Known as a screenwriter, Akiva Goldsman’s (A Beautiful Mind 2001) directorial debut is his adaptation of Mark Helprin’s novel, A New York Winter’s Tale. The film is essentially an adult fairytale set in the titular New York linking characters and events in the specific years of 1916 and 2014. Festooned with the Oscar-recognised such as Crowe, Hurt, Will Smith and Jennifer Connelly [and behind the scenes nominees] , A New York Winter’s Tale has all the elements of a modern day fairytale classic.
The story’s forces of light and darkness combine as talented thief Peter Lake (Colin Farrell) meets Beverly Penn (Jessica Brown Findlay, Downton Abbey’s Lady Sybil). Beverley lives in a loving, enlightened and wealthy world along with her young sister Willa (Mckayla Twiggs) and father Isaac (William Hurt). Conversely, Peter is attempting to avoid the clutches of his former underworld boss and mentor Pearly Soames (Russell Crowe). Pearly – Crowe doing a woeful Irish accent – is an agent provocateur of the actual Underworld, in the Biblical sense and the love story evolving between Peter and the consumption-afflicted Beverley is not in his plans, thus setting up the age old depiction of good versus evil once more.
Farrell (using his actual Irish accent) and Brown Findlay create an entrancing love story between their characters and this is the strongest element of the film. Crowe as burly thundering nightmarish Pearly has the potential of being a frightening character but the film does not truly push the darker elements of the story.
The tone of the film is at times, mixed keeping a little too close to Titanic’s form of love story while neglecting the intriguing more adult fairytale material with which the film begins. Robin Hood (2010) alumni also pop up from time to time, such as Scott Grimes and Kevin Durand, with little to do bar work for Crowe’s Pearly. Sadly somewhat underwhelming, A New York Winter’s Tale with its well proven cast, stylish costuming and slightly made-for-TV CGI feels like an opportunity missed.
Mairéad has awarded A New York Winter’s Tale three Torches of Truth
