Lorna Doone (2001)

Lorna Doone still reads well. Yes, it is very much a product of the era it was written in, but the story still works well - the central romance beset by the problem of Lorna's situation within the Doones, enhanced by the texturing of the main plot interlacing with the many subplots.But if you read it, you get a very strong picture of John Ridd as the archetypical gentle giant. With all due respect to Richard Coyle, he doesn't have the physical presence I expect from John Ridd. This piece of central casting is then compounded further by the casting of Aiden Gillen as Carver Doone. Carver Doone is big and dark, in every sense of both words. Gillen is effete and peevish. Evil, certainly, but without ever making me think he was physically Carver. Both men act well, albeit Carver should be more brooding and less hissy: I suspect that this is direction, though.The child actors playing young John and young Lorna aren't very good. America turns up fabulous child actors all over the place, England can't find them anywhere.The rest of the cast is fine: Amelia Warner as Lorna is gorgeous and does the best she can with a character which is underwritten in the novel, and Martin Clunes is a surprising but effective Jeremy Stickles.The piece looks gorgeous, although I was surprised to find the climactic bog in a forest instead of on the moors.Addendum: I have just rewatched this, and boy is Aidan Gillen miscast. Yes, he is evil, but his Carver is petulant, peevish and bad tempered, not thunderous and malevolent.

The scenery and photography are stunning.The casting and acting are both first-rate.Some elements of the book have been omitted from the film, but nothing essential has been left out.Very fast paced. There is a fair amount of violence, but no gratuitous violence.A few elements of the story are a bit unrealistic, e.g., it is hard to believe that Baron de Whithouse's son would risk his life for the Doones, but this seems rather minor.In summary, a first-rate piece of historical fiction.

This particular version of Lorna Doone begins on a grand and exciting historical scale and quickly spirals downward into an average star crossed lovers tale in which a pretty boy...who can't speak or act...for reasons not be known in the script... falls in love with a pretty girl...who can't speak or act. They meet by accident and then in secret without any of the intensity that such a love would usually entail. They smile at each other a lot and run around a spectacular Whales country side while epic music plays in the background. There are a few good battle scenes...some rather beautiful but astonishing costuming...some off the wall wonderful but inaccurate hair styles for men...think Samurai warrior meets Middle Earth...some great acting from a few minor characters and Peter Vaughan...who unfortunately...for the viewer...but happily for him...dies about half way into the story. This movie won awards for photography and visual effects which is the reason I wanted to see it but the script lacked grit and believability. Not up to the usual BBC standards...did they collaborate with Touchstone or something?

Lorna Doone is a BBC film of the novel by Richard Blackmore. It shows the beautiful relations between two young lovers in the middle of a feud. It takes place in the 1600s when there was much fighting between the catholics and protestants in England. The Doones were murderers and thieves and attacked and killed John's father. He decides to get revenge. John meets a girl that he saw in his childhood. She is a Doone hiding from a man named Carver who wants to make her his wife. He was the man that killed John's father. Despite the dirty tricks of the Doones and the temporary bewilderment of the divided royal authorities, the two sweethearts live happily together in the end.