Cast: Robin Wright, Morgan Freeman, Stockard Channing, Brenda Fricker, John Lynch, Geraldine
James, Aisling Corcoran, Jeremy Brett, Britta Smith
Director: Pen Densham
Producers: John Watson, Richard Lewis, Pen Densham
Screenplay: Pen Densham based on the character devised by Daniel Defoe
Cinematography: David Tattersall
Music: Mark Mancina
U.S. Distributor: MGM
Literature purists are likely to have an apoplexy when faced with Pen Densham's Moll Flanders. Very little of Daniel Defoe's novel has survived in Densham's screenplay, with the notable exceptions of the time period, the lead character's name, and a few plot points. However, unlike last year's The Scarlet Letter, this particular free adaptation is not an embarrassment to either the original author or the production team.
The plot reads like something out of a Dickens novel, and the production values rival those displayed in the recent spate of Jane Austen films. Moll Flanders is a much darker story, though, and there is none of the lighthearted romance and wit that marked Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice. Distilled to its essence, this is strict, by-the-book melodrama as told from an interesting viewpoint - - that of a willful, independent heroine. But, especially in its silly, "surprise" ending, the movie rarely takes chances. By remaining on such safe ground, Moll Flanders is good without ever aspiring to be great.
The narrative structure is unnecessarily clumsy. The film opens with the ever-faithful Hibble (Morgan Freeman), a onetime acquaintance of Moll's, rescuing her nine-year old daughter, Flora (delightful newcomer Aisling Corcoran), from an orphanage. While taking Flora on the long trek across the Atlantic Ocean from Europe to America, Hibble relates the mother's story to the daughter. Thus, through flashbacks, we are introduced to the life and times of Moll Flanders.
As a young woman on the streets of London, Moll (Robin Wright) is in desperate need of food and shelter. The red lantern of a whorehouse beckons, and soon Moll is working for the establishment's proprietress, Mrs. Allworthy (Stockard Channing). By respecting a secret that she learns about Hibble, Moll earns the man's friendship and trust. Later, after falling in love with one of her clients, a painter (John Lynch), Moll finds a way out of the bordello.
Though this may sound like the stuff of an historical romance novel, Moll Flanders is actually more substantial than that. 18th century England is a place of violence and disease, both of which are shown in gruesome, and somewhat graphic, detail. As was true of The Horseman on the Roof, we aren't left with pretty illusions about the delights of living during this era. It was a hard time, when women of no means had to resort to prostitution to survive, and epidemics of fatal diseases stalked city streets.
Robin Wright, who was solid in The Playboys and adequate as Jenny in Forrest Gump, turns in an effective, if not affecting, performance. Her Moll is strong but not especially beautiful, and Wright plays her with a backbone. Morgan Freeman's Hibble is perhaps the most interesting, as well as the most underdeveloped, of the main characters. During the film's 122 minute running time, we learn far too little about his background. Stockard Channing brings a measure of sympathy to the nasty Mrs. Allworthy, but John Lynch's artist, the most important figure in Moll's life, is rather bland. Veteran actors Brenda Fricker, Geraldine James, Britta Smith, and the late Jeremy Brett have supporting roles.
Moll Flanders, which has been awaiting distribution for some time, has been released in mid-June as a tonic to the tidal wave of early summer action pictures. Without a doubt, it serves its purpose. For those in search of something more thoughtful and subdued than the nonstop action of Twister and The Rock, Moll Flanders is a worthy alternative.
© 1996 James Berardinelli