‘LORNA DOONE’: A HISTORICAL EPIC ADAPTATION ALTERNATIVE TO ‘OUTLANDER’

Revisiting films from my younger cinematic years is an interesting study. One of these falling into this category is Lorna Doone. An BBC production based on the novel of the same name, Lorna Doone is one of those historical productions that somehow feels “epic.”

Lorna Doone (2001) BBC Film Review

As a teenager, young John Ridd is witness to the murder of his father at the hands of the powerful and local Doone family. Years later, the anger and sense for revenge festers but John (Richard Coyle) keeps it beneath the surface. Instead he becomes the man of the house helping his mother (Barbara Flynn) run their farm and raising his younger sisters (Joanne Froggatt, Honeysuckle Weeks). Things become complicated when John reunites with the young girl he serendipitously met as a kid.

All grown up now, Lorna (Amelia Warner) is beautiful but under the watchful eye of people who have big plans for her. She becomes a problem when they realize she isn’t going to quietly accept this.

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Despite not having seen this for years, I forgot how good this is. Lorna Doone is one of those dramas that feels “big” and while the romance isn’t as big a feeling as it could be, it’s there. This isn’t a TV series so it’s only three hours versus the multiple season and many hours that comes with that. However this kind of reminds of the Starz series Outlander minus the mature content and time travel aspect. It’s has a similar vibe.

The cast is fantastic. It’s a good team of newbies (at least at this time) and vets, which makes it more interesting and complex watching the story play out as they bring these characters together. Everyone from the at-the-time new Weeks and Froggatt to the talent that also includes Michael Kitchen (Foyle’s War) and Flynn who is known from productions like Wives & Daughters. There’s the required sweeping scenery shots too and just everything works together to bring this production to its full potential.

The romance isn’t perhaps quite as swooning as if could be, but it’s still good. It’s equal parts tension and sweet. This is one of those films that the first time I watched it my reaction was “noooo!” in the final moments. It frustrates the viewer (for obvious reasons), makes us feel triumph for characters and love story surprises. The film is well made and definitely an interesting story that is entertaining to watch.

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Content: there’s several bodies lying dead in a field with various injuries. Someone dies from a gunshot wound in the 10 minutes of the film. A family terrorizes people and threatens them with harm. Another man shoots someone for letting someone take his prisoner. There’s comments about a person treating another like a prisoner.