Helena Bonham-Carter is such a divinely eloquent actress, she shines above such veterans as Christopher Plummer, Diana Rigg, Edward Fox and Stewart Granger (the latter so very underused).
Plummer, Rigg and Fox are so horrifically over-the-top, you can only assume that the director was too intimidated by their previous credits to repress their cartoonish gleeful overacting.
Cartland works with a formula that makes this a very standard gothic romance, but it's saved, in parts, by the charm of the two leads, the extraordinary Bonham-Carter and the still little-seen Marcus Gilbert.
This also might not seem so infinitely cheesy if the predictable, derivative soundtrack didn't soar in so obviously.
Still, the film is a must for Bonham-Carter fans, if only to confirm what an excellent, expressive talent she is. And, as previous commentators have noted, this is ideal rainy Sunday afternoon fare.
Plummer, Rigg and Fox are so horrifically over-the-top, you can only assume that the director was too intimidated by their previous credits to repress their cartoonish gleeful overacting.
Cartland works with a formula that makes this a very standard gothic romance, but it's saved, in parts, by the charm of the two leads, the extraordinary Bonham-Carter and the still little-seen Marcus Gilbert.
This also might not seem so infinitely cheesy if the predictable, derivative soundtrack didn't soar in so obviously.
Still, the film is a must for Bonham-Carter fans, if only to confirm what an excellent, expressive talent she is. And, as previous commentators have noted, this is ideal rainy Sunday afternoon fare.