Purely Joyful Movie!

I'll tell you why so serious

Good start, but then it gets ruined

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

This is a wonderful movie--my favorite comedy of all-time, and it's based on a truly classic novel, first published in 1932. In Flora Poste, "Robert Poste's child," Stella Gibbons created one of the enduring characters in the great canon of English Literature. Part Thoroughly Modern Millie and part Mary Poppins, this unflappable and distinctively British neo-flapper is always totally in control. She can't be bought. She can't be sold. She can't be baited (although she can be dated--but only on her own terms). And she always knows which end is up, and exactly what's what. She's urbane and hip, but she likes to preserve neatness and cherishes a sense of order: "Nature's all very well in her place, but she mustn't be allowed to make things untidy . . . " Sounds like Mary Poppins! And like Mary, Flora is going to enter a dysfunctional household and set things right. (And like Mary, after "mission accomplished," she will fly off into the sky at the end.)It is most "diverting" to watch Flora repeatedly go nose to nose with the dirty, loutish and intimidating Starkadders without blinking or losing one bit of her composure and equanimity. As for Kate Beckinsale's performance as Flora, It's hard to imagine that this demure and perfectly controlled actress is the same person who will later play the sexy vampire warrior Selene who specializes in killing werewolves in the horror-action series "Underworld." But perhaps the werewolves of Underworld are not so different from the Starkadders of Cold Comfort, whom she also subdues, but in a more genteel fashion, and without any blood and gore. In both cases, Kate is triumphant (and does Kate Beckinsale remind anybody else of Kate Middleton? Watch "Serendipity.")Other delights of Cold Comfort: Joanna Lumley as Mrs. Mary Smiling: watch this familiar vivacious actress command a scene and hold a conversation with her eyes. Oh, and Joanna still has lots of "it"; that's her as Aunt Emma in "The Wolf of Wall Street."Stephen Fry as Mr. Mybug. Pseudo-intellectual pomposity played to perfection. My favorite line: "let me warn you. I'm a queer, moody brute, but there's rich soil in here if you care to dig for it." His plan to write a treatise proving that Branwell Bronte was actually the author of the classics written by his sisters is hilarious.But my favorite scene in the entire movie is when Amos Starkadder (played by Ian McKellen) in his role as hellfire and brimstone amateur evangelist preacher, delivers his fiery sermon to the "Church of the Quiverin' Brethren." Yes, the congregation actually quivers and shakes as Amos taunts them with the tortures that await them all: "You know what it's like when you burn your hand takin' a cake out of the oven or lighting one of them Godless cigarettes? And it stings with a fearful pain. Aye? And you run to clap a bit of butter on it to take the pain away, aye? Aye. Well, I'll tell ye. THERE'LL BE NO BUTTER IN HELL!"And of course I must mention horrible old Aunt Ida Doom, whose refrains "I saw something nasty in the woodshed" and "There's always been Starkadders at Cold Comfort Farm" are the mantras that maintain her tyrannical control over the homestead--the demonic spells with which Flora must contend. And there's much more! Every role is perfectly cast, and played to perfection. This film is truly a must-see. A whole-hearted 10 out of 10 stars.

Let me preface my remarks by saying that I love Masterpiece Theatre and most British farces. Perhaps this particular effort was lacking in some cohesion that might have held my attention. Although the characters were certainly characters and the incongruities certainly incongruous, nothing about this movie satisfied my curiosity. The cast was terrific and their acting was quite good but the storyline seemed unhinged. If a lot of the book was omitted the movie didn't prompt me to even consider reading it. I was left with the uncomfortable feeling of having watched a bunch of oddities that somehow were never properly connected. And the denouement (a final part of a story or drama in which everything is made clear and no questions or surprises remain) was completely useless in that regard since it left me with more questions than I had before. What a disappointment this dog of a flick was.

