I Capture The Castle (2003)

 

My Thoughts on "I Capture The Castle" (2003) 

I recently had the pleasure of watching "I Capture The Castle," (2003) and it truly transported me back to when my husband and I had the pleasure of visiting the English Countryside. The beauty of the English Countryside words cannot express. There's something charming about this film that just draws you in from the very first scene. It feels like a warm, comforting hug, with a few emotional jabs here and there.

I enjoy movies that don’t show perfect families. Perfect families and people do not exist and in my personal opinion create unrealistic expectations.  That no one is able to live up to.  

The story, revolves around the eccentric Mortmain family, struggling to make ends meet in a crumbling English castle. Our narrator, Cassandra Mortmain, keeps a diary, documenting their peculiar lives, the arrival of new, wealthy American landlords, and the romantic entanglements that ensue. What I loved most about the movie is how it manages to be both warm and a feeling of home. Yet, it also captures that awkward, yearning period of adolescence so perfectly.

Cassandra is my favorite character. She is a young woman growing and becoming her own person. The character is shy and sheltered, socially awkward and yet somehow manages to find love in the end. She is me. Cassandra is innocent and smart, yet also, mischievous and stronger than she knows. As she narrates for us reading her diary I felt I was truly apart of her life. She is letting me in on heartbreak and love, yearning and longing. She grows up in the shadow of her older beautiful sister Rose Mortmain.  Feeling as if her sister is the only way that they will overcome poverty.

In a way I slightly felt connected to Cassandra in this way.  My older sister was beautiful, popular, and well liked.  I felt in ways that she was better than me.  Ultimately creating a slight jealousy and resentment towards her for many years.  Over time of course as I grew into adulthood we grew closer.   Now she is my best friend and I love her dearly.  I realize now that I am blessed to have her in my life.

Cassandra brings us on a journey through her life as as she keeps her diary about her unusual family. Her father James Mortmain is a brilliant writer. Failing to accomplish a second novel that is greater than the first novel he has written. He is eccentric and selfish leading his family into poverty. While her stepmother Topaz Mortain is eccentric and artistic in the strangest ways.

The chemistry between Cassandra and the two American brothers, Simon and Neil, is also very well done, creating those classic romantic dilemmas that are so central to the narrative. You find yourself rooting for different pairings at various points, which is a testament to the actors' abilities to make their characters relatable.

Visually, the film is stunning. The castle itself, with its ivy-clad walls and slightly dilapidated, and becomes a character in its own right. The English countryside is stunning, and the period costumes are just lovely. The pacing feels gentle, allowing you to immerse yourself fully in Cassandra's world without feeling rushed.

Overall, "I Capture The Castle" is a charming, heartfelt period drama that sticks with you. It's a coming-of-age tale wrapped in romance and sprinkled with eccentric characters. I found myself smiling throughout, and even shedding a tear or two. If you're looking for a delightful escape into a bygone era, I highly recommend giving this one a watch.