dry. As someone familiar with reading "antique" fiction, I decided to give it a try and I am very glad to have done so. The Making of a Lady is quite the travesty of the authoress's original story. The film is a highly romanticized, sexed up affair that really should never have been made, no matter the high filming quality and excellent casting. SPOILERS FOR THE BOOK AND FILM BELOW Emily Fox-Seton is a kindly, good-natured, tall, big-boned woman of respected name but no means. Much of the book is given over to her friendship and boarding with Jane Cupp and her mother Mrs. Cupp, respectable ladies with a room to let. She does not live on a seedy part of town and all who meet her find her very sweet. Lady Maria invites dear Emily who is so indispensable as a secretary of sorts, to her home in the country where she meets Maria's cousin Lord James Walderhurst. He is a gentleman in his fifties who is rather dry and wear a monocle but must marry and produce an heir to his fortune. Of all the women he has met, he finds Emily to be the most complying and understandable and weds her in great style and pomp, for after all, her family name is still highly acceptable. Lord Walderhurst's ungrateful heir apparent and relation Alec Osborn, his Anglo-Indian wife Hester, and her servant Ameerah come to live on the property in a beautifully fixed up house due to Emily's kind heart. Lord Walderhurst leaves as in the filmed version, for India and slowly Alec becomes enraged at all he will lose if Emily has a child. His own wife is pregnant and he desires to be his Lordship. Emily truly is pregnant and Alec plots murder through what appear to be accidents until Hester intervenes on a poisoned milk drink plot. Emily leaves with her very loyal servant Jane Cupp and Mrs. Cupp and goes to live in London to await the return of his Lordship. The Osborns return to India following the birth of a daughter and James returns to find his wife having born him a healthy son, though gravely ill herself. His presence revives her (and leads him to realize his love for her) and all is well. In India, an "accident" happens to Alec with a loaded gun and he dies. Generous Emily calls Hester and the baby back to England, and all live happily ever after. Apart from four very different murder attempts involving a ruined horse that Emily wisely does not ride, a bit of wood left at the top of the flight of stairs where she would walk, a broken rail on a bridge over a deep spot of water, and poisoned milk...one might not recognize the contrived and ruined story they dished out on film. The whole drugging with the milk and seduction of the maid Jane was pointless, as was his Lordship's undying love for Emily (no matter how touching). In reality he was married to her a good year before he realized his feelings could be love, as he is not sentimental. There is no passage between rooms, attempted strangulation, chaining of guns, brutal ride on a horse, murder of a servant and taking over of the house. Emily has the good sense to flee and take her loyal Jane with her and they completely removed her spine for this. I give it 4 out of 10 stars for 4 reasons: 1 star for casting, which was well done. 1 star for costuming and sets, which were very accurate. 1 star for location filming. 1 star for filming quality. The other 6 stars are missing because this is not even Ms. Burnett's story. While I do not expect adaptations to be word for word from the original novels, I do expect some of the original plot and behaviors of characters to remain. They could have changed the names and places and put it out like that...I assure you nobody who has read The Making of a Marchioness would have recognized it at all. It is a great disappointment and I hope that the next time it is adapted it will be handled with as much care as the recently produced Little Dorrit.