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Fallen Angel [2007]


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Nobody is perfect
Review date: 2008-09-16 Rating: 8 out of 10

Fallen Angel (2007) is the story of a woman serial killer, by director David Dury, starring Charles Dance, Emilia Fox and Clare Holman. It is based on the "Roth Trilogy" (2006), by Andrew Taylor, which is a chilly psychological drama about the making of a murderer. The movie is divided into three episodes, each representing one part of Rosemary Byfield's life: from nowadays back to her early childhood. As the movie progresses, so unfolds the story of the Byfield family in the Roth parish, each time a decade earlier. Rosemary's father, countryside vicar David Byfield (Charles Dance), is an ambitious clergyman, with a huge appetite for life (especially for women), whose brilliant theological mind costs him more troubles than satisfaction. Although the acting is beyond reproach - especially the tandem Dance/Fox, which is fascinating to watch - I found Fallen Angel a little disappointing. Dare I say that, once I saw both the entire movie and the behind-the-scenes bonus I am still unsure why Rosemary became the terrible person she became. In the interview of writer Andrew Taylor, we are told very interesting things; for instance that Taylor wanted to give his readers, a feeling of mind-digging, a sort of archeological journey into the sick mind of a female murderer. The trouble is, that knowing that does not really help to understand why Rosemary kills people. Is it because her grandfather was possibly affected by Alzheimer and fearing confinement, was 'helped' by Rosemary in ending his life? She would have then developed a taste for murder. Taylor seems totally convinced that female killers always have a worse behaviour than their male counterparts? Says who? Never mind. One possible explanation - if there is ever to be one - to Rosemary's fate is that, as a child, she was exposed to misinterpreted religious rites (a key scene in the movie, when Rosemary watched her priest father serving the eucharistic wine, and asking "Is it real blood?"), and the bad influence of a revoked lunatic priest, suspected of child abduction, animal tortures and finally murder. But neither Dury, nor the viewer will say if this alone may have been enough to turn a child into a bloody serial killer. Then, Dury suggests that it might have been Rosemary's indirect exposure to her father's sexual life that made her a murderer. At that point, I must say that, not only is this far fetched , but it also sounds preposterous, even by "that time" standards (1990s). Just because one overheards lovemaking noises once in a while, doesn't make one a cold-blooded murderer. Especially, as we discover that the vicar's wiwes are less than sex enthusiasts. Then what? Is Rosemary a genuine fallen angel, one that once stood close to God, but later fell because of something terrible did or thought? Perhaps. At the end of the movie, I must confess that I still do not know the why. On the other hand, Dury is never shy to play with the hows, to the point that Rosemary may very well appear as a catalogue of clinical symptoms, which slowly, but surely produce the disastrous effects that we know. In the first episode, when the Byfield's closest friend, Wendy meets with Rosemary (she is then five-year-old), the girl told her "My name is nobody, because nobody is perfect". Although, I cannot pretend that this is the very key to unlock Rosemary's killer mind, it might be the best clue of the entire movie. As if, becoming a serial killer may have something to do with tragically trying to achieve 'perfection' as an extreme and pathetic way to escape nothingness. Far fetched too? Well, nobody is perfect.

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Reviews


Confusing but brilliant
Review date: 2008-08-12 Rating: 10 out of 10

This is very well made and I like that it feels so dark and uneasy without really going over the top with blood and gore like many others do. The acting is top from all the actors especially Emilia Fox, Clare Holman and the little girl playing young Rosie (she was amazing so hats of to the director for drawing that out of such a young girl).
The only thing Im not so sure about is if you really get the answears to why Rosie became a serial killer... Was it just the fact that she had two personalities or did I just miss the point?
Im still giving it five stars cus I loved the story and it did captivate me but I think Im going to try and get hold of the books and see if Rosie makes a little more sense to me or is that the point? That you cant understand a killer unless you are one? Whatever the point is, this is a well made drama with great acting and Id recomment it to anyone.

Brilliant
Review date: 2007-04-30 Rating: 10 out of 10

This three part film is brilliant. The one setback is the strange dubbing of the character Lucy (Jade) which distracts a little, but other than that there is excellent acting, especially with Rosemary (Emilia) and young Rosie (Tigerlily).
The story takes you from the present, where you meet a cold, calculated mass murderer, and then takes you backwards, first to her teenage years and finally to her childhood.
By the end of the first part I hated her. By the end of the third I wanted to save her. A brilliant look at what makes a person turn into a murderer.

Quite effective
Review date: 2007-03-30 Rating: 10 out of 10

When I first started to watch the first episode I was expecting this to be sick and shocking. However, I was suprised to find this wasn't the case and it gives off more the vibe of being a tense thriller. Although Eddie iniatially helps Angel kidnap Lucy, you actually find yourself growing to sympaphise and like him. All the way along you think this episode will be tragic because Lucy will become Angels victim, but ironically it is Eddie (the one who is in awe of Angel) that becomes the victim. Whats most interesting about this series is that it starts in the present and traces back. To be honest if i was showing this to a friend and would probly start with the last episode that traces to Angel's childhood and trace to the present.
The middle episode showing Angel's teenage years is the best in my opinion as this really builds into the main characters and events. You may well end up understanding how a killer may be made. I think what is clever about this drama is it makes you ask yourself the question- if you had experienced similar events, could you have turned out the same? You may well answer yes. The second episode in particular make me appreciate the difficuties Angel experienced and that if things had turned out differently then she may not have turned bad. Another debate that arises is the nature/nurture argument. I personally think that it is mainly events that make who we are.


interesting, if not a little confusing
Review date: 2007-03-14 Rating: 8 out of 10

I watched this on television this weekend and did enjoy it. The fact that we begin at the end and retrace events back that made this young woman into the murderer she is today is unique and fascinating. I did however feel that there was a certain depthness missing, that there were areas that could have been explored in better detail but weren't. Perhaps the book which this drama is based on goes further into the background of the girl. I also got quite confused trying to piece it all together and have many unanswered questions, as well as the feeling that why she has murderous tendancies were never really explained particulary well. All of this of course could simply be me having a blonde moment and missing the point, and the endless adverts that interupted the story didn't help either, which is why i'l be purchasing this DVD to try and make sense of it all, because it was quite a good watch and had me on the edge of my seat on many occasions!

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Charles Dance
Mark Benton
Clare Holman
Claudie Blakley
Emilia Fox

Creators:
Charles Dance (Primary Contributor)
Emilia Fox (Primary Contributor)
Dave Edwards (Producer)
David Mason (Producer)
Eileen Quinn (Producer)
Ian Rothkerch (Producer)
Jennifer A. Klein (Producer)
Andrew Taylor (Writer)
Peter Ransley (Writer)

Director(s):

Recording label: ITV DVD
Manufacturer: ITV DVD
EAN: 5037115245632
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 3
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2007-03-19
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Theatrical release date: 2007
Language: English (Original Language)

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