Several years before she became a household name and won an Oscar for "Chicago", Catherine Zeta-Jones had a great part playing a mysterious woman whom the townsfolk in the British countryside believe to be a witch. She has already beguiled the handsome Clive Owen but sets her sights on the cousin of the woman Owen is set to marry, causing town matriarch (Joan Plowright) great distress. Plowright, determined to keep niece Claire Skinner from marrying Owen must now try to keep her son, Ray Stevenson, from marrying Zeta-Jones, but that causes him to make a choice she doesn't like, leading to some creepy twists.
A very colorful but grim fairy tale, this is a beautifully filmed version of the Thomas Hardy novel, certainly the "Wicked" of its time. The film leaves it up to the viewer to figure out if Catherine's character really is a witch for most of it, giving it an air of mystery and making them wonder if she went after Stevenson out of revenge or if she really loved him, adding aspects of sympathy to her character regardless of what her motivations really are. The dark beauty of Zeta-Jones is perfect for this part, yet she doesn't play the role with the type of camp that other actresses played gothic characters with. Plowright definitely steals every moment that she's on screen, making her character much more than a one-dimensional fish life and possessive mother. So much to love about this TV movie, it is truly beguiling, casting a spell on me from the start.
A very colorful but grim fairy tale, this is a beautifully filmed version of the Thomas Hardy novel, certainly the "Wicked" of its time. The film leaves it up to the viewer to figure out if Catherine's character really is a witch for most of it, giving it an air of mystery and making them wonder if she went after Stevenson out of revenge or if she really loved him, adding aspects of sympathy to her character regardless of what her motivations really are. The dark beauty of Zeta-Jones is perfect for this part, yet she doesn't play the role with the type of camp that other actresses played gothic characters with. Plowright definitely steals every moment that she's on screen, making her character much more than a one-dimensional fish life and possessive mother. So much to love about this TV movie, it is truly beguiling, casting a spell on me from the start.