Writer/director William Nicholson (Shadowlands) delivers a serviceable gloss on Dickens and Brontë in this period melodrama, which features mysterious parentage, tragic sort-of-widowers and love between classes, but somehow misses the grand opera of its 19th-century forebears. Sophie Marceau stars as Elisabeth Laurier, a young woman who sells both her body and the resulting child to a mysterious man (Stephen Dillane) in order to pay off her father's debts. Seven years later she tracks down her daughter, Louisa Godwin (Dominique Belcourt), becoming the governess to the ill-tempered girl. Naturally she and Mr. Godwin fall in love, a love born somewhere in the three or four minutes of screen time that covers their three-day procreative tryst. Unfortunately, the whole business seems to lack passion, as though the feverish madness had been leached out to create something stately and suitable for Masterpiece Theater; even the near death of a child--believe it or not--can't quicken the pulse. Thank heavens for the wounded appeal of Marceau in the lead role, and for Joss Ackland's all-too-brief turn as Mr. Godwin's libertine father. Firelight is a nicely acted bit of a story, which casts a sincere glow but fails to ignite much in the way of cinematic sparks. Optional. (S. Renshaw)
Firelight
(Hollywood, 104 min., R, avail. Mar. 23) Vol. 14, Issue 2
Firelight
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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