Miss Potter

Plot synopsis:
The story begins with Beatrix Potter nervously packing her portfolio and narrating that she is a London spinster, and that her ambition to become a children's author meets with wide disapproval. She and her chaperone, Miss Wiggin, visit the publishing house of Harold and Fruing Warne, who decide to publish her book. Beatrix is thrilled and returns home, taking a drive through the parks to celebrate first. However, it is revealed the Warne brothers think her book is ridiculous and will no doubt be a failure. The only reason they agreed to publish it is because they promised their younger brother, Norman, a project.
When Norman Warne visits Beatrix, they make decisions about her book regarding size, colour and price. Norman admits he has never done anything like this before but has given her book a great deal of thought. Beatrix realises what Norman's brothers have done regarding him and her, but they become determined to prove them wrong. Norman takes Beatrix to the printer, and she has her drawings reproduced and copies of her book sold. Thrilled, Beatrix and Norman visit the Warne family, where Beatrix meets the wheelchair-bound but lovely Mrs. Warne, and Norman's sister, Amelia, nicknamed "Millie". Millie has decided that she and Beatrix are going to be friends and is overjoyed that Beatrix is a spinster, as is Millie, who believes men to be nothing but bores. The family befriends Beatrix, yet Helen Potter, Beatrix's social-climbing mother, is unhappy about her daughter spending time in the company of 'tradesmen'.
When she returns home, Beatrix and Helen bicker about Beatrix's stubborn decision not to marry. Beatrix reminds her mother of the book she wrote, and her mother retorts she believes the venture will fail. However, the book sales are very successful and copies are displayed in many store windows. Norman encourages Beatrix to submit other stories for publication. Even Beatrix's father, Rupert, buys a copy of one of her books after hearing how his friends at the Reform Club were buying them. Encouraged by this success and her father's support, Beatrix invites Norman and Millie to her family's Christmas party, despite her mother's misgivings. At the party everyone enjoys themselves and Beatrix shows Norman a story she is writing especially for him, "The Rabbits' Christmas Party". She shows him a drawing from the story and shows him her studio where she writes and draws. Miss Wiggin falls asleep from too much brandy (a generous portion of which had been added to her coffee cup by Norman), and Norman plucks up the courage to propose to Beatrix. Mrs. Potter interrupts before Beatrix can reply, and they join the other guests in the drawing room. Beatrix confides in Millie about Norman proposing, and Millie encourages her to say yes. Beatrix then tells the guests of the stories she writes and they are delighted and amused. Mrs. Potter, however, can not see what all the fuss is about. As the guests leave, Beatrix whispers her agreement to marry Norman, who is overjoyed.
Norman visits Rupert Potter at his club to ask his consent, and is dismissed within minutes. At the Potter household, Beatrix and her parents argue about her decision to marry Norman. Beatrix is adamant and will not be dissuaded. Mrs. Potter tells her no Potter can marry into trade, but Beatrix reminds her that her grandfathers were both tradesmen. When Mrs. Potter threatens to cut her daughter off, Beatrix reminds them of her brother, Bertram, who married a wine merchant's daughter and was not disowned. She states she can survive on her own with her books. Mr. Potter attempts to reason with his daughter, but she tells him she wants to be loved and not simply marry someone because he can provide for her.
Beatrix inquires with the bank about her royalty earnings, wondering if she would perhaps someday be able to buy a house in the country. She is amazed and delighted to learn that her book sales have made her wealthy enough to buy several estates and a house in town if she wishes. When she returns home her parents offer a proposition: that Beatrix keep her engagement to Norman a secret and holiday with them in the Lake District for the summer. If she still wishes to marry him at the end of the summer, they agree that they will not object to the marriage. Beatrix agrees to the proposition and is quite convinced that she will not change her mind, telling her parents to prepare for an October wedding.
Norman and Beatrix kiss each other goodbye at the railway station and write many letters during their time apart, until one day a letter arrives from his sister Millie, informing her that Norman is ill. Beatrix travels back to London only to find that Norman has died. Overcome with grief, Beatrix shuts herself up in her room. She turns to her drawing, but discovers that her characters disappear off the page. Millie comes to visit and comfort her, and Beatrix decides she must leave the house.
Beatrix buys a farm in the country in the Lake District and moves there to resume her work. She hires a farmhand to run the farm and finds comfort in her surroundings. With the help of her solicitor, William Heelis, she outbids developers at auctions and buys many other farms and land in the area to preserve nature. Eight years after moving to the Lake District she marries William (to her mother's disapproval). The land she purchased eventually forms part of the Lake District National Park in North West England.

