THE CHAPERONE PBS MOVIE
THE CHAPERONE PBS FREE

Performances by the endearing McGovern, who is around twenty years older than the book's character, and the cheeky Richardson are solid and admirable, but they can't overcome a sense that the script feels pat and obvious, relying on both a metaphorical and a real restrictive corset to remind us how repressed women of the time were.

THE CHAPERONE PBS MOVIE

Twists and turns of this movie are alternately predictable and engaging, but for the most part the story seems a bit too timid and neatly tied up to pack the emotional punch it might have had. In contrast, Louise is so unrestrained, her freedom may end up harming her in a society not yet ready for her. Together these disappointments lead her to take charge of her life. Flashbacks to a trauma in Norma's marriage make it clear that she remains sexually unfulfilled. When she works around the obstacles and finds her mother, she's faced with the hypocrisy created by more rules that hold women back. Norma was adopted in New York and though she eagerly tries to find out who her parents were, the nuns at her orphanage refuse access to her records. Norma is a prohibitionist and Louise mischievously sneaks out to get drunk at a speakeasy.

THE CHAPERONE PBS FREE

Although Norma admires Louise's talent and supports her breaking free of certain restraints, they're still at odds.

Norma is so starchy she can't even imagine that Louise's candy has already been 'unwrapped' and that the girl cares not at all about her prospects for marriage, a form of voluntary bondage in her view. 'Men don't like candy that's been unwrapped,' Norma advises the bemused Louise. Predictably, Louise feels constrained by the corseted Presbyterian moralist sharing her room. Even though Elizabeth McGovern is a star, the movie needed more than her.While THE CHAPERONE imagines the story of Wichita-bred movie star Louise Brooks (Haley Lu Richardson) as she heads to New York City of 1922 to study modern dance with the famed Denishawn dance company, the focus is on local matron Norma Carlisle (Elizabeth McGovern), who volunteers to accompany and watch over the 15-year-old in the wicked big city. I watch you for your drama, heartache and all-around amazing quality content, but I expected more from The Chaperone. PBS, I love you, but don’t settle for anything below your highest potential. I wish there were more substance to the movie - especially since it’s based on a true story and there’s no way the conflict could have been that clean in real life. Despite everything that happens in the movie, everyone somehow ends up friends again. The 20-year flash forward at the end is sweet but wraps up the loose ends a little too neatly. But, like the other potential plot lines, it fizzles out too. There’s one twist in the movie that’s pretty unexpected. While the 1920s aspect was fun, it needed more glitter, glam and scandal to be enough. The movie is slow and doesn’t have a real climax. You’d expect some sort of scandal within that plotline, yet nothing comes of that either. Elsewhere, Louise and her male (married!) dance teacher flirt and seem to have some sort of connection. But nothing really comes of it - there’s no conflict, nothing juicy. In fact, lack of twist seems to be a recurring theme throughout the film.įor instance, Norma is adopted, and the movie spends a lot of time on her search for her biological family in New York. While Norma and Louise’s relationship is sweet at times, the cautious-adult-and-reckless-kid power struggle is a little overdone, and The Chaperone doesn’t exactly put a unique twist on the theme. Norma slaps some reality back in her and tells her to “just get on a train and go!”

The film flashes 20 years forward at the end, and Louise is washed up, back in Kansas and doesn’t want to perform anymore. But by the film’s end, Norma is more open and supportive. At first, the chaperone is standoffish and wary of Louise’s crazy and reckless spirit. Seeing Norma’s character development throughout the film is enjoyable. The dance scenes in particular are some of my favorite parts, with Louise twirling and dancing around. The movie’s Jane Austen-esque ambiance is beautiful, with its pastel dresses and light piano music.

The chaperone pbs