A couple of months ago I was flipping channels at home and caught him discoursing with a snout-nosed Christina Ricci via a one-sided mirror. Obviously I stayed on and watched. The film, Penelope, has started already by a good fifteen or so minutes but I didn't care. James McAvoy is there. Plus the adorable Christina Ricci. Oh ok, she'll always be the adorable Wednesday Addams, to me.
It's a story about a girl cursed with a pig face and her family's attempts at breaking the curse given to them by an angry, grief-driven old witch. It's quite easy for me to say that now given that yesterday I sat through and finish in less than a couple of hours the book version of the screenplay.
So yes, I really like James McAvoy enough to get the book version of the film so that I would know how it actually started. It also gave me the opportunity to relive the scenes from the flick. Yeah, call the doctors and have me institutionalized right now.
PenelopeMarilyn Kaye
It is a modern-day fairy tale, it says so on the back cover. Penelope became the accursed child of the Wilhern clan by default since she's the only girl born to the family for more than a hundred years. Her great-great-great-grandfather's fault really, for refusing to marry the love of his life, the very pregnant Clara because she's the help. Unfortunately, she's the daughter of a powerful witch who grieved over her daughter's suicide after the rebuke. Hence, the curse: the next female born of the Wilhern clan would have the face of a pig. Only when an aristocrat could accept the pig-girl as she was would the curse be broken.
Tough luck then that the Wilherns produced mainly male heirs until Penelope, in our time, came along. She grew up being told that her face isn't her real face. Hidden from view from the rest of the world, her mother now plans on interviewing young, blue blooded men for her daughter to marry so that the curse could be broken.
It's really a lighthearted, romantic comedy that has a strong, vibrant heart. If you're looking for lessons or is the type looking for morals at the end then you're in luck too. Because seeing Penelope grow into herself, meeting new people after escaping the clutches of her mother's controlling, marriage-focused attitude towards her, and finally accepting herself as she is, all that are a joy to watch. I mean read. Hahaha. Oh and yes, falling in love with the cute James McAvoy, I mean Max Campion, who's not really Max Campion. Ay, the plot thickens!
While the book version is actually based on the screenplay, the actual film is slightly different. Slightly better. Like the part where Penelope had to guess what musical instrument Max plays is quite delightful in the film and that's not on the book. And that's the good thing about translating the written word into visuals; you get to improve on them.
Early this week, while I was about to leave the house I caught Penelope again on Star. Darn it! I still missed the first part, I actually reached the part I've actually seen! Oh well, maybe someday I'd get to see the entire film. And if your cable subscription covers Star Movies, do check out Penelope if you can, you just might enjoy it. I'm just loony enough to read the book version too.
Have I told you guys I have Giles Foden's book The Last King of Scotland as well? This time though, the film was based on the book. Hahaha. And well, I got that not because of James McAvoy. Please believe me.
Oh, no! Now, I have to see Penelope. I probably have to own it. James Macavoy is, in my opinion, the ONLY redeeming feature of Atonement. He is amazing. Such a great actor and he's apparently a nice guy, too. Well, at least, that's what the magazines would have me believe and I'm fine with falling for it, true or not.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I am you at this moment. I have a girly thing for James McAvoy as well *blushes* and I recently watched Penelope and completey fell in love with it. I was itching to buy the book version, but thought better of it because of the semi-book-buying-ban I had at the moment.
ReplyDeleteYou'll love him in Penelope, Bookfool :)
ReplyDeleteHahaha, girly thing indeed, Iris! The film's just lovely, lovely.
I LOOOOVE Penelope! It's one of my favourite movies. :)
ReplyDeleteI really must watch Penelope. I love James McAvoy too :) You have to watch Starter for Ten.
ReplyDeleteI thought Penelope was so sweet! And I kind of preferred her with the pig nose, it was an adorable little pig nose. Plus, apart from all the other reasons it's a lovely movie (*hem* James McAvoy), there's Peter Dinklage! I love his wry delivery. I wish he were in everything.
ReplyDeleteSuch a sweet, lovely movie, Eva. I can see why it's a favorite :)
ReplyDeleteHello, Rhinoa! I've seen that book too! Must see the film as well. I despaired when I saw James McAvoy's work on IMDB and realized I've seen but a handful of his entire work :(
I was thinking of the same thing, Jenny! She was braver with her pig nose and it was her uh, real face (but of course there's a curse)! Peter Dinklage is great and the good thing for me in having the book version is the backstory of his eye patch (since eh, I got introduced to his character handing Max his jacket back). I was a tad disappointed that Richard E. Grant never got as much airtime though :)
Oh my gosh, I luuuurve James McAvoy. Hence, I loved Penelope, too. Kept watching the scene when he finally kissed her the first time. (So you see, if you're institutionalized, I would be, too.)
ReplyDeleteFunny how lots of his movies have a book attached to them. Even Wanted was from a graphic novel.
Thanks for the McAvoy fangirl post.:)
Hello fellow fangirl, Fantaghiro23 :) Goodness, that moment was so kilig, especially the way he was looking at her intensely when he realized he was talking to Penelope! Got to get a copy of the film!
ReplyDeleteYeah, most of his work are based on books. The reason I haven't seen Children of Dune is that I've yet to read any sequels to Dune and that one is the third book from the series! Now I'm doubtful if the vcds would still play, it's quite old!
Like you, I read this book because I loved the movie. [And coughJamescough.] And yes, like you, I found the movie only ever so slightly better. Looking over my review, I said, " lot of the good juju of the movie did not translate that well into the novelization. Take, for example, Max Campion. The exposition was okay enough, but it just wasn’t great. It didn’t got me all grin-like-an-idiot whenever he swaggered into the scene. And the conflict that Max was going through was given so little attention in the novelization." And I stand by that. :] So, yes, movie's better for me.
ReplyDeleteAnd that pig nose is just so adorable.
- Sasha
The movie's better indeed, Sasha. I bought the book, like I said to know what happened at the start :) Plus, there's a small photo of James McAvoy at the back cover :)
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