Synopsis
In this adaptation of the satirical British novel, Flora Poste, a plucky London society girl orphaned at age 19, finds a new home with some rough relatives, the Starkadders of Cold Comfort Farm. With a take-charge attitude and some encouragement from her mischievous friend, Mary, Flora changes the Starkadders' lives forever when she settles into their rustic estate, bringing the backward clan up to date and finding inspiration for her novel in the process.
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Cast
- Eileen AtkinsJudith Starkadder
- Kate BeckinsaleFlora Poste
- Sheila BurrellAda Doom
- Stephen FryMybug
- Freddie JonesAdam Lambsbreath
- Joanna LumleyMary Smiling
- Ian McKellenAmos Starkadder
- Miriam MargolyesMrs. Beetle
- Rufus SewellSeth Starkadder
- Ivan KayeReuben Starkadder
Recommendations
- 100
Los Angeles Times
It's been brought to the screen by director John Schlesinger and writer Malcolm Bradbury with such deftness, giving it a life of its own, that it's not necessary for audiences to be familiar with the literature it satirizes. - 90
Washington Post
The filmmakers have done a beautiful job of preserving the satirical snap of Gibbons's original. But the real joy of Cold Comfort Farm is watching these actors play so freely and exuberantly off each other. - 80
Washington Post
Thanks to Schlesinger's exacting direction and Malcolm Bradbury's witty, restrained script, these characters are kept more amusing than horribly pitiable. - 78
Austin Chronicle
Together the cast, the director, and the screenwriter work to make the characters off-centered but realistic, with plenty of room for warmth. - 75
Chicago Sun-Times
The movie, based on the famous comic novel by Stella Gibbons, is dour, eccentric and very funny, and depends on the British gift for treating madness as good common sense. - 75
ReelViews
There's nothing deep or meaningful to be unearthed in this feel-good comedy, but it nevertheless makes for solid entertainment. - 75
San Francisco Examiner
In the attempt to rein in a cast playing a great assortment of exaggerated types, Schlesinger (who directed "Midnight Cowboy" and "Marathon Man" ) and Bradbury sometimes lose the tone of the movie. - 70
The New York Times
Mr. Schlesinger draws lively performances out of his cast and surprising variety out of the film's secondary sights, which range from a gala soiree to a heap of steaming dung.
