39 | Ceres Magazine | Oct/Nov 2015
Directed by Guillermo del Toro and written by del Toro and Matthew Robbins, the film stars Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, Charlie Hunnam, and Jim Beaver. Produced by Legendary Pictures and distributed by Universal Pictures, Crimson Peak was released on October 16, 2015.
For my film review, I picked this recent movie, which is better suited for a Halloween theme than one on the Romantic Era. However, far from inappropriate—though the story takes place around the turn of the 20's century or about 40 years after romanticism has ended—this choice is not without its reason.
For one, the ravishing and ornate décor and the gorgeous lighting palette make the movie an unforgettable visual treat. To me, del Toro compares to a 3-dimensional painter, and I am guilty as charged for having fallen for the sumptuous and carefully composed photography. Cast at me the first stone if I’m the only one, when too many movies, nowadays, have neither good plots, nor good production design, and very often not even good actors to save the day, and they still make the box-office! Yes, Crimson Peak’s ghost story disappoints, to say the least, and doesn't scare. But I was willing to play along! So, I let the obvious illogical story faults go by, and focused on the visual sensory delight.
The photography, along with the sets and the costumes, work well together to mesmerize the audience, transporting it into a world that borders reality and imaginary. The time period is well depicted with the heroine’s father’s office, city and home, while the dilapidated mansion is out of this world. The sublime camerawork proves, once again, that del Toro is a film virtuoso, in control of his remarkable techniques. However, when it comes to story-telling, not so much. Here, he lacks in logic what he makes up in cinematography. Though, many of his previous movies were story-jewels, such as Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), to name only one, Crimson Peak gathers inconsistencies and sometimes gets too close to ridicule. But again, I am totally willing to forgive del Toro for some of the nonsense when I can appreciate the meticulous work of art he introduces in his movies. Maybe it’s just me!
Still, this “semi-ghost/love” story is a sloppy pastiche of the black widow, the shameful incestuous relationship, and revenge from beyond all rolled up into a gigantic “sinking” (the house is actually sinking in crimson clay) haunted house
Crimson Peak
by Al Mohymont
43 | Ceres Magazine | Spring 2016