The Inheritance

If you love period movies, you will love this story. The fact that it is an american movie and not a british one takes nothing away from the effect it will have on your heartstrings. The story is a underlying romance that has a "Cinderella" theme. A story of one individual's unselfish actions for those she loves. The house is amazing and as big as it is, you can feel the love of those who live there. You will also despise the one individual that trys to destroy the life of another. It is a consumate example of the saying, "what goes around comes around." The actors were superbly chosen for the roles they play.

I really like this movie. It was nice to see how love and respect can work in a family to overcome trails that come up. How the love for an orphan child could unite the family to defend each other. To honor a will that had been put away and forgotten by error was really refreshing. This family was a family I would be proud to call mine.

"Stay away from a world you will never be a part of," is the advice given to young Edith Adelon (Shayne) an impoverished orphan who was taken in by a wealthy family to be their daughter's companion. When tragic James Percy (Gibson) falls for her, she's convinced by society that she has nothing to offer him.

But her benefactor Henry Hamilton (Conti) has a plan to upstage them. He's going to break tradition big time and enter Edith in the annual horse race, The Greens Cup, riding astride, no less.

This is a fascinating peek at Victorian times and a society women fought hard to overcome, both in terms of class stigma and propriety. The author of the original story, Louisa May Alcott, was one of the stronger proponents of women's rights in her time. Indeed, she had to write part of her stories under a male pseudonym in order to get published. This is a beautifully done story and well worth the price of the disk. You will want to watch this film more than once.

Rebecca Kyle, September 2008

The Inheritance It's made for T.V. and that should give you pause. There is no spark in the romance and it's a predictable and boring story line. I've seen it before in all of Jane Austin's work, only done much better by better actors. Don't bother.

I really loved this movie. It was well done with and "Austenish" feel to it. I recommend to anyone who like movies from this era.