Possession on DVD (2002)

A nice literary detective tale

A customer from London , 12/12/2003

I loved the book and I liked the movie... if you enjoy literary stories, enjoy books and poetry, or have the hots for Gwynnie, Aaron Eckhardt or Jeremy Northam, then get this film. The film very neatly switches from the romance of the Victorian poets to the modern-day detective hunt waged by two academics trying to uncover the details of this secret love. Some beautiful scenery too - the locations in Whitby are wonderful.

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Naomi#7 from SHEFFIELD , 20/07/2004

I really like this film, its intelligent and beautiful and poignant. The premise is fairly simple, but a multilayered film is produced. The cast are all wonderful, although it was a little odd to watch Trevor Eve with an american accent. This film requires that you pay attention to it, and thats really not a problem. The prose flows so well, and intermingles with the poetry seemlesly. Quite beautiful.

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A chilly affair

Darth Egregious from London , 17/08/2005

Looks pretty, but I had the same two problems with this as I did with the novel. One, I am not that interested in the modern relationship between Maud and Roland - particularly as the film has made it exceptionally trite. Its the Victorian relationship between the two poets which give the film its emotional depth, and its shunted to the side in favour of lingering shots of its two American 'stars'. This is a shame as Northam and Ehles do well in their curtailed scenes. The other problem is that while the male characters have some human warmth, I found both women characters rather chilly and enigmatic. This was made worse by Paltrow's frigid acting - there really is no chemistry between her and Eckhart. Read the novel first and then decide whether you can be bothered to watch this.

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Gwyneth pretending to be British Again...

Beccster from Edinburgh , 11/04/2005

What I don't understand, is why Gwyneth Paltrow was cast in the first place. Isn't anyone else sick to death of her nasal attempt at an English accent? Yes, perhaps it is novel to hear an American get the basic gist, but why is her voice so monotonous, and exactly the same in the 4 films which require an English accent (Emma, Sliding Doors, Shakespeare In Love, and Possession). I am not denying that the camera loves her, but I really feel her to be a bit of a one trick pony.

Eckhart has never struck me as an actor to do things by halves before, but I suppose faced with a piece of wood...I also found it completely unsuprising to learn later that Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart did not get on, to me there was a complete lack of chemistry between them! Not so between Jennifer Ehle, and the always wonderful Jeremy Northam, he really was the high point of the whole film for me. I would recomend it, if only to watch the strength and vunerability of his performance.

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Read the book!

Jo51 from Warwickshire , 18/03/2005

A beautiful film, but I wouldn't watch it before reading the book, other wise so much would be missed.

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Comfortable viewing

Sam from Midlands, UK , 02/01/2005

Of course there is no way the film could hope to capture the book, and it doesn't, but it still makes for nice, comfortable viewing with a satisfying romantic plot. The main character was a disappointment and miscast, but Jennifer Ehle and Gwyneth Paltrow fill their respective roles well. Some nice scenery, too, altogether very easy on the eye but not too taxing on the brain.

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