WIDOWS' PEAK sails unsteadily through bucolic pictorial, lilting Irish fable, de facto mystery, and finally elaborate caper, before coming to rest sharply on the shoals, its hull in splinters. It's nevertheless a showcase for a fine female cast, many of whom seem thrilled to get a chance
to exercise their craft out of the shadow of male stars.
WIDOWS' PEAK takes its name from a small community overlooking the village of Kilshannon on the Irish coastline. Known for its population of class-conscious widows, the town is presided over by the imperious Mrs. Doyle-Counihan (Joan Plowright). The joker in the pack is Miss O'Hare (Mia Farrow),
a middle-aged spinster of no apparent means, who for some reason is tolerated within these exclusive confines. Enter Mrs. Edwina Broome (Natasha Richardson), a wealthy war widow, desirable, available, and breathily American. She immediately catches the eye of Mrs. Doyle-Counihan's son, Godfrey
(Adrian Dunbar), the only male resident of Widows' Peak.
In spite of her professed desire for privacy, Broome hires the nosy Maddie (Rynagh O'Grady) as her housekeeper. The already uneasy relations between Broome and O'Hare are exacerbated when Broome, out dancing at the pub with Godfrey, scoops the spot prize out from under the nose of O'Hare and her
escort, town dentist Clancy (Jim Broadbent). Before it's settled, a full-scale brawl breaks out. Broome's subsequent attempts to effect a rapprochement are unavailing, and she destroys O'Hare's prize roses in a fit of pique. Then, during a picnic with Godfrey, the emergency brake on her car slips.
The two are nearly run over, just as Miss O'Hare is seen passing along.
These unlikely coincidences quickly escalate into all-out war. O'Hare tells Mrs. Doyle-Counihan that she distrusts everything about Broome, and fears for her safety. During the Kilshannon Regatta, Broome tries to overtake O'Hare's boat, forcing it onto the shoals and gutting its hull. Later in
the day, Broome is recognized by some drunken British sailors. Broome pumps Maddy for Miss O'Hare's deep secret, and learns that she became pregnant 30 years ago by an anonymous soldier. Mrs. Doyle-Counihan convinced her to put the baby up for adoption; in exchange, she was given a free cottage
and admitted into the widows' social circle. Broome anonymously forwards this information to Clancy, who breaks off his relationship with O'Hare.
Furious, O'Hare storms a private wedding dinner for Broome and Godfrey and admits her terrible secret, adding that the baby died sometime after. Then she drops a bombshell: the sailors at the Regatta identified Broome as a prostitute in a French brothel. Broome leaves in disgrace, but claims she
has unfinished business with Miss O'Hare. Soon enough, Broome and O'Hare are seen sailing off together. When their boat is discovered several days later, Miss O'Hare is nowhere to be found, and the townspeople cry murder. Broome is arrested, Doyle-Counihan and the others call for her lynching, and
a tourist industry rises up around the disappearance. But when a town meeting is called to decide a plan of action, Miss O'Hare suddenly resurfaces, and Broome sues the ladies of Widows' Peak for slander. The final kicker sees Miss O'Hare, Clancy, and Broome on a sparkling cruise ship. Broome
turns out to be the long-lost daughter Miss O'Hare put up for adoption; the whole episode was an elaborate ruse designed to punish the prigs up on the hill.
WIDOWS' PEAK is too clever by half, trying the viewer's patience with outlandish plot twists, a wavering tone, and allegiances that come and go like the Irish weather. Whatever pleasure one might derive from Miss O'Hare's revenge is compromised by its severity: even likeable characters (Godfrey,
for instance) are punished just as harshly as the snobbish widows. The acting, however, nearly makes up for the narrative weakness. Joan Plowright has a lock on the pompous bluenose whose very presence cries out for comeuppance; Adrian Dunbar is perfectly befuddled yet charmingly self-effacing;
Natasha Richardson, who deserves a decent vehicle of her own, is suitably sylish and has perfected her American accent. But the film is really Mia Farrow's revenge. Abandoning the standby techniques of her ingenue past as thoroughly as did Faye Dunaway in BARFLY, her practiced realism grounds the
film at every turn. (Violence.) leave a comment