| Subject: Hatter's Castle; first impressions |
Author:
Eva Danø
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Date Posted: 10:00:31 10/05/06 Thu
A very dark movie, literally as well as in content; reminiscent of a gothic horror story. The role of James Brodie allows Robert Newton to truly showcase the fantastic range of his acting talent. His makeup is a bit excessive; it brings to mind the even more extensive makeup worn by the young Alec Guinness in Oliver Twist.
Brodie is a successful hatter with a huge ego and something of a god-complex, and he brags about being related to the local dignitary, Lord Winton. He bullies everyone relentlessly, including his family and the members of his club. He is a truly despicable person, and not entirely sane.
***** SPOILER! *****
When Mary, Brodie's daughter, calls the town's young physician in to check on Mrs. Brodie, who has been feeling ill, Brodie is furious and all but casts the young man out the door. When Angus, Brodie's son, admits that for once he was not first in his class at school, again Brodie is furious. Brodie's mistress, who works at the pub, asks Brodie to give her "step-brother" a job in the store, so Brodie fires the elderly clerk who has been working for him for twelve years. When the ironmonger who has the shop next door to Brodie's hat shop wants to retire and asks Brodie if he is interested in expanding, he is brutally flung out.
Dennis, the new clerk, is a sneak and a thief. He overhears the conversation between Brodie and the ironmonger, and tells the latter that, for a commission, he can arrange for another business to take over his shop. This prospective new shop owner will be direct competition for Brodie, who up until now has been the only hatter in town.
When Brodie finds out that his daughter has picked up some medicine for Mrs. Brodie from the young doctor, he slaps her and makes her stay home from the ball that she has been looking forward to. Dennis finds out that Mary has been left at home; he brings a bottle of champagne to her house, and sweet talks himself in.
At the ball the ironmonger informs Brodie that his new next door neighnbor will be a big hat company based in Glasgow, and Lord Winton tells Brodie that they are definitely NOT related. During the ball, Mrs. Brodie passes out, and the young doctor, who was called to her side by the hostess, informs Brodie that she is seriously ill and should be taken home immediately.
Meanwhile, Dennis has gotten the naive Mary drunk on champagne, and when Brody and his wife come home unexpectedly, they are forced to hide in Mary's room.
The doctor stops by the house the next day, to ask Mary to marry him, but after what happened the night before, she feels she must turn him down.
Mungo's, the new shop next to Brodie's, has a grand opening. The same day Mary finds out that she is in the family way, and she tells Dennis. At the same time, the banker shows up and tells Brodie that he is behind on paying off the rather large loan he took out to build his house, the "sham castle", as the banker calls it. The snooping Dennis overhears the conversation and realizes that Brodie is broke.
Brodie finds Dennis at his (Brodie's) mistress's place, and a scuffle ensues, during which Dennis hints at Mary's predicament, and a gun Dennis has goes off, strafing Brodie's head. Brodie tells Dennis to leave town that night, or face charges for attempted murder. When Brodie comes home he kicks Mary out in the torrential rainstorm, telling her not to come back. Mary barely makes the train Dennis is on, but when she finds out that he is not going to marry her after all she gets off the train before the bridge. The bridge gives way and the train is wrecked, killing everyone on board.
Without Mary to help, Mrs. Brodie has to do all the housework. The son, Angus, is not allowed to help at all, because Brodie wants him to study so he can win the big scolarship. When Mrs. Brodie cannot keep up the housework, Brodie promises he will get her some help.
The doctor stops by after Brodie leaves for the shop, and Mrs. Brodie tells him that she had a letter from Mary, who hadn't died in the train wreck after all, but is working at a farm. Her baby had died. But Mrs. Brodie had burned the letter to avoid Brodie finding it, and now she cannot remember the name of the village.
The help Brodie promised arrives, but when Mrs. Brodie finds out that it is Brodie's mistress, she decides to move out. She packs her meager belongings, and is on her way out when Brodie comes home. After an argument, Brodie goes into the kitchen for his tea, and Mrs. Brodie collapses on the floor and dies.
Brodie has taken to drinking at his shop, which has gone downhill ever since Mungo's opened up next door. He receives an offer from Mungo's to take over the shop. He refuses, but when even his best customers prefer Mungo's, he finally snaps completely. He starts smashing up his shop, and throws the hats out in the street. The mistress decides that she no longer can put up with him, and she leaves him too.
Now the only one left is the boy, Angus. He feels so pressured to get the scholarship that he gives in to temptation to cheat on the exam. The headmaster catches him out and denies him the chance at the scholarship for that year. Brodie is at home, making dinner, when Angus arrives home. Angus puts the letter from the headmaster down on the kitchen table and goes up to his room. When Brodie reads it, he starts bellowing, and Angus, who is terrified of him, shoots himself.
Brodie now loses the last little bit of his sanity. He blames the house for all the bad things that have been happening, and he sets fire to everything, burning up in the flames himself.
There IS a happy ending though. At Brody's funeral, Mary comes home, and she and the young doctor get together at long last.
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