Under the Greenwood Tree (2005)
Reviewer:
Rissi C.
On a cold Christmas Eve night, Miss Fancy Day (Keeley Hawes) arrives in the small village of Mellstock. Having been raised a country girl, she was sent away by her father Geoffrey (Tom Georgeson) to be properly educated. Now grown up and raised with the best manners and a high education, Fancy is only the second person to live in the village who has had a proper upbringing. The first is Parson Maybold (Ben Miles), who arranged for Fancy to come and begin teaching the children of the village. Brought up a simple country boy of the town carrier, Dick Dewy (James Murray) has lived in Mellstock all his life and while out caroling for Christmas, he sets his eyes on Miss Day and is enchanted from that moment on. As time passes, Dick and Fancy become friends, but that changes after a simple kiss. Fancy then begins to avoid Dick, knowing her father wants her to marry well. She receives the richest man of the town Farmer Shiner (Steve Pemberton), a bumbling, simple man who is kind underneath his faults.
Fancy settles into a routine of caring for her ill father and teaching,
while becoming part of town controversy after Parson Maybold enlists her to
play their new harmonium, thereby doing away with the choir that has been
providing the music for many years.
Needless to say, it wasn't a mistake to add this period romance to my
collection.
The acting was first-rate. Keeley Hawes is really quite lovely and wonderfully brilliant. She has a way of bringing so much life and energy to the screen. Tom Georgeson was fantastic and nice to see standing up for things on occasion, unlike his character in Bleak House. Id never seen James Murray in anything before this, but hope to see him in more costume dramas; his portrayal of the smitten Dick was great. His instant attraction to Fancy is well played between both of them and really comes off on screen as such; making it very believable that they are in love. All the supporting cast is notable; there really wasn't a bad job in the bunch. Parson Maybold's character does bring to mind the raged schoolteacher Bradley Headstone from Our Mutual Friend, but you can stand this character much better. In my last viewing another thing more noticed was the music; it was very beautiful. From the Christmas songs to the overall score, it was pleasant to listen to; always fitting and setting the tone for the scene.
The only two minor things mentioning come when Fancy and Dick are seen alone together kissing. The town gossips about it and Fancy's father reprimands her, asking if she knows what people are saying, to which she replies nothing happened." The other is that the Deweys make a cider press and the men get drunk before going to church. Fancy and Dick flirt on a few occasions, but nothing ever comes of it, nor is anything implied. One of the cutest scenes comes when Fancy learns of something Dick did for her family and she happens upon him while he's collecting clams; it was quite sweet and romantic. Under the Greenwood Tree is a charming period piece with a fairy-tale feel that I don't regret having added to my collection of favorites. Its hour and a half runtime is shorter than most of its genre, but it never seems overly short. If you enjoy this charming drama with a manageable runtime, I would also recommend the new release Miss Potter. Its another adorable costume film that is fairly short and still will satisfy your need for something without the long runtime.