I was first introduced to Miss Fisher’s in the most random way. I was browsing through Netflix and I found the show, added to my watchlist, and promptly forgot about it. I didn’t get back to it until people on my Twitter account we’re really excited about it so I decided to give it a chance. I’m so glad that I did because I needed up falling helplessly in love. I love not only the characters and the costumes but also the storyline of the show. As I’ve done with the other shows on this blog, I am going to break down certain aspects of the show in several posts. In this post, I will be talking about the movie: Miss Fisher & the Crypt of Years. This is even more special because I actually contributed to the Kickstarter for the movie!
The Characters
- The Honorable Miss Phryne Fisher: Essie Davis plays this character so flawlessly. Miss Fisher was still the feisty, independent woman I’ve come to love so much. I appreciate that she always wants to do the right thing and help those that need it. I wasn’t sure if Essie Davis would be able to reprise this role after 5 years without losing the essence of the character. I shouldn’t have worried, however, because she truly did a magnificent job.
- Detective Inspector Jack Robinson: I love this character so much and I was so glad he played such large role in this movie. As I’ve said before, I think that Jack is a great foil to Miss Fisher’s personality. I love their ability to put their differences together in a way that helps them solve mysteries well.
The Story
I figured I’d post this small synopsis of the movie before I talk more in-depth about it:
The plot sees the heroine set off from 1920s Melbourne on adventures involving murder, mystery and mayhem from London to British Palestine. After freeing Shirin Abbas, a young Bedouin girl from her unjust imprisonment in Jerusalem, Miss Fisher begins to unravel a decade-old mystery concerning priceless emeralds, ancient curses and the truth behind the suspicious disappearance of Shirin’s forgotten tribe.
- The first time I read this synopsis, I wasn’t too sure about it. There were so many chances for the story to become a white savior narrative and I didn’t want that for these characters. In the end, I found that it was handled well but there was room for improvement. The people at fault were held accountable–and they were the white people who wanted to take the power for themselves–and it was done in a way that wasn’t harmful.
The Good
- The costumes! Margot Wilson did an incredible job that was started by Marion Boyce in the show. I didn’t even know that there were two different costume designers because the transition was so flawless.
- I love that they acknowledged that white people take artifacts from cultures that aren’t their own is a harmful practice and not something to celebrate.
- The acting: Essie Davis and Nathan Page are better than ever as Miss Fisher and Jack! I also think the rest of the cast as well as they could. It’s hard to fall for characters that we only know from the movie after spending so much time with others.
The Bad
- I really wanted more from Cec, Bert, Dot, and Hugh. They played such a small role in the beginning of the movie and I couldn’t help but be disappointed by it. I know that Miss Fisher and Jack were in another part of the world, but I wish that we could’ve seen the characters interact more.
- As I mentioned above, I felt like the story needed some improvements. There were certain plot points that needed to be tightened. I wanted Shirin to be given some more characterization aside from just the Middle Eastern girl whose magical.
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