Tags: fantasy, storytelling, flashback

Review:
If like me you are an old curmudgeon, who often makes Scrooge seem like Mother Theresa, then I strongly suggest you go watch this beautiful enchanting film on the life of Beatrix Potter.It is extremely rare in these days of overblown special effects and "Written by Number Scripts" to come across a film that has intelligence, innocence, excellent acting, and beautiful music and cinematography.I have seen other reviews that said Renee Zellwegger was wrong for the role of Potter, but I felt she had clearly understood the nature of the world in which Potter lived and the inner nature of a woman who had enormous talent, yet was determined to fight against the confinement's and mores of Victorian Society.
There really was not one performance by any of the actors in the film that was out of place.In these days when we educate our children with cynical reality shows, in which instant and short lived fame is more important that working hard to achieve your dreams, "Miss Potter" took me back to my childhood of innocence and imagination where simple but beautiful stories created so much warmth and good feeling.This is a film for all age's, and all people.
A Truly Moving Picture "explores the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life." Heartland gave that award to this film.This is the story of Beatrix Potter, the author of many classic illustrated children's stories such as "Peter Rabbit." She was raised in the latter part of the 19th Century in an upper middle class, stuffy family.
My friend and I thought it was such a heart-warming movie, through every scene, we kept wondering, "Wait, when does the climatic bad part happen?" This movie shows the inspiring journey that the successful author of Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter, undergoes.Beatrix loved drawing woodland animals as a girl and telling stories about them to her maid and younger brother.
Her drawings come to life (you see them animated whenever Beatrix looks at them) and are reflections of characters in her own life and feelings.Reoccuring themes such as friendship, anti-marriage in the early 1900s in the views of suffragettes, and attainment of one's dreams.Highly recommended for anyone who's been wanting a poignant, feel-good film.
But as the pair start to fall in love, and the book takes off, the pressure from home threatens to derail her chance of happiness.Before it was even released, Miss Potter was being tagged Oscar Bait by lazy and uninformed movie fans.
Why that is I don't know, since film's like Miss Potter, Seabiscuit, Cinderella Man and Finding Neverland are technically great movies that tell amazingly impacting stories.
Prior to this we are treated to a magical world where Beatrix's creations come to life on the page, only to her you understand, but the impact as she converses with the likes of Peter Rabbit is uplifting and keeps us focused on what great work she achieved in the world of children's books.
While a special mention for Andrew Dunn is due because his cinematography around the Lake District is truly sumptuous.In support of Zellwegger {who was nominated for Golden Globe} is Ewan McGregor {delightful and believable} as love interest Norman Warne, Emily Watson {terrific} as Norman's sister Millie, an early feminist and confidante of Beatrix.
Only the most curmudgeonly won't delight in this tender, inventive movie -- Miss Potter.There aren't many movies that one can recommend to all of his or her friends, but Miss Potter may be the rare exception.It has flair, style, and humanity.Rene Zellwegger -- not everyone's favorite -- only occasionally simpers in her sensitive, forceful performance as writer Beatrix Potter.Ewan McGregor and Emily Watson fit perfectly into their very likable characters.The direction, screenplay, and art direction are all first-rate.
"Miss Potter," based on the life of Beatrix Potter, the best selling author of children's books of all time, is an enchanting film.Directed by Chris Noonan ("Babe") and written by Richard Maltby, Jr., whose theatrical background is no doubt the reason the 94-minute film has such a jaunty pace, "Miss Potter" is not a standard biopic in that it has the ability to appeal to pretty much everyone, with the exception of the very young, which I'll get to in a moment.
So strong, in fact, that we wonder, as do the two gentlemen who agree to produce her work, if Miss Potter (Rene Zellweger) isn't just a little daft.This notion is quickly laid to rest, however, when we see the author, escorted by fledgling publisher Norman Warne (a sedately sweet Ewan McGregor), confidently direct the printing of her works, an endeavor not generally expected of single women in 1902 London, and not deemed acceptable by its society.
Production design (by Martin Childs), which incorporates a color palette that matches Potter's work, and cinematography by Andrew Dunn ("History Boys," "Mrs. Henderson") are elegant but not ostentatious, and are reminiscent of the look of "Finding Neverland," another film set in turn-of-the-century England.In the hundred or so years since Beatrix Potter created her venerated children's series, a lot has changed in the world.
One day, Miss Potter offers her stories to a print house and the rookie publisher Norman Warne (Ewan McGregor) is delighted with her tales and publishes her first children's book.
The successful selling leads Norman to publish two other books and Miss Potter becomes the best friend of his single sister Millie Warne (Emily Watson).
Until the day she receives a letter from Millie explaining what had happened to Norman."Miss Potter" is a beautiful film about the life of the British writer of children's books Helen Beatrix Potter.
There really isn't anything to criticize.Rene Zellweger gives an terrific performance as "Beatrix Potter." She is the second American actor I have heard on screen in the last two months speak with a British accent and do it well enough that I didn't think about it after a short time.
