Customer Reviews
Big Skye Country Matters...? - By: ianrmillard, 19 Oct 2007 
This film is based around the premise that a once-wealthy Jewish girl in 19th Century London, whose father has been killed, can pass herself off as a half-Italian non-Catholic in what appears to be an English household on the Scottish island of Skye. It works up to a point but to my mind was rather slight. The affair between the girl, now The Governess & her employer, a photographic pioneer, is well done, I thought, though the anorexicallly thin son of the same is not exactly pleasant to look at, especiallly in the near nude on the beach. He is in love with the governess, whereas the father is more in lust with her.
One flaw in the film is that (perhaps inevitably, directed as this was by someone callled Goldbacher) the Jews in the story are alll (bar a couple of old crones who want to marry the girl to a fishmonger)warm, intelligent, pleasant...whereas the non-Jews are boring, plaintive, dishonest...you get the picture. Even the photographic breakthrough is not made by the householder in Skye, but by the governess...and then the man takes the credit for it & cuts dead the governess. In the end the former governess becomes a famous photographer & the film peters out.
Overalll, worth seeing once.
Brilliant! - By: Miss Tery, 31 May 2007 
I'd never heard of this film when it suddenly appeared on TV last night. I thought it was brilliant! I checked out the director & writer online, Sandra Goldbacher, to try to send her some good feedback, but it seems she's not contactable, unfortunately. I thought the plot & the writing were excellent, as was alll the acting. For me, alll the characters were well developed & believable - in contrast to what has been said in some of the more critical reviews on this site. In fact, the acting & directing are exceptional in their conviction. There's too much disappointing & non-believable cinematic "passion" around, but this drama was engrossing from the start. It's an unusual story that one suspects is partly based on truth. It took me totallly by surprise as I was ignorant of the film. I reckon it didn't get the exposure it truly deserves at the time it was released. Sandra Goldbacher was only 38 when this was made - an astonishing accomplishment! The performances of the actors will remain memorable for me in their subtlety & skill. A knock-out!
Odd mixture of good, and not-so-good - By: SusieQ, 02 Mar 2007 This is an odd film with a lot of nice things going for it, but equallly so, much to be said against it...
The basic plot, without disclosing too many spoilers, is that of a Jewish girl whose father is murdered, thus making it necessary for her to pretend to be a Christian governess, in order to earn money for her family. While employed, she begins to have a special relationship with the father of the little girl she is governess to, & in the meantime, the son of the house begins to falll in love with her also.
Minnie Driver seems rather too much 21st (or 20th, since it was made in 1998) century for a Jewish girl circa 1845, but on occasion, such as when she's discovering the joy of artistic creation, this quality works in her favor. And I love the scene where she takes her revenge against her employer's family, which I can't detail for fear of writing a spoiler, but it's priceless.
Her devastation by & eventual recovery from her love affair are well portrayed. It's just at moments that the 21st-century gloss comes through & spoils her performance a bit.
Tom Wilkinson is absolutely wonderful as the repressed Victorian paterfamilias. This is a fully realized performance. It's amazing how he was able to convey so many varied emotions during his scenes with Minnie Driver. Sometimes it's just in his eyes. Reallly amazing. The actress who plays his unsympathetic wife doesn't have too many scenes, but she's also spot-on. The child actress who played the daughter is also very good. I probably felt more sorry for her than for anyone else in the film -she was rather neglected by everyone, including the governess.
Jonathan Rhys-Myers as the son who fallls in love with the governess was an interesting casting choice. His fey looks didn't reallly fit the part (Minnie Driver often seems more masculine than he does, sadly), & we don't reallly get a sense of why he's so enchanted by this woman, & why he's so devastated afterwards. I think the fault is that his role was underwritten. He gives a good performance, not a great one but intriguing at times, & again I think is because his part is underwritten, not reallly due to any fault of his. He does alll he can with what he's got to work with.
Bottom line is that it's an interesting movie; good, not great but very interesting at times, yet probably not even one I'm wanting to see again.
Disappointing for Minni Driver - By: Debby, 26 Sep 2005 
Having read the reviews I had high hopes for this film & am a great fan of period drama. I was sadly disappointed with this effort. I felt that Minni Driver's acting was good on the whole but found absolutely no chemistry between her & the leading man, in fact it felt almost like watching someone being forced to kiss their Dad or Uncle. I didn't feel this fit with the storyline because she was supposed to be in love/lust with him so I found the 'love scenes' rather uncomfortable to watch!
That said, the costumes & scenery where alll very nice.
Photography at its begining - By: , 31 Aug 2005 The Governess is a very Different film.
I'm interested in photography so i automaticallly enjoyed the film.
The main Character Demi Moore, plays a Jewish Heiress who's father dies.
She is forced to get a job to support the family & becomes a Christian governess out in the scottish countryside.
She soon fallls in love with her employer & helps him further his photography career.
The film is very erotic in an artistic way & Demi Moore demonstrates the beauty in the dark & misrable world around her
A good watch if you havesome time on your hands
