THE BEGUILED
Written by: Thomas Cullinan (novel), Albert Maltz and Irene Kamp (original screenplay), Sofia Coppola (screenplay)
Directed by: Sofia Coppola
Starring: Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, and Kirsten Dunst
****SPOILER ALERT****
It’s difficult to review a remake of a film, but if filmmakers are going to do it, the comparisons are going to come. I’m going to start at the end for this review. I left the packed theater of the Sofia Coppola 2017 version of “The Beguiled” feeling confused and somewhat dissatisfied. Having heard such rave reviews, I assumed I was missing something—I 
was and so was the new version. I decided to watch the 1971 Clint Eastwood film to compare. This endeavor filled in all the missing pieces of information; character development in particular. While this older version lacked in stylistic cinematic artistry and suffered from the overblown and typical 1970’s musical overlay, the overall story and character motivations were much clearer and, more importantly, much more interesting.
WATCH THE 1971 VERSION TRAILER HERE
The overall story design remained the same: Set in Virginia during the civil war, a wounded confederate soldier, Corporal John McBurney, is happened upon by a young girl who guides him back to her boarding school to be helped. The women who reside here, comprising all ages and lead by Miss Martha, are all very fearful of Northerners and are attempting to survive during very difficult times. Their Christian upbringing forces them to heal this man before he is turned over to the Confederates to his imminent incarceration and death. As the women get to know him, they become attached, thwarting their initial desire to turn this Union supporter over to the Confederates. However, when the Capt. makes an error of judgement, let’s just say hell hath no fury like that of a woman scorned.
Coppola creates a beautiful yet dark and hazy image of this time period, reflecting, perhaps unintentionally, the unclear character portrayals of not only McBurney (Colin Farrell) , but of the young women at the seminary. She ominously creates the opening scene filled with the feeling of impending doom as the camera follows little Amy (Oona Laurence) from behind, collecting mushrooms in the forest. With the surprise encounter of the soldier, Amy’s good nature is at once revealed as she takes pity on this “Blue Belly” from the enemy side and assists him back to the seminary. Miss Martha (Nicole Kidman) is the no nonsense and resilient leader here. The girls follow her unque
stioningly as many quake in their boots, particularly Miss Edwina (Kirsten Dunst). With the precision of a surgeon, Martha repairs McBurney’s badly injured leg using a little liquor as disinfectant, tweezers, and sewing implements. Regarded as a prisoner, McBurney stays behind a locked door. He is visited by each of these women, all with different personalities and all are quite smitten with this kind and gentle Northern soldier, giving them a new perspective on the “enemy.” The healing process is slow, as is the overall pace of this film, never truly allowing you to get to know any of the characters’ motivations or background. It isn’t until McBurney makes his fateful blunder, temptation getting to the best of him, and then uses intimidation to try to get the women to do as he says, waking us from a peaceful slumber.
While the story is almost identical to the original, it is truly the character development that lacks in this newest version. Farrell portrays a very kind and gentle man until his leg amputation—quite understandably. He is polite, grateful, and gracious with each of the women. Unfortunately, try as he may, he does succumb to the wily ways of Alicia (Elle Fanning). The very name of the film, “The Beguiled,” invokes images of manipulation and deceit, none of which Farrell’s McBurney exhibits. Eastwood’s rendition of McBurney immediately gives a sense of mistrust of him as we see his lies unfold and read his subtle looks as he exploits each of them. He is a con artist of the most ultimate sort, taking advantage of the goodness of others to his advantage. And his use of sexual attraction, tampering with young women’s mental well-being, is truly unforgivable. Kidman’s Martha is a nuanced portrayal of an inflexible yet lonely woman, but there is no indication of her past as is unveiled in the original. The relationship between she and Edwina is also unclear, never truly seeing the pain they each experienced in the not so distant past. Fanning finds a way to be rebellious and antisocial, looking more like a Goth-type character than the original role of a floozie. Together, these woman seem to float around one another, emotions ready to collide and explode, but always softly avoid detonation. The original film allowed us to be privy to each of these women’s hopes and hurt, particularly as it related to their relationships with men, and then devilishly become beguiling themselves.
Coppola’s visual and stylistic story can’t carry the weight of the psychology of the story. The anger and competition among women is never really fulfilled which left me baffled and unfulfilled. And, ironically, no one was beguiled by anyone in the 2017 version. Had the screenwriters stuck more closely to the original script, updating the musical score and cinematic capabilities, “The Beguiled” would have been well-worth remaking.