The Pensieve

Dodie Smith, well-known for her work ‘101 Dalmatians’ that has been successfully dramatised by Walt Disney is best remembered for her work ‘I Capture the Castle’ by the literary world. In this novel which has made an impact even on JK Rowling of the Harry Potter series, Smith writes herself into the character of Cassandra Mortmain, a mousy 17 year old girl living in a dilapidated castle in the English countryside. She is the daughter of James Mortmain, once successful writer now afflicted with a writer’s block. Her playmate and sister is Rose, beautiful like her name but terribly afraid of poverty. They have a little brother, Thomas. Their stepmother is a former artist’s model, Topaz. She is a total misfit in this rural countryside, as a mother of three, in a family so poor that even butter and eggs are a luxury. They live with Stephen, a lodger who has always carried a torch for Cassandra.

The book begins with ‘I write this sitting in the kitchen sink,’ a simple yet compelling sentence which calls for the reader’s undivided attention.

The family is in dire financial straits and propects for any improvement seem dim until the arrival of the Cotton brothers - Neil and Simon, from America. They are the proper owners of the castle and here to visit. This marks the start of a charming friendship between the Mortmain sisters and the Cottons as each of the four bring into the story their varied personalities. Simon falls into love at first sight of Rose, and plans for marriage are soon underway. Cassandra is thrilled for Rose but things begin to change as she finds herself falling for the same man (and also discovers that Rose does not love Simon as she does). In a curious twist of events, we trace the story, written in the form of letters and Cassandra’s journal as we watch her blossom beautifully out of her childhood.

It’s a very easy book to read, being succinct and crystal clear, possibly due to the numerous proof-readings and assiduous corrections done by Smith. Interestingly, I felt that though it’s easy to read, it’s not that easy to understand what Smith wants to convey through it. It’d probably be better if I know more about her life and work.

I’d just like to end off with an interesting phrase from the book:

‘I wonder if there isn’t a catch about having plenty of money. Does it eventually take the pleasure out of things? … It does seem to me that the climate of richness must always be a bit dulling to the senses.’

True and beautifully put, isn’t it?

Rating: ****/5

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I’ve always enjoyed Mr Bean’s antics, but at the same time also felt a sense of irritation by how self-centered and mean he could be at the expense of others. However, this film was unlike what I’d expected… It’s a heart-warming as well as light-hearted comedy, where for once, he doesn’t lay it on too thick.

Synopsis
Once again, starring Rowan Atkinson, Mr Bean wins a raffle for an all-paid expenses trip to Cannes and a camcorder… He embarks on this trip and surprisingly, despite his paltry French vocabulary chiefly consisting of a single word ‘oui’ and his mistaken understanding that ‘gracias’ meant ‘merci’, he reaches his destination and achieves more than just that in his journey there.

He meets a young boy who is journeying alone to Cannes to meet up with his Dad (who missed his train because of Mr Bean’s antics), an aspiring actress heading for the Cannes Film Festival and a myriad of other interesting events. Most notably, I loved the scene where he synched ‘O Mi Babbino Caro’… It was so sad yet so comical! But nothing beats clip no. 2 on that Mr Bean’s site… Go check it out… I really wish I could do this sometimes…