Director: Julian Fellowes, (2/5).
Previously responsible for such thrilling titles as The Young Victoria, Gosford Park and Downton Abbey, writer and director Julien Fellowes delivers his second feature film, From Time to Time. Based upon the novel The Chimneys of Green Knowe by Lucy M. Boston, this film is an emotionally charged yet logically askew period family drama.
The film centres on Tolly (Axe Etel), a thirteen-year old boy, who is shipped off to stay with his estranged grandmother (Maggie Smith) while his mother attempts to locate information regarding his father who has gone missing in WWII. To entertain himself Tolly begins an investigation of his family estate, Greene Knowe, and finds himself suddenly entwined in the lives of his 18th century ancestors. Tolly realises that he can communicate with ghosts and thereby skip between two separate worlds, centuries apart. He witnesses apparitions of events from the house’s darkest days in 1809 and befriends the ghost of his blind relative Susan (Eliza Bennett). Through his interactions with Susan and family history lessons from his grandmother, Tolly unravels a family mystery and deals with his father’s predicament.
From Time to Time is overly sentimental, cheesy, somewhat tiresome and an altogether cheaper version of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Sure, there are some really beautifully captured moments in soft focus and Maggie Smith is dazzling as Tolly’s grandmother, but as far as period drama or children’s films go, it’s bottom-of-the-barrel bad. Perhaps its main problem rests in the presentation of the protagonist’s trajectory. The story focuses upon young characters, but is designed for a mature audience. The only person I would recommend this film to would probably be my grandmother, as the mere mention of period drama and family histories almost causes dear old Gran to have excitement-driven convulsions. Not even the inclusion of veteran actress Dame Maggie Smith could entice me to watch this film ever again.
From Time to Time
