Watch Margaret's Museum For Free
Margaret's Museum
In a town where half the men die down the coalpit, Margaret MacNeil is quite happy being single in her small Cape Breton island town. Until she meets Neil Currie, a charming and sincere bagpipe-playing, Gaelic-speaking dishwasher. But no matter what you do, you can't avoid the spectre of the pit forever.
Release : | 1995 |
Rating : | 7.2 |
Studio : | Téléfilm Canada, Skyline Films, Malofilm, |
Crew : | Art Direction, Assistant Art Director, |
Cast : | Helena Bonham Carter Clive Russell Craig Olejnik Kate Nelligan Kenneth Welsh |
Genre : | Drama |
Watch Trailer
Cast List
Related Movies
Reviews
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.
Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.
The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.
Margaret's Museum (1995) UK/Canada 114m, Colour Director: Mort Ransen; Cast: Helena Bonham Carter, Clive Russell, Craig Olejnik, Kate Nelligan, Kenneth Welsh, Andrea MorrisMargaret's Museum is a dark and tragic love story about a woman's grief and defiance after losing much of her family to the coal mines in Glace Bay Nova Scotia during the 1940s. Based on Sheldon Currie's 1979 novel entitled The Glace Bay Miners' Museum, Margaret's Museum is a beautifully photographed and wonderfully scored film with haunting and unforgettable images and melodies. A deeply moving and original film, Helena Bonham Carter and Clive Russell give remarkably convincing and heartfelt performances in this powerful film about life and death in small Canadian coal mining community (Klaus Ming September 2013).
I can't provide a million details like the other authors here, i only browsed that movie, damn fascinating though, but is that story realistic? I know how people were in the fifties,they would've lynched her for that. Today it looks harmless, i like the idea anyway, but people were different then, i think the story focuses too much on the protagonist and blinds out the doubtlessly extremely violent reactions of the people around her, which starting with psycho-terror and ending with lynch-justice. It's always the same screenplay if you live with common people. However, it would be interesting to see how her life goes on according to the writers of this story. In reality her life wouldn't go on anyway. Not in the fifties
"Margaret's Museum" is a quirky little independent Canadian film made over 10 years ago, featuring an impressive performance by Helen Bonham Carter (trying to do something other than English period pieces) as the title character. Carter is one of the most talented contemporary actresses and her failure to become a major star is a bit of a puzzle. The film's obscurity is not such a puzzle, it contains just enough wry humor and off-kilter behavior to offend those who take its political message seriously and not enough to become a cult classic. The producers should have amped up the weirdness level a bit. It will remind viewers of "New Waterford Girl", not just because both were filmed in Nova Scotia, but because the heroines are similar as is the theme of diminished small town expectations. It is probably safe to say that these are the only feature films that reference the town of Antigonish. Gaelic lovers should especially enjoy "Margaret's Museum as it includes a lot of traditional music. If you are a Scotsman at heart you will pick up on obscure references to things like The Battle of Culloden" (i.e. Bonnie Prince Charlie 1746). Margaret MacNeil lives with her widowed mother in a small company town in Nova Scotia (1949 judging by the cars). The economy revolves around the coal mine and the story has all the "I owe my soul to the company store" elements (''Sons and Lovers'' and ''The Molly Maguires'' are unfunny examples). Margaret's father and older brother were killed in the mine and her grandfather is barely able to breathe after years of working in "the pit". The broken nature of the family and the cause are symbolized by their house, once a duplex the other unit was destroyed when a portion of the tunnel underneath collapsed. Margaret falls in love with and marries Neil Currie (Clive Russell), at least in part because he has quit mining work for good. Neil is a giant of a man who incessantly plays the bagpipes, speaks in the Gaelic dialect, drinks a lot, and composes traditional tunes. Of course with all the emphasis on Neil staying out of the mines you just know that he will eventually go back to work there. There is a coming of age side story about Margaret's younger brother Jimmy (Craig Olejnik), but it is given too little emphasis to be much of a factor. It does introduce a bit of irony as Jimmy is expected to be the family member who breaks the mold and escapes, but his first love makes him reluctant to leave the town for better things. Kate Nelligan plays Margaret's deservedly fatalistic mother and creates a complex character. Watch how this hardened woman occasionally exhibits a ray of optimism and even a slight bit of hope for her daughter. The title refers to Margaret's "Cost of Coal" museum which she opens as an expression righteous indignation. The museum sequences bookend the main story (told in a long flashback). If not on the perfection level of "New Waterford Girl", the fine performances and the excellent production design make "Margaret's Museum" well worth watching. Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
A wonderful story about relationship and family, Margaret's Museum is a moving story that has more to do than love. The setting of Nova Scotia makes the theme of the film more gritty than if it took place in a more modern atmosphere. Starting their family and their marriage from scratch, the building of their home and their careers are shown as the "young" couple try hard to do things right. Helena Bonham Carter is the star of the film as she portrays Margaret. Throughout the film we see her transition as a woman and a wife. Many actors are known for their physical qualities as oppose to their acting talents. Some actors have very little if not zero acting talent, but are very beautiful and are willing to showcase their assets. Helena Bonham Carter has shown much of herself on the big screen throughout the years. Still, along with her physical beauty, Carter has become an amazing actress. Even though there are moments in this film where she showcases her body for the delight of the audience, she remains a strong actress overall with her true talent of being a great actress.