Cold Comfort Farm (1996)
-
84% of critics liked it
(32 reviews) -
77% of users liked it
(6,673 ratings)
Stella Gibbons' popular novel was published in 1932, and it has been adapted twice for British television, first as a miniseries in 1971, then by director John Schlesinger in 1995. That version proved so popular that it was released to theaters in the U.S. The heroine of Gibbons' story,… More Stella Gibbons' popular novel was published in 1932, and it has been adapted twice for British television, first as a miniseries in 1971, then by director John Schlesinger in 1995. That version proved so popular that it was released to theaters in the U.S. The heroine of Gibbons' story, Flora Poste (Kate Beckinsale), is an aspiring young writer with two needs: material for her first novel, and a cheap place to live and work. A wealthy friend encourages her to take advantage of her country cousins and impose upon them for lodgings. Flora finds Cold Comfort Farm to be a ramshackle affair populated by eccentrics including the imperious Ada Doom (Sheila Burrell), her daughter Judith (Eileen Atkins), Judith's rough but handsome son Seth (Rufus Sewell), and Amos (Ian McKellen), an amateur preacher whose sermonizing seems to release some kind of demons within him. Undaunted by this menagerie, Flora gets to work organizing the household, and she comes to realize that the material for her book is right in front of her. ~ Tom Wiener, Rovi
- Directed By
- John Schlesinger
- Genres
- Art House & International, Comedy
- In Theaters
- May 10, 1996 Wide
- Studio
- Universal Pictures
Critic Reviews
-
Emanuel Levy, Variety
Schelsinger's masterfully directed eccentric satire is based on Stella Gibbons' 1933 book which spoofs the serious, soul-searching, rural-set stories of writers like D.H. Lawrence and Mary Webb.
-
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Too bad that Schlesinger's 1994 satire of British mores and morals, with star turns by Kate Beckinsale and Ian McKellen, never found an audience upon theatrical release.
-
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Sweet, sprightly made-for-British-TV comedy.
-
Widgett Walls, Needcoffee.com
If you're a fan of that subgenre of fiction...then this is worth at least a rental, if not a definite purchase. It's too delightfully sick and too deliciously a sendup to be denied.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Featured Audience Ratings
Also available on
UltraViolet Retailers
Other Retailers
Subscription Services
Cast
-
Kate Beckinsale
as Flora Poste
-
Sheila Burrell
as Ada Doom
-
Eileen Atkins
as Judith Starkadder
-
Ian McKellen
as Amos Starkadder
- Ivan Kaye
-
Rufus Sewell
as Seth Starkadder
-
Stephen Fry
as Mybug
-
Freddie Jones
as Adam Lambsbreath
-
Joanna Lumley
as Mrs. Smiling
-
Miriam Margolyes
as Mrs. Beetle
-
Maria Miles
as Elfine Starkadder
-
Angela Thorne
as Mrs. Hawke-Monitor
