Moll Flanders (1996)
6/10
Entertaining but slowly paced version based on title character from Daniel Defoe's prestigious novel
2 March 2017
¨Moll Flanders¨ (1996) by Pen Densham boasts a very good cast as Robin Wright Penn , Stockard Channing , Brenda Fricker , John Lynch and special mention for Morgan Freeman playing a dignified servant . Colorful retelling based upon a famous and popular novel , setting in the 18th century , London town . A fun romp set from Daniel Defoe's 1722 book focusing a poor orphan girl who seeks wealthy life in England . Born in London's Newgate prison , at the beginning she becomes a house servant at a bourgeois home run by a decent mother (Brenda Fricker) with two daughters but she escapes , and after that , one time grown-up , Moll (Robin Wright Penn) embarks on a risked and unfortunate life , as she eventually finds herself working at the brothel of Mrs Allworthy (Stockard Channning) , there she loses her virginity . As Moll is a beautiful female chased around every bedchamber in a bustling brothel at London town . Soon after , she decides to make her own way and fortune as well as misfortunes ; being always supported by the unwavering friendship of Hibble (Morgan Freeman) . Moll Flanders (female derivative of Tom Jones) plots to get ahead through an advantageous series of romances . But her existence as a whore leads her to drink and near suicide , and things get dreary until she falls for an allegedly impoverished painter (John Lynch) and briefly finds illusion .

Pretty good film , well played , compellingly made and adequately setting . A picture much after the style of ¨Tom Jones¨ and ¨Fanny Hill¨ with bag of incident and color . This period piece turns out to be the 5th on-screen adaptation of Daniel Defoe's 1722 novel , though it misses of the lip-smacking period relish spoiled with a slow and overlong narrative . Being slightly faith to Defoe novel in telling the fortunes and misfortunes of this lively hustler who eventually finds herself working at the brothel of greed and with a scheming landlady . Gorgeous costumes are appropriate to this 18th period . Nice acting from Robin Wright Penn as the wickedly seductive Moll , a spirited heroine who becomes a sensitive prostitute and who briefly finds happiness . Robin Wright holds everything together with help a talented supporting casting . Jon Lynch also gives a heartfelt acting as a crippled as well as enamored artist who finds inspiration on Moll' beauty . The secondary cast is frankly good , such as : Stockard Channing , Jim Sheridan , Maria Doyle Kennedy , Brenda Fricker , Geraldine James and Jeremy Brett's last film . It packs a colorful and glimmer cinematography by David Tattersall . Evocative and stirring soundtrack by Mark Mancina , adding classic music . The motion picture was professionally written and directed by Pen Densham .

Other films based on the bawdy , rousing retelling from Daniel Defoe's novel are the followings : ¨ The amorous adventures of Moll Flanders¨ (1965) by Terence Young with Kim Novak , Richard Johnson , Lilli Palmer , Vittorio De Sica , George Sanders , Leo McKern . Furthermore , TV rendition (1976) ¨Moll Flanders¨ with Julia Foster , Kenneth Haigh , Barry Jackson and Ian Ogilvy . And TV Mini-series in four episodes ¨Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders" by David Attwood with Alex Kingstone , Daniel Craig , James Fleet , Diana Rigg , Tom Ward , Roger Ashton-Griffiths , Ronald Frazer , James Larkin and Christopher Fulford
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