Movie: Lorna Doone (C, H)

I was unfamiliar with Lorna Doone (except for the cookies), but was captivated by this story and its presentaton.

John Ridd (Richard Coyle) saw his father murdered by the Doones, a family of robbers and murderers that create general mayhem while they wait for their family lands to be restored them. As a teenager, John comes across a young girl named Lorna. She captures his heart--but fails to mention she is a Doone.

They meet again as adults and pledge their love. John is willing to overlook her family name, but cannot ignore the fact that she is already pledged to Carver Doone, a spoiled and obsessive hothead. When Lorna and Carver marry, the Doone lands will be returned to them, so the entire Doone clan is willing to fight to keep Lorna away from John..

Take this romance, stir in some treason and a few more secrets, and you have quite a story!

The performances are very strong. Coyle's John Ridd has a homegrown sweetness, but he's also willing to fight for his land and his sweetheart. Lorna tries to hard to please everyone in an impossible situation, but that's because she is so young and has been taught that the family's happiness rests on her shoulders. Carver is genuinely creepy. There is also an extensive supporting cast to flesh out the story; this is John and Lorna's story, but it takes place in a larger community that both supports the young lovers' relationship and depends on their efforts to make peace.

This story was slightly melodramatic, with the occasional deus ex machina moment, but that probably comes from the source material instead of being a flaw of the film itself. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would watch it again. Grade: A-