THE MOONSTONE

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Because of: thematic elements

Rated:

Rachel Verinder (Keeley Hawes) is a wealthy young British socialite whose life is about to be thrown into a passionate and revealing turn of events. Franklin Blake (Greg Wise) is her scapegrace cousin who has taken it upon himself to deliver to her "The Moonstone," a diamond supposedly stolen from the forehead of a Hindu god more than two decades below and bequeathed by her murderous uncle in evil repayment for being shunned by the family. The diamond brings with it danger, which is easily apparent when Franklin is followed in London. On his arrival at the house of his cousin and aunt, both of which seem to take a liking to him, Franklin discovers he is falling in love with Rachel. But a serious turn of events changes their relationship when on her birthday she is given The Moonstone. Her friend Godfrey proposes and is crushed when Rachel turns him down for no apparent reason.

Later that evening, after her birthday dinner, they are entertaining guests when the appearance of Hindu jugglers interrupts the festivities. Rachel, wearing her Moonstone, is hurried inside and the gentlemen fear the jugglers are actually priests out to retrieve the sacred stone and remove anyone who stands in their way. They urge Rachel to place it under lock and key but she childishly refuses and destruction follows in her wake, for the following morning the diamond has been found missing. Franklin calls in a professional detective to look into the matter and his deductions are often startling. Rachel refuses to work with the man and even leaves the manor in protest. The mysterious antics of a suspicious maid, the curiosity of one and all, and the scandal which soon follows engage the viewer in an intriguing and spellbinding mystery.

The house is full of suspects, the quicksand mire is deadly, and the diamond's history sinister. The author of this incredible mystery, Wilkie Collins, was also the creator of The Woman in White and Basil, however I found this film much more to my taste. One cannot only watch it one time as it will intrigue you to the max. The characters are fascinating, the story so full of twists and turns that it leaves you breathless, and the ending perfect. The acting is terrific, the costumes beautiful, and the sets breathtaking. There's not a great deal to be concerned about -- this film was quite clean save for a few uses of "God." There are a couple of brutal scenes shown in flashbacks where the evil uncle kills a priest and steals the Moonstone, as well as an unsettling scene in which a young woman purposely drowns herself in the mire, but it's no worse than a PG film would be.

I watched it with my family, and the room was abuzz with noise as we mounted up clues against one and all and were taken aghast that we never came remotely close to solving the mystery. The Moonstone is not full of deadly circumstances but keeps you captivated anyway.