MISTRESS OF PARADISE
US, 1981, 100 minutes, Colour.
Genevieve Bujold, Chad Everett, Anthony Andrews, Carolyn Seymour, Olivia Cole, Lelia Goldoni, John Mc Liam.
Directed by Peter Medak.
Mistress of Paradise is Mills and Boon romance in the 19th. century South. It has excellent production values, an interesting cast and director. If it did not have these, it would probably pass as a ludicrous and hothouse imitation of so many other portraits of women tormented in the South - with the touch of Jane Eyre.
Director Peter Medak (Negatives, The Ruling Class) treats the proceedings with melodramatic flair. Genevieve Bujold is attractive as the put-upon heroine. Chad Everett is the ambiguous hero and English actor, Anthony Andrews (Brideshead Revisited, Under the Volcano) has a good old time with his southern accent. There is a lush musical score by John Addison. An oddball entertainment.
1. The impact of the film? The romantic genre? The Deep South, wealth, decay and madness? Violence? The quality of the film? Heightened television melodrama?
2. Period re-creation, colour photography, locations? The North? The South? The musical score?
3. The title ? wealth, romance, sex? Paradise as the decaying in-debt property? The focus on Elizabeth as heroine?
4. The perennial popularity of films about the South? About decaying wealth and families? Madness and violence? The portrait of the American South ? white families. negroes. slavery, morality, social acceptability? Voodoo?
5. The portrait of Elizabeth: her looking after her father. his wealth, the attraction towards Charles Beaufort? Her father's death, her wealth, accepting Charles' proposal, the marriage on the boat? The arrival in Paradise, her settling in, the stranger from outside? Victorine and her power in the house? Charles' ambiguous behaviour, her suspicions? The attentions of Buckley and his jealous alcoholic sister? Trying to cope with the situation? The visit to the brothel and the discovery of the villain. her discussion with the Madam? The confrontation with Buckley? The discovery of the mad wife? The reconciliation with Charles? The echoes of 19th. century novels?
6. The portrait of Charles Beaufort? the Southern gentleman, his presence in the North? Proposal. his being a widower? His suspicious behaviour and the audience knowing about his wife? His going off. the debts. the gambling? His erratic attitudes towards his wife? The power of Victorine? His going to visit the doctor and Elizabeth following him? The friendship with Buckley and his sister? The sister infatuated with Charles? The final resolution ? and his emerging as hero?
7. Buckley and the Southern gentleman, the decayed family. the alcoholic sister and her jealousy? Their widowed sister and attitudes towards her death. their father's death? The film's comment about the decay of Southern families? The professions of love to Elizabeth, accompanying her riding etc.? The attempted rape?
8. Victorine and her devotion to the first Mrs Beaufort, her attitudes towards Elizabeth. power over Charles, her presence in the house, the voodoo? Her devotion to the mad wife?
9. The background of voodoo, the woman with the messages, the voodoo ceremony and Elizabeth's attitude?
10. The mad wife and having Genevieve Bujold play both parts? Confrontation between the two? The death?
11. Colourful and enjoyable melodrama at a very popular level?
