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ACTOR
Ioan GruffuddDakota Blue RichardsTim CurryJuliet Stevenson
DIRECTOR
Gabor Csupo
SYNOPSICS
The Secret of Moonacre (2008) is a English movie. Gabor Csupo has directed this movie. Ioan Gruffudd,Dakota Blue Richards,Tim Curry,Juliet Stevenson are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2008. The Secret of Moonacre (2008) is considered one of the best Adventure,Family,Fantasy,Romance movie in India and around the world.
Thirteen-year-old Maria Merryweather (Dakota Blue Richards) discovers that she is the only hope for banishing an ancient curse from a magical kingdom in Director Gabor Csupo's adaptation of author Elizabeth Goudge's 1946 children's book "The Little White Horse".
The Secret of Moonacre (2008) Trailers
Same Actors
Same Director
The Secret of Moonacre (2008) Reviews
Poor in terms of story
Imagine, if you will, the Story Warehouse. This is where storytellers collect the various bits and pieces which they then assemble into stories. We go past the Romance and Horror sections and arrive at Magic, where we find the shelves fairly empty. Some items are always in stock - you can always pick up Orphaned Child Sent To Live In Run-Down Old House Where Strange Things Happen With No Explanation, for instance, and there's never any shortage of Slightly Sinister Patriarch Figure Who Flies Into Rage For No Good Reason And Won't Answer Questions, or Quirky Manservant With Fantastic Abilities (I'll take two, please). The Magic Lions section was pretty much cleaned out by CS Lewis for the Narnia stories, of course, although it appears that he didn't have much call for Magic Lion (Black Fur) or Magic Lion (Disguised As Big Dog). And that is the problem with The Secret Of Moonacre - the story has a strong feeling of having been cobbled together from bits and pieces, and those bits and pieces are either overly familiar - Ioan Gruffud's mysterious bad-tempered uncle is no stranger - or else simply not very good (clearly a great deal was left on the Moon shelves - we have Moon Pearls, Moon Princesses, Moonacre itself, the Moon coming down to destroy everything). Much which needs explaining is never explained, and the bits of the story simply don't fit very well together. It's as if by combining the legs from a flat-pack table and the carcase from a flat-pack kitchen unit you can make a sideboard. Well, yes, but I don't think I'd want it in my living room. And this is a shame, because the look of the film is fine, as is Dakota Blue Richards. Gruffud and Tim Curry both deliver their cliché characters perfectly adequately, Juliet Stephenson is given a comedy nanny to play with rather uncomfortably, and Natasha McElhone looks wonderful and acts, at times, embarrassingly badly (she delivers a curse with a complete absence of menace, for instance. Clearly, cheekbones on their own are not enough). I sometimes wonder why film producers still don't seem to understand that a solid story and script is the starting point for a successful movie.
Well worth watching for the costumes and the sets!
First of all, I am 17 and I absolutely love the book "The Little White Horse" by Elizabeth Goudge, with its beautiful imagery, memorable characters and above all its magical story, and I do agree the book is better than the film in many ways. In fact, the Little White Horse is probably my favourite book of all time. I think the film Secret of Moonacre is a beautiful film, that unfortunately is undermined by one or two problems with the story, and doesn't quite capture the magic of the book. The film looks absolutely exquisite, with those gorgeous costumes and the lovely sets with the huge menacing moon. The music by Christian Henson is gorgeous and very fitting with the scenery. Gabor Csupo, the director of Bridge of Tarabithia, which is admittedly better, obviously has an eye for art, as he used to be an animator. Other directors that have directed visually stunning fantasy films are Ridley Scott with Legend and Guillermo Del Torro with Pan's Labyrinth.(which is the best foreign language film I have ever seen) Whoever trained the animals, must be told he/she did a truly remarkable job. The acting is very good, an obvious standout is Dakota Blue Richards of Golden Compass fame in a strong central performance as the protagonist Maria Merryweather. Juliet Stevenson and Andy Linden provide the comedy, with the jokes about indigestion, and whizzing quickly around the kitchen. Tim Curry brings a touch of melancholy to an otherwise menacing and complex character, and it made a difference after seeing Curry in over the top roles such as FrankNFurter and Wadsworth. Though, if anything, I wish Curry had more screen time. Natasha McElhone looked lovely as Loveday, with a lovely face that sometimes defies her when she is cursing for instance. Though I will confess I wasn't entirely convinced by Ioan Gruffodd as Sir Benjamin. In the book Sir Benjamin is fat with three chins, which is a far cry from the gorgeous Gruffodd. I am not saying he was bad, he wasn't. He was very brooding at times, but other times when he looked uncomfortable. That I can understand, because since I have participated in operas with similar costumes,(like the Magic Flute) I do know from experience they can be very uncomfortable to wear. The story I do agree takes a while to get going, but the book takes one or two chapters to explain the story, which isn't a problem as it is called character development. The basics are all there, the Moon Princess, the pearls and the battle of good and evil, but a lot was changed from the book, and one or two of the characters were changed, and others like Old Parson were left out entirely. I was prepared for a lot of changes when I saw this film (they do it all the time), and although I was fine with most of them, I was annoyed that Maria and Robin's relationship from the book was virtually eliminated, as that was one of the book's main merits. The ending was a bit rushed, I am putting a huge emphasis on the bit, but I liked the underwater sequence very much. All in all, a flawed but hugely enjoyable film (not the best fantasy I have ever seen but a solid attempt) that is well worth watching for the visuals. 8/10 Bethany Cox
Must-watch for any fairy tale and fantasy maniac!
