Best friends Upper-Class Julia Thistlewaite (Zawe Ashton) and Preacher's Daughter Selina Dalton (Freida Pinto) have been close friends since meeting as little girls in boarding school many years ago. Julia was at the school based on family standing while Selina attended due to the grace of a benefactor. Their relationship has always been a bit unbalanced. A fact that Julia keeps close to the surface and is always willing to subtly reference. It's England in 1818 this season's most eligible bachelor Mr. Jeremiah Malcom (Sope Dirisu) search for a suitable bride is the talk of Noble society. Scandal hovers in the air of the rumored list of traits his perspective bride must possess. After a failed courtship with Mr. Malcolm that left Julia humiliated in public then later in the press she plots revenge. Recruiting her cousin Lord Cassidy (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) who is also a friend of Mr. Malcom and Selina to act as bait.
Class is the main driver in writer Suzanne Allain's screenplay adaptation of her novel. It's a series of events steeped in manners, rules, and protocols that the nobility have had ingrained in them since birth with the with the deemed worthy lower classes allowed to partake on a limited scale. The commoners having no access unless to serving as footmen or maids. The storyline is in the tradition of the classics with a winding and bumpy road to love and marriage at the centre. Director Emma Holly Jones keeps her lens focused almost exclusively on the main players giving the story a stage play feel.
Freida Pinto is engaging as ever in the role of Selina. She is kind, and thoughtful possessing a strong sense of right from wrong, and willing to speak her mind. Zawe Ashton turn as the conniving Julia is the perfect foil to Selina seemingly the only one that cannot recognize Selina's qualities bring her more regard despite her rural upbringing. The Thistlewaite's main staff footman John (Divian Ladwa) and maid Molly (Sianad Gregory) bring the perspective of the commoners to the piece often with comedic results. Look for Ashley Park as Gertie Covington. She's Selina's cousin twice divorced loud and obnoxious with little or no filter. Just being related to Selina could derail all plans. But when on screen Park is a whirlwind that flips the proceedings upside down.
The George IV pre-reign era is on full display in Mr. Malcom's List. Nobility rule, Military fight, the Gentry conduct business with the Clergy slotting in a notch below but still ahead of the working class. The trapping of wealth is on display from the methods of travel of the nobility, to their luxurious estates to even the bonnets that the women wear. Shot in Ireland the landscapes selected authentically represent the time. The other key elements of the time often categorized as the Regency period witty conversation and acute attention to manners including formal introductions are also key fabrics of the piece. Keep an eye out for the series of Regency Era journal cards sprinkled amongst the end credits. They serve as an epilogue giving nuggets on the fates of several main players.
***1/2 Out of 4.
Mr. Malcolm's List | Emma Holly Jones | Ireland/ U.K./ U.S.A. | 2022 | 117 Minutes.
Tags: Regency Era, Noble Society, Social Season, Courting, Caricature, Revenge, Preacher's Daughter, Fourth Class Society, Caregiver, Dinner Party, Duplicity, Shooting, House Party Dancing, Orangerie, The Corn Laws.
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