I remember seeing this film years ago but it was
only recently that I chose to give it a re-watch.
Best recommended to fans of the dark comedy genre,
Cold Comfort Farm revolves around the
well-meaning "meddling" of young Flora (Beckinsale).
Recently orphaned by the tragic death of her parents
and hoping to find somewhere she can "be of use,"
Flora writes pitious letters to all her country
relatives. Several respond and all of them are
tiresome invitations, but one is a little more
intriguing than the rest. It comes from Judith
Starkadder (Atkins) and contains mysteriousness of
such an intriguing sort that Flora promptly packs
her bags, takes her hundred pounds a year, and moves
into a disreputable old farmhouse full of brazen
eccentrics.
Amos Starkadder (McKellen) is a farmer by day and
fire and brimstone preacher on weekends. He gives
such damning sermons that Flora cannot sit through
them and must escape. Judith is appropriately grim
and never ceases foretelling dark events. Elfine
(Miles) is a want-to-be poet secretly in love with
the neighboring aristocrat (Penry Jones) but
promised in marriage to the heigine-challenged Urk
(Jeremy Peters). Rueben (Ivan Kaye) just wants the
farm and isn't terribly thrilled with having to
share with his philandering brother Seth (Sewell).
And then there is the creepy old aunt in the attic
who never comes out of her room and is constantly
going on about what she saw in the woodshed when she
was a child -- something that she cannot remember
but that keeps the entire family bound to her
forever for fear of upsetting her.
Deciding that she will "fix" the farm, Flora starts
intervening, planting ideas in people's heads, and
bringing about change, hoping that once she is
finished all will be well and she can run off to
marry the young man who follows her about like a
lovesick puppy. The result is an entertaining and
sarcastic satire on country life, with numerous
moments of brilliance but a few problems. The rating
seems a bit light, for while most of the content is
minimal (there is a use of GD in a moment of heated
passion) it still bears mentioning that in the first
ten or so minutes, our introduction to Seth is in
the hayloft with a young miss from the vicarage. We
overhear sexual moaning before they are interrupted
and come up into camera sight fastening their
knickers. There is some innuendo, and a local writer
(Fry) implies to Flora that he is rather susceptible
to "sex" (he wants to go on a picnic with her,
clearly hoping it will turn into a romantic tryst).
Being a modern thinker, Flora lectures a milk maid
on the importance of family planning and
contraceptives. There is a reference to condoms and
how pleased she is in a letter later to have had
some influence in preventing further pregnancies.
Judith constantly bemoans Seth being a "libertine,"
and Urk is always attempting to spy on Elfine
through windows.
There is a slight religious slant played for laughs,
with the presence of Amos and his determination to
win souls over by preaching about the flaming
inferno that awaits everyone in hell. Eventually, he
makes a decision to go off and abandon his family
for the sake of his faith -- something Flora
encourages him in. It's tongue in cheek but doesn't
seem too intent on insulting believers. Unusually,
Judith is the opposite of him and is twice shown
consulting tarot cards. She does not read them aloud
but is astonished and pleased when one of them turns
up bidding good fortune is about to descend upon
them. None of the movie is serious and that is
perhaps what makes it so funny. Some of it is
blatant sarcasm but there is also a good sense of
comedic timing. It's entertaining without demanding
too much mental concentration, but if you are
looking for a film with "resolutions" in the second
half, you may be disappointed. We never do find out
what Granny saw in the woodshed, or about the reason
Judith thought she owed Flora something. But what we
do get to see is Flora put the family to rights and
bring sunshine back to the gloomy farm. It has a
happy ending for everyone and so the audience is
more than satisfied in spite of some of the
silliness of it. Plus, there is the added benefit of
seeing such a fantastic cast in one place.
I do wish they had left out the scene in the
hayloft, because otherwise it is a charming visit to
Cold Comfort Farm.
Cold
Comfort Farm (1995)