Of course I was very familiar with Beatrix Potter the writer and painter and had read many of her stories to my children in their childhood years.I spent some time working on a project in Barrow-in-Furness and the company put me up in the quaintly named Drunken Duck Hotel in the Lake District.
Apart from Rene Zellweger and her unfortunately pursing and pouting mouth being absolutely the wrong actor for this role, the movie itself did Miss Potter no favours.Beatrix Potter was a well-respected scientist(though not always by the scientific men who thought women should stay in the kitchen and not dabble in such things)who proved that lichens were a symbiotic link between fungus and algae.
Her minute observations of nature were her major interest and she was famous throughout England for her scientific papers on these subjects.Not one hint of this in the movie, or her remarkable personality which lifted her above her peers.Potter and Millie Warne were intelligent "blustockings", women with innovative brains who felt there was a better life than being shackled to a man as his domestic slave and bringing up children (a very revolutionary idea at that time) and yet were portrayed in the film as a bored and boring old maids pretending they did not want to marry because no one suitable had asked them!
Lovely, brooding scenery of the north country and the animation is a nice touch, showing us how real the characters were to Beatrix.But the filmmakers sold the incredible Miss Potter short.And one last curmudgeonly comment: not since the invention of Panstick, which users often applied up to, but not beyond, the jawline, giving them a pink face and a white neck, have I seen such appalling makeup - what were they thinking of?.
Renee was woefully miss cast in the lead, she seems to think playing an English character means pulling stupid faces and speaking in that mannered fashion she used to such nauseating effect in the Bridget Jones movies.
This film is a charming tale of the life of Miss Beatrix Potter and can be enjoyed by people who have an interest in the life of the best loved children's author or those who are just looking for an entertaining and often thought provoking film.With so many of these type of films the film company try to paint the subject matter in a dark light (like the BBC's Enid) but this is not the case in this film.The fact that this was an independent film means that there doesn't have to be lots of big bangs or big dramatic music to illustrate key moments and instead this film tells a simple love story with believable characters and a lovely ending that is refreshing for the audience.An enjoyable film that is perfect viewing for those who want to learn more about the sublime Miss Potter..
Renee Zellweger as Beatrix Potter ,a 32 yr old unmarried woman, is very convincing as someone who loves her work and has no desire or want to be the wife of any man.
"Miss Potter" overcomes this handicap quite wonderfully by concentrating on her relationship with, and engagement to, her publisher Norman Warne to illustrate her personal strength and character  especially her courage.Beatrix Potter grew up in a prosperous London Victorian family and in a world where women of her genteel class were expected to know their place and obey their parents.
Beatrix's gradual emergence as an independent character is well treated in "Miss Potter" with a good use of flashbacks to her early childhood showing her growing love of animals and the natural world.
I was a bit worried at the very beginning of the film that Ms Zellweger was going to give us a sort of Victorian Bridget Jones, but she soon morphed well into the character of Beatrix Potter and was convincing in the role.
The cinematography is excellent  not just in the beautiful Lake District scenes but also in capturing Victorian/Edwardian London.Overall Miss Potter is a splendid, moving, engaging and interesting film.
After viewing this film I was reminded of such actors as Dorothy McGuire, Both Renee and Dorothy are actors that Hollywood needs more of (needed in the case of the late Dorothy McGuire) This movie is not a biography of Beatrix Potter's life, but is somewhere close and a worthy adaptation.
Every performance in this movie was of such quality that it was easy to find myself captivated and released from the everyday realm, as has Beatrix Potter with her works for countless of children and adults since she first self published in the first few years of the 20th century, remembering that her works are still the highest selling children's books of all time, that she personally saved with her own money a large part of the most beautiful English country side and donated that land to the National Trust upon her death, it is only worthy that her life be betrayed with such quality as this film affords..
For the most part, Chris Noonan turns out to be ideal director for this engaging 2006 biopic of renowned children's book author Beatrix Potter ("The Tale of Peter Rabbit") as he has proved to be a master of whimsical touches with 1995's "Babe".
Fortunately, the first-time screenplay by Broadway director Richard Maltby, Jr. contains well-considered dialogue that doesn't get too precious, and Renée Zellweger, dusting off her flawless Brit-speak from "Bridget Jones' Diary", gives one of her most textured and likable performances in the title role.Set in Victorian-era England, the story starts with the begrudging acceptance of Potter's manuscript for Peter Rabbit by the Harold and Fruing Warne, a pair of curmudgeonly brothers running a publishing house.
"Miss Potter," a lukewarm bio-pic about the children's author Beatrix Potter, is so twee and genteel that it threatens to dissolve right off the screen, like a sugar cube tossed into a hot cup of English breakfast tea.This has to go down as one of the most unnecessary movies of all time, since nothing about Potter's life was remotely interesting, or at least it wasn't as portrayed here.
