The life of Beatrix Potter is the most enchanting tale of all.
Directed by Australian director Chris Noonan and starring Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor, Miss Potter tells the magical story of Beatrix Potter's love for her publisher, Norman Warne, and her striving towards an independent life at a time when her expected place in society was as a wife. It praises her talented pen - both as writer and artist - that created the world of Peter Rabbit, Mrs Tiggy-winkle, Jeremy Fisher and friends. It tells the story of a woman whose life was a fascinating mix of professional achievement and private grief; a woman who swum against the tide.
Beatrix Potter was a literary phenomenon of the early 20th Century. At a time when most young women of her class aimed only to make a good marriage, Beatrix became an iconic figure, swimming quietly, but with great fortitude, against the tide. She created a series of books and characters that are as beloved today as they were a hundred years ago, and since their publication they have never been out of print. She was also a distinguished painter and - had she been a man - her botanical drawings would have been snapped up by the Royal Horticultural Society at sew Gardens. In addition, by the time she died in 1943, Beatrix Potter had purchased vast swathes of the Lake District that she left to the National Trust. That so much of this glorious countryside remains as it was in Beatrix Potter's day for others to enjoy, is her bequest to the nation.
This is her story...
Special Agent Matti
Miss Potter is a delightful biography of the author of a series of charming children's books and a cautionary tale of how much life can suck (happiness delayed is happiness wasted - see Brokeback Mountain). It's not as dramatic as the latest Jane Austen biopic (therein lies a tale of circumstances - see Becoming Jane) but it is a lot lovelier. The Lake District scenery is a big help.
This is a good film.
G
88 minutes (1:28 hours)
Film: 25 January 2007