The movie opens with "I saw something nasty in the woodshed." It is a Freudian reference. Freud originally thought such visions were manifestations of actual events that were so horrible that the memory was repressed. He later renounced that theory and decided that such dreams were manifestations of suppressed desires and emotions. The subject never actually sees what was nasty and the woodshed is not real, either.Modern psychotherapists, for the most part with minimal training, have gone back to Freud's original theory, but the supposedly 'repressed memories" invariably are so far-fetched as to violate fundamental laws of physics. Ada Doom's memory, for example, would probably have a woodshed with many rooms, stairs both up and down, windows, etc., all fitting within the small exterior of the building. The "something" nasty would include people who may well have been dead at the time, or who were far away, or who never existed at all. The ax implies murder and human sacrifice, a manifestation of feelings that she was mistreated by her own parents (or maybe Robert Poste). The dark wood-stains and shadows imply blood. The interior of the woodshed is dark, mysterious and quiet, as of a horror lurking there -- a hidden truth that no one can face.The movie, made during the height of 1990s witch hunt, parodies people who use memories of imaginary (or even real) events to control everybody around them. Interestingly, earlier productions were made during similar cultural periods. The 'something nasty' can represent anything from incest to fear of financial ruin to communism.The nasty memories, probably of fictitious events, manifest themselves in the untidiness of the Starkadders. The farm is practically in ruins, despite the fact the Starkadders are wealthy. Everything is all loose ends, hidden secrets, unfinished business. Flora Poste represents the traditional Freudian therapist, one who sees through all the junk of the mind and starts putting things in order by forcing people to see the truth about themselves and their situation, to stop dwelling on events (which are imaginary anyway) of the past and which have absolutely no bearing on the present. The Starkadders, one by one, have a paradigm shift away from suspicion, secrecy, and guilt to productivity, optimism, and adventurousness. They no longer live in fear.The movie ridicules fear and guilt. They are not just 'untidy,' they enslave us, tie us down, and keep us from reaching our full potential. Flora Poste represents the whole woman, idealized. She fears nothing for herself, despite the fact that she is the one character that actually has serious problems to deal with. Orphaned, virtually penniless, with an uncertain future, yet she could not care less. Unlike the miserable Starkadders who are helpless despite wealth, position and power, Flora Poste is the master of her own fate despite her lack of all the advantages the the Starkadders have.The movie allows us to laugh at our fears and shortcomings, and encourages us to take control of our own destinies. What is not to like about it?

This movie depicts a post-Victorian, but nonetheless backwards-glancing, (1930s) rural England. Given this material; the propensity of the English to believe it's their job to tidy up rooms, regions and nations, matched by the arrogance to subjugate and condescend to anyone they deem untidy over the centuries; it seems like the movie could be a drag. As a story it's been told one too many times... but a light touch and a off-kilter tone make it an enjoyable fable. It's a fond allegory of empire."Robert Post's child" w/o hope of fortune but with great confidence in her world-view, takes on a rural situation out of boredom, works absurdly positive miracles, and sets things right, handily rescuing everyone from their self-constructed cages; all while reckoning with the gravitas of an unseen Miss Havisham in the room off the landing While Flora has no humility of her own, she does have manners; and with those, she pushes a bunch of maladaptive family members to a place they can unload their baggage by rediscovering humility.Making it all more bearable, the urbanites (played by Lumley and Beckinsale), typically snide and unlikeable, instead are awfully pleasant when they condescend. A few lines still make me smirk. "It's not good to be dewy-eyed around smart people, but you can always secretly despise them" is given a bright, cheerful delivery by Lumley. While perfectly serviceable as an unspoken rule of etiquette, it sounds quite absurd when uttered. A house-man who develops a admiration for his dish-scrubber, "...me and my little mop" always makes me laugh.Manners come into play everywhere. Ruben's change from a gruff beast to a sweet fella is nicely done. A late scene in which Miss Post must gently rebuff his proposal has a sublime, light touch. Strangely, after countless viewings where I simply admired the writing, it made me tear up for the first time today. The cast all does expert work, making most of the movie look effortless. Lumley's bespoke Miss Smiley could make for a good movie on her own.The film was developed for British TV which explains a regrettable gag here and there, and some resolutions that are just too pat. Schlesinger replaced somebody else as director at the last minute. As director, it feels like he's confident in the material and just gets out of the way. I think there are just slight problems that prevent it from becoming a classic. Aunt Ada "saw something nasty in the woodshed" a few too many times. But there is an abundance of pleasures in it. The way manners are voiced... the ramshackle design of the old farmhouse. The production designer for Nanny McPhee has definitely seen this movie.Once upon a time, movies were made for learned adults.