The Thirteenth Tale (2013)
Biographer Margaret Lea travels to the isolated rural mansion of the famous writer Vida Winter, who asks her to write her biography. Although initially she is reluctant, as Vida is known for constantly distorting the facts of her life, Margaret soon becomes fascinated with the story of a dark childhood, a disturbing tale that leads her to finally confront the traumas of her own past.
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This is really one of my favorites I've seen throughout the year of 2013.Cinematography 8/10: The cinematography is beautiful. Most of the shots and standpoints in this film were well done.Characters 7/10: Throughout this film, the characters were well- developed, but not every character was interesting and had no real background.Plot 9/10: This movie had a very good plot, there wasn't any plot holes from my perspective and it was an intriguing ride.Cast 8/10: The cast was well-chosen and all had a very good performance. I've always been a fan of Vanessa Redgrave and this performance of hers as Vida Winter was incredibly well done.Conclusion: This movie is great and I give it an 8.25/10.
Beware - this isn't scary or creepy. The plot is totally implausible, the characters not fully delineated. Evil sister. Good sister. Spare sister. Hackneyed tropes abound, e.g. the ethereal children's voices singing, guess what? - Ring Around the Rosies, that staple of spooky children movies. The scenery and locations are stunning and beautifully filmed. It looks like an expensive production but it's all very much style over substance.Olivia Colman has nothing much to do and so does nothing much. I've never considered Vanessa Redgrave a great actress but I have to give her credit for saying this line with a straight face: 'If you don't tell your stories, they die and come back to haunt you.' I'm tempted to say 'So what?' It's complete nonsense. Just like this drama. Should have stopped at 12.
the presence of Vanessa Redgrave could be a guarantee about this film. but it is more. because it is not only a beautiful film but a wise one. not victim of many easy solutions - useful for many Gothic stories - but delicate and precise, gentle and care to each obstacle. a movie who remembers many old stories. but it has courage to not be only one of them. the key is the intelligent performance of lead actresses. and the spirit of old world - tower of secrets, deaths and the best servants. but the secret remains the clash between feelings, past and future, the limits and shadows of characters as a puzzle. that seems be all. a movie who has not ambition to be remarkable. but it is really good.
'The Thirteenth Tale', a new BBC drama, tells the story of madness in an upper class family. There's a twist in the tale, but finding a way to convey it critically maims the dramatic structure: the story is told, entirely in hindsight, in a way that kills engagement, promoting the mundane story of the telling into the foreground over the potentially more interesting story that's actually being told. One can also note that this is the sort of tale where, however neglected or crazy its young protagonists are supposed to be, they never fail to look anything but ravishing. I found it psychologically unconvincing and essentially dull.