Brontë Country: Three Famous Sisters (2002)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brontë Country - The Life and Times of Three Famous Sisters: Emily, Anne & Charlotte Brontë is a documentary film which premiered in 2002.

 

Here is some basic information about this film:

 

** Director: Liam Dale

** Narrator: Liam Dale

** Writer: Sue Hosler

** Quotations are read by Fay Davies

** Available on TUBI TV

** Language: English

** Subtitles: English

** Run time: 55 minutes

 

As the title says, this film covers the lives and the times of the three famous Brontë sisters. The members of the family are presented, one by one:

 

** Patrick Brontë – the father

** Maria Branwell – the mother

** Elizabeth Branwell – the aunt

** Charlotte – daughter - author of Jane Eyre

** Emily – daughter - author of Wuthering Heights

** Anne – daughter - author of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

** Branwell – son

 

Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-1865) is mentioned as an important source of information about the Brontë family. She is presented as an author and a friend of Charlotte, but there is no additional information about this person.

 

The Brontë family, who lived in a small village in Yorkshire, had to face many problems:

 

** There was cholera in the village where they lived

** There was tuberculosis and typhus in the school where the daughters were sent to study

 

The son Branwell did not have a good life. He drank himself to death.

 

The three sisters were prolific writers. Each sister was able to produce one best seller. But they did not enjoy a long life. All three died at a young age.

 

The father Patrick outlived not only his wife but also all his children.

 

What do reviewers say about this film?

 

On Amazon there are at the moment six ratings, four with reviews. The average rating is 4.7 stars, which corresponds to a rating of 94 percent.

 

This rating is, in my opinion, far too high.

Why do I say this?

What is wrong?

 

This film has several flaws:

 

# 1. Liam Dale is not only the director; he is also the narrator. Choosing himself to be the narrator was not a wise decision. It is not a pleasure to listen to his voice. And he talks a lot!

 

# 2. Sue Hosler’s script is written in a dry and pompous style, which feels very old-fashioned.

 

# 3. The music which is used in scenes where the camera shows the Yorkshire landscape is not well-chosen.

 

# 4. As stated above, Elizabeth Gaskell is mentioned as an important source of information about the family, but there is no additional information about this person.

 

# 5. Ellen Nussey (1817-1897), who was a lifelong friend of Charlotte and eventually also a friend of Emily and Anne, is never mentioned.

 

In this film, the lives and the times of the three famous sisters are presented in great detail. What we are told here is, as far as I know, true. Unfortunately, the presentation of the topic is far from successful.

 

This film is not great. It is not even good. It is average. This is why it cannot get more than a rating of three stars (60 percent).

 

REFERENCES

 

# 1. Books

 

The Brontë Myth by Lucasta Miller (2004) (2005)

 

The Brontë Sisters: The Brief Lives of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne by Catherine Reef (2012) (2015)

The Brontë Sisters: Life, Loss & Literature by Catherine Rayner (2018)

 

# 2. Historical dramas

 

To Walk Invisible: The Lives of the Brontë Sisters

(2016)

 

Emily

(2022)

 

*****

 

The Brontë Sisters

The Brief Lives of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne

by Catherine Reef

(2012) (2015)

*****

The Brontë Sisters:

Life, Loss & Literature

by Catherine Rayner

(2018)

*****