FILM REVIEW: "Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" is a must-see window to another time
Mike Newell, director of the masterful film Four Weddings and a Funeral, has done it again. The Guernsey Literacy and Potato Peel Pie Society is a sensitive and evocative portrayal of the connections between the eccentric members of the Guernsey Island book club.
This seamless portrayal of characters and events moves effortlessly between World War II Guernsey, and post-war London in 1946.
In the film, author Juliet Ashton receives a letter from Guernsey farmer Dawsey Adams, to which she replies, and so begins the fascinating story of the lives of the engaging members of the Guernsey Literacy and Potato Skin Pie Society.
Reclusive elder, Amelia, faithful farmer Dawsey, enigmatic Post Master, Eben Ramsay, passionate Elizabeth and gentle herbalist Isola are brilliantly brought to life by the actors appearing in this film. They sensitively breath life into each of their distinctive characters.
Juliet attends a meeting of the Society and becomes interested in the members’ stories. As they get to know and trust her, she learns of their many unhappy experiences during the German occupation of their island.
The clever camera work and lighting add to the action in both London and Guernsey and create another dimension for the characters and their stories.
The costumes cleverly highlight the contrast in clothing by the islanders during the war, compared to those worn, particularly by Juliet, in 1946, when fabrics became more available, and dress styles were a great deal more attractive and decorative.
This movie is a “must see” for those who lived through this war, and managed with rationing and shortages and the loss of loved ones, as they strove to make the best in every facet of life. It is uplifting to watch the members of the Society gradually come to terms with those with whom they had a difference, and to follow them as they learn to be responsive and accepting of each other.
For younger viewers, it is a window to another time - a chance to learn of the hardships and sorrow that war inevitably brings to all involved. With the current wars in Syria and Afghanistan, this movie is timely and a wonderfully gentle exposure to the horrors and heartbreak of war.