On March 17, celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at Tuesday Nights at the Movies with a screening of “Widows’ Peak,” a delightful Irish romp that will have you packing your bags for the Emerald Isle.
Set in the fictional Irish village of Kilshannon during the 1920s, this sly mystery unfolds around a tight-knit community of widows led by formidable grande dame Mrs. Doyle-Counihan, played with an admirable blend of bluster and wit by Joan Plowright (“Enchanted April”). The film’s title refers to an exclusive enclave on a hill overlooking the village where lease agreements stipulate “no children under adulthood, no males of any kind,” (except for Mrs. Doyle-Counihan’s son), “and no married or single ladies, except by exceptional consent of the residents.”
The group’s snug routine is soon unsettled by the arrival of a spirited young war widow, Edwina Broome, played by a luminous Natasha Richardson (“The Handmaid’s Tale”). In no time at all, Edwina is being wooed by Mrs. Doyle-Counihan’s layabout son, Godfrey — played to cringy perfection by Adrian Dunbar (“Line of Duty”) — and locked in a very public rivalry with spinster Miss Katherine O’Hare (Mia Farrow). Is the bad blood between the women based on jealousy, Katherine’s contempt for the English — Edwina’s late husband had been a British officer in World War I — or something else? Is Edwina everything she claims? And what is Katherine’s story? As the one non-widow allowed to live on Widows’ Peak, she’s an enigma. As Katherine’s admirer the town dentist (Jim Broadbent) muses: “There’s a secret about her, would you say? Where does she fit in?”
These are just some of the puzzles the film teases as secrets and shifting alliances play out beneath the town’s genteel surface. To say more would spoil the fun.
“Widows’ Peak” arrived during the 1990s indie boom, alongside a wave of Irish and British films released in the United States — such as “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “Enchanted April,” and “The Commitments” — often showing at the same art-house cinemas. While it was a box office disappointment in Ireland and the United Kingdom, “Widows’ Peak” became a sleeper hit in the United States.
Shot on location in Wicklow, Dublin and Kilkenny, the film was directed by John Irvin (“A Month by the Lake”) and written by Hugh Leonard — who originally penned Farrow’s role with her mother, Maureen O’Sullivan, in mind. The film won Best Picture at the 1995 Austin Film Festival, and Richardson received the Crystal Globe award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
One of the greatest pleasures of “Widows’ Peak” is that it doesn’t try to be anything grander than it is: a charming period whodunnit filled with eccentric characters, sharp dialogue, and subdued humor.
“Widows’ Peak,” (1994), 101 minutes. Tuesday, March 17 at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.), at Woodmere, 9201 Germantown Ave., Chestnut Hill. Light refreshments are available prior to the film. Movies are shown in 4K Laser Projection with closed captioning for accessibility. Admission is free, but donations at the door are greatly appreciated. Tuesday Nights at the Movies is a partnership between the Chestnut Hill Film Group and