WATCH NOW
My first encounter with Clint Eastwood’s work was not in one of his highly-acclaimed spaghetti westerns, nor the fictional talking mule movie ‘Francis In The Navy.’ It was rather in the 1971 movie ‘The Beguiled,’ which is a convoluted Southern Gothic war drama that unusually crosses the genre boundaries. Directed by Don Siegel, it is on the backdrop of the American Civil War. The movie stars Eastwood who features in Siegel’s more popular work – ‘Dirty Harry,’ that was released in theaters the same year and transformed Hollywood’s cop archetypes.
For a sophomore in high school, ‘The Beguiled’ was quite provocative even if I had the Valley of the Dolls novel that my mother owned somewhere. It is one of the few fully available war-themed films that I managed to watch at my age. The plot revolves around a Union soldier who gets injured, and then offered shelter in a boarding school for girls in the South. He tries to charm the headmistress and as most girls in the academy, only to be outsmarted by them. But this goes south when the devious yank decides to get out of hand and pit them against each other for his ‘affection.’ Assumedly, during the fight, women tend to walk away the victor.
The description of The Keeping Room reminds me of a certain troubling tale from the past. Set towards the end of the American Civil War, two Southern sisters: the stern gun-slinger Augusta, portrayed by Brit Marling, and the moody day-dreamer Louise played by Hailee Steinfeld alongside their female slave Mad (Muna Otaru) are trying to survive on their isolated farm. One day, as Augusta is desperately trying to find medicine, she encounters a sickening sight; a couple of drunken Union soldiers busy with looting, murder, and rape while claiming to act as scouts and scouting for Sherman’s March to the Sea.
Fueled by ruthless desire and a zombie-like focus, headliner Moses (Sam Worthington) with the help of his accomplice, Henry (Kyle Soller), will hunt her down. Considering their previous episodes of extreme violence towards women and humans alike the stage is set for a savage battle of the sexes.
The differences in the two films a lot not just about the condition of the cinema at the time but the condition of the culture. “The Beguiled,” as was made clear in the documentary, was a often whitewashed eccion of sappy prose romance novel and a less enlightened era a giddy grindhouse fantasy brought to life that was, thankfully, accompanied by such great actresses as Geraldine Page and Elizabeth Hartman. If there was a Hollywood feminist diatribe, it was served as an auxilary contribution.
The artsier version of the story is approached by “The Keeping Room” which focuses unwaveringly at the centerpiece of femininity. The movie makes it clear that the destruction caused by war forces us to lose alignment with humanity. British director Daniel Barber has a sobering score. The long gaps of silence, along with the almost deserted nature put the audience on the edge. The first seven minutes of the movie lacks almost all sound except the furious barks of a Doberman clashing with an angry female slave and few harsh gunshots.
“The Keeping Room” treats men as absent. A majority of the female characters in this movie are more interested in staying alive than socializing, and even if they do want to engage with others, it would be with men.
The fact that Mad is on the same level as Augusta speaks volumes, especially when Louise is as stubborn as a mule. It’s also clear that the younger sibling has a touch of Scarlett O’Hara syndrome when she rocks her deceased mother’s gown while defiantly playing dress up. For all of Marling’s affected pioneer spirit and scruffy utilitarian clothes, it is her sisterhood that enables her to bear the trauma of Augusta’s shrunken-vision existence.
Until its mandatory blowup with the soldiers, “The Keeping Room” follows the narrative almost too closely because of the spell it has on them. Then, Barber and screenwriter Julia Hart shatter the enchantment as characters begin to do too much talking. What was effective suggestion became expansive sense. The contributingactors, all of whom do solid work here, make problems worse because, while emulating a Dixie accent, they oftentimes lapse into a bad case of mush mouth.
Into the final credits, a feeling of anticipation indicates the potential of greater insight into the story than what has been revealed thus far. “The Keeping Room” does exceed “The Beguiled” in terms of gender relations and its slow minimalist style. As for the more palatable story however, this older film is really is the one which would manage to get you mesmerized if it comes up on television. A little bit of pulp does help the message go down.
To watch more movies like The Keeping Room visit 123Movies.
Also Watch for more movies like:
