The Favourite - A 2018 Film Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos- Starring Emma Stone, Olivia Coleman and Rachel Weisz

 The Favourite - A 2018 Film Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos- Starring Emma Stone, Olivia Coleman and Rachel Weisz

Available on Netflix

Having recently completed my third viewing of Poor Things I was delighted to find on Netflix another movie directed by  Yorgos Lanthimos starring Emma Stone, The Favourite.

The Favourite is set in early 18th century Great Britain. It follows the story of  Queen Anne's  frail health and her relationship with two  women: her close friend Lady Sarah, who governs the country in her stead, and Abigail, a new servant who  arrives at the court.

The set are marvelous, the male aristocrats are besieged fops, the Queen a bit mental, with some sex of various sorts happening.  We see the brutal way servants were treated and the sycophantic based government of 18th century England as depicted by Yorgos Lanthimos.

The Favourite received critical acclaim for its acting, screenplay, direction, and visual style. It won numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actress for Olivia Colman, the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Colman, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for Colman.

Poor Things - A 2023 Film Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos - Starring Emma Stone (winner 2024 Academy Award for Best Actress), William Defoe and Mark Ruffalo

 Poor Things - A 2023 Film Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos - Starring Emma Stone (winner 2024 Academy Award for Best Actress), William Defoe and Mark Ruffalo

Academy Award 2024 - Best Actress in Leading Role

Academy Award 2024 - Best Production Design

Academy Award 2024 - Best Costume Design 

Academy Award 2024 - Best Makeup and Hair Styling 

I totally love Poor Things. It is incredibly beautiful with a  masterful use of colour. Emna Stone is truly magical as Bella Baxter. Poor Things is Hilarious, Magical, Sensuous, Sexuality Enthalling  and Scary,  Cinema as High Art. 

The story follows Bella Baxter (Stone), a young woman in Victorian London who is brought back to life via brain transplant by an eccentric scientist, Dr. Godwin Baxter (Dafoe). She is eager to learn about the world and soon finds herself on an adventure with a roguish lawyer named Duncan Wedderburn (Ruffalo). 

The movie has settings in London, looking very Gothic Horror Movies style in Black and White, in Paris, Lisbon,  Alexandria and abroad a ship. I especially liked how Bella became an avid reader of philosophy mixed in with some furious jumping.

With a bit of tounge in cheek Poor Thing is kind of a menage of Frankenstein, My Fair Lady, A Beautiful Mind and Debbie Does Dallas.  

Bella Baxter, not unlike the Buddha, leaves her safe environment to discover the real world. Poor Things, as in Don Quixote, depicts an innocent in a corrupt world. Going back to the start of Western Literature, Bella would have enjoyed furious jumping with Gilgamesh, probably exhausting him, and cruising with Odysseus.

Mel Ulm