Miss Potter

For more than a century, children have been enthralled by the stories of Peter Rabbit, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, Jemima Puddle-Duck and the other creations of Beatrix Potter. In Miss Potter, Chris Noonan has put together a delightful film that shows us the woman behind these stories.

The story begins just as Beatrix is finding a publisher for her first book. Nobody really thinks her little children's book will sell, but they humor her and assign the book to a younger brother in the company, expecting him to fail and move on to other interests. But Norman Warne doesn't know he's supposed to fail. He works with Beatrix to get things just as she wants it, and the book is an immediate success.

Beatrix and Norman soon fall in love, but her parents object because he is a tradesman and beneath them in class. Beatrix's parents have inherited enough money that they don't have to work and spend the days being social climbers. It had been their hope to arrange a suitable marriage for Beatrix with someone from a family that would aid in their social climb. A publisher just won't do -- even if he has plenty of money.

All the while, her books keep selling. When Beatrix asks about her royalties, she discovers that she is now a wealthy woman. In time she buys a house in the Lake District and begins her life of independence.

Maybe I enjoyed the film because I see so many films that deal with much darker subjects. This film is like a sorbet served between courses to cleanse the palate. But I wouldn't want to give the impression that the film is of no artistic or spiritual nutritional value.

Noonan, who formerly directed Babe, has put together all the elements to make this movie such a pleasant experience. The score fits it like a glove. The scenery is a joy to behold. The Edwardian London sets are charming. The cast works together well. It's a nice story. The package is put together just right for this kind of film -- a film for families, especially if the tales of Beatrix Potter's imagination are dear.

Even the times when Noonan brings in a bit of the cuteness of Babe, it adds to the film as a whole. When I saw a trailer of the film that included her drawings coming to life and the conversations she would have with these "friends", I thought it was just a bit too cute. But those scenes really serve to set up a much more serious section of the film as she goes through a time of grief and the drawings show how that grief is devouring her.

But the film also has tastes of things to discuss about life. There is a hint of a proto-feminism when Beatrix and Norman's sister Millie consider life without being married and what that means to a woman at that time. Millie always wears a man's shirt and tie as a sign of her independence.

The film also looks at the importance of conservation of natural resources. The Lake District still is a picturesque place in England in large part because of Beatrix Potter bought farms to preserve the beauty of the area. Even in her day it was feared that the land would be subdivided and houses built, taking away the character of the Lake District. She gave to the British people 4000 acres in a land trust to be preserved for all time.

The film may not hold the interest of younger children and may appeal a bit more to girls than to boys, but what a nice break it is from the action films that seem to fill the multiplex. It is a gratifying trip to another time and discovering a life that in more ways than one has added joy and beauty to the world.