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Master of Ballantrae, 1984 |
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In the novel and in the film we watch a story of two brothers from
old family - Henry, lord of Derrysdeer, and James, the master of Ballantrae, their long bad blood,
which has finished with death of both brothers in the novel and with the dearth of James only
in the film. When I was reading the book, I have the feeling, that this novel hasn't a good hero.
It seems to me, at the end of the novel, things looks as if the
"borders between good and evil in human nature" are deleting, and it's already difficult to understand,
who is the prey and who is the villian. They both are fated and perish almost simultaneously. The death
join them in a common grave, mixing good and evil, envy, enmity, hate, their constant companions
during many years...
Yes, everything is simple in the movie, as easy as ABC:
there are the baddies, there are the goodies; goodies should be happy, but baddies
ought to be dead - all without exception. Evidently, Timothy Dalton's hero - colonel Francis Burk,
- didn't get the nod, because the authors of film decided "to kill" him, though in the book he
stays alive and kicking and even the whole part of the recital is given from his persona.
Burke makes acquaintance with Ballantrae in Prince Charles' Army, and
then they run for very life after the defeat near Culloden's Fen, trying to find a place of safety,
where the Englishmen could never find them. The part of colonel Burke is not very large - about 35
minutes of the screen time, but it's enough to remember Timothy's hero for a long time. Here we have
a case, when the film's character looks much more interesting, bright, than he is described in a
novel: active, a person of rare charm and temperamental, cheerful and free-swinging - this way Timothy
portrays his character.
Every his appearance on the screen becomes a joy. He can simply be
sittting on the deck of a sea-rover with his dirty legs, putted on some cross-bar, and eat a banana,
but how picturesque he does it! And how wonderful he plays the scene of meeting with Ballantrae after
Coolden! They begin to play a game under name "heads or tails?", where the life of everyone is a
stake, you watch, how changeable is his face, where during several seconds one mood goes after
another: a breathless expectation, an instantaneous dismay, a gaiety. And how amazingly he says:
"Friends", while holding out his hand to James! And one more scene was done very interesting and
you will remember it for a long time - when Burke and Ballantrae, being in America, are busy with
recruiting of the guide-Indian. James unpockets the coin, an Indian does reach out towards
it, but the coin is already flying to Burke's hand, and he, leisurely and with the countenance of
arch tempter, is checking the gold with a help of his teeth.
Timothy plays perfectly in his closing scene in India, which is one
of the best acting scenes in the film, when fatally wounded Burke, running from Englishmen, enters
the courtyard and sees Ballantrae, who lets on he can't recognize Burke. As for me, I feel, that it's
difficult to breathe - so great is despair and ache I feel, watching Timothy's performance. This is
the ache not only of the green wound, but of his friend's traitorousness. And though Timothy played
brilliantly (even overly convincingly - that it was very hard to see it!) the scene of Burke's dying,
to be honest, I would like prefer do not see this one, the more especially as not R.L.Stevenson is a
murder of Burke, but the authors of film.
Well, let's forgive these authors, because they have given us an
opening to see the new sides of Timothy Dalton's talent in the genre of adventurist and suspense
cinema. And the movie itself, as I have already written, is interesting and filmed with sense of
beaty. What price the sailing down the tumultuous river with saults! By trhe way, it was probably
a hard filming for Timothy Dalton a nd Michael York.
 
And in conclusion I want to say, that despite the inaccuracies in
comparison with the novel, the film will, positively, afford pleasure to the wide viewership.
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And Ballantrae in the film differs from the one from the novel.
Here is the description, given by Mc Kellar on the pages of his manuscript: "...
well-knit and beautiful, dark-complexioned, thin and tall, with quick glance of living, black eyes."
It is my belief that Michael York does completely disagree with this description. He plays a part of
James well, but he plays role of a great scoundrel. It's impossible to understand, what for he is
so very much loved by Alison, why is he a white-haired boy of old lord, whose role was brilliantly
played by magnificent actor John Guilgud.