Firstly, I haven't read the book. In a way it works for my advantage allowing me to criticize the movie solely based on what was presented there and not be distracted by what was left out compared to book etc. I can think of two kinds of fairy tales: one is the kind you love when you're 7 but think it utterly stupid and childish when you're 30; the other type is the kind you find magical no matter how old you are. This movie here could've easily belonged to the first group but turned out to be something more valuable. The bicycle has been invented and now it's all about how you do it, not what you do. The whole movie in its being is one big cliché, BUT they have successfully managed to turn that weakness into a strong point. This could've easily been a cheesy Raspberry candidate and I am very picky about my fairy tales and fantasy and I was not disappointed. Several aspects made the story believable, starting from the level of acting and ending with props. When it comes to acting, the weakest link in the bunch was Natascha McElhone, who didn't always seem to be in it as much as the others (e.g the cursing part, people seem to agree on that part mostly). I was thoroughly impressed by Ioan Gruffudd, going from cold to heartbroken definitely moved my cruel heart. The milieu and the special effects were outstanding. No Lord of the Rings, don't get me wrong, but there was no half-hearted effort in that area. The Moonacre Manor and the many other scenes were picturesque and the costumes far-enough-out-of-the-box creative, mixing the traditional with a modern touch in perfect balance. All in all, I was left feeling satisfied and enriched and I reckon this movie deserves a rating above 7 of 10 the least, for it certainly wasn't a mediocre experience.
A lovely fantasy adventure film.
The Secret of Moonacre is a beautifully constructed fantasy adventure film. I would describe it as rather charming with a sense of childlike playfulness. While it may not be made on a very big budget, they make do with what they have. The sets are interesting, the costumes are beautiful and there is a decent amount of shiny pretty special effects. While it may not be fast-paced it does continue on at a steady pace with a lovely storyline. It may seem similar to other fairy tales but the execution is what makes this movie special. Try to enjoy this one for what it is. It doesn't proclaim to offer you anything more than a lovely little movie set in a fantasy land and that is what it delivers.
Lovely to look at but something missing
I went to the European premiere on Sunday when the film was shown as part of the London Film Festival. Some of the cast were there, also the director and producers who spoke before the screening. I have read the book, The Little White Horse, many times, but was prepared for a lot of changes from the book. I don't think it's really a spoiler to say that the character of Sir Benjamin is VERY different in the film! And there are many characters omitted, including Old Parson. I enjoyed the film - it is absolutely gorgeous to look at - the costumes, the sets, the cinematography - all beautiful and lush. Ioan Gruffedd a bit wooden but all he really has to do for most of the film is look brooding. Juliet Stevenson gets nearly all the comedy. Tim Curry only has to phone in a performance. Dakota thingummy is surprisingly good (I have a prejudice against child actors). She's fine. Most of the film works quite well but I would have liked more scope for some of the characters to develop. You barely see any relationship development between Maria and Robin - they only really meet about twice. The ending was a little abrupt - I would have liked just five minutes more to develop the happy ending a little further, perhaps back at Moonacre Manor. An enjoyable film but doesn't quite hit the mark. I would watch it again just for how lovely it is to look at, not for the plot or the characters.