Throw in the magnificent scenery of the Lake District in northern England and one cannot but leave the theater with a broad smile and be the richer for having watched such a superb film.The story of a woman who refused to be constrained and pigeon-holed by a Victorian society that placed huge restraints on, particularly women but in general any person of less than a moneyed class, makes for a strong story painted on an exceedingly beautiful canvas.
Potter's creative drive filled her imaginary friends (all based on pets and animals) with a life that gave her love, endless stories and adventures, and a series of illustrated tales that would become best selling children's books of all time.
The beauty of the Lake District, the charming manners of bygone London society, and the spirited, heartfelt quest of a talented woman wrap and cosset us like a soft warm blanket.At one point, Potter's mother wants to know how on earth she will pay for things if she leaves the family home.
This movie could have had a more serious tone to it, enshrining the genius of the good Beatrix - but that would have perhaps been untrue to the whimsical magic of her stories.Miss Potter is not a historical study of an artist.
I expected the real life story of Miss Potter, but this was still a good movie.
I also would like to comment on the animation that was used for the "magic" drawings...now that was marvelous.Renée Zellweger brought Beatrix's secret story to the screen in this film, which is the first film directed by Chris Noonan since his charming 1995 movie, "Babe." Set in the high summer days of late Victorian and Edwardian England, during which Beatrix publishes her debut book, "The Tale of Peter Rabbit," she becomes a writing celebrity.
Starring Renee Zellweger as Potter and Ewan McGregor as her publisher and then suitor Norman Warne, it was perfect from beginning to end.Its original theatrical release was very limited and I missed it there, but my daughters and I all curled up on the sofa to enjoy it on DVD Friday night and were not disappointed for one moment.
Just think how children in the future will be able to get a sample of the whimsy and talent that Beatrix Potter put to use not only in her wonderful books, but in her lasting legacy of over 4,000 acres of Lake Area beauty that will be preserved forever.The chemistry between Ewan McGregor and Rene Zellweger was just as unique and real as it was in their previous film "Down with Love" which also included both of them singing one of the score's songs together.
Luckily I got to see the movie.The story is based around early 1900, on the true life of Miss Beatrix Potter (Renee Zellweger) who is an upcoming artist with a gift to tell interesting tales of animals through her pencil and water color drawings.
Miss Potter approaches the publishers and meets her love of life Norman Warne (Ewan McGregor).
This film is about the life of Beatrix Potter, who was a famous author of children's books.The portrayal of Beatrix's love for drawing and for animals was remarkable and heartwarming.
A movie that the entire family can enjoy together.Not only does this show how Peter and his fellow animal characters came to be,but it also tells of Miss Potter's concern for the preservation of England's beautiful countryside.Young Beatrix is delightful and unusually independent for late nineteenth century England without being disrespectful to her family and friends.It is fascinating to see how her personality develops as she grows up.An old fashioned jewel of a film that shows that beautiful storytelling and good taste is never out of style.
When Beatrix Potter (Renee Zellweger) says in the film Miss Potter, "There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story," you can anticipate a sentimental but endearing biography of the creator of the Tale of Peter Rabbit.
it a biographical story about beatrix potter, the childrens book writer, come to life through an eminent and fantastic actress renee zellweger.
These are very good and lovely characters, hopefully true to the real people long ago.Actors: Renee Zellwegger (Miss Potter), Ewan McGregor (Norman Wayne) and Emily Watson (Millie Wayne).What happens: A woman walks into an agent's office with a portfolio of illustrations for the book she hopes to have published, "The Tale Of Peter Rabbit".
MISS POTTER is a film that is beautiful to watch, is heartwarming, and shows how a minimal story line can give an inside picture of the life of a famous person without superimposing the brouhaha that Hollywood usually frosts biographies.England 1902 is the time we meet Beatrix Potter (Renée Zellweger), a spinster in her late twenties whose life is centered on her 'friends' - the little animal figures who grace her stories, friends like Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddle Duck, Jeremy Fisher, Tom Kitten, Hunca Munca etc - as she attempts to have her illustrated children's stories published.
Beatrix Potter has become a wealthy woman through her own triumph as a writer and illustrator of children's books and finds restored happiness in securing the fairytale countryside where her 'friends' continue to help her weave tales that remain to this time some of the world's finest stories.The visuals of this film, from the opening sequences of watercolor preparation to the enchanting vistas of the Lake Country, are stunningly beautiful.
I have been a fan of Beatrix Potter for years though I was not brought up on her books, discovering only later in life the delights of her drawings of animals and the Lake District countryside interwoven with the simple magic of her stories.When I read that Renee Zellweger was to play Beatrix I was more than a little apprehensive: the thought of an American actor and a Texan at that playing such a quintessentially English role alarmed me.
But it was great to see a film made on Beatrix Potter and good to see Miss Z invested so much in this English artist and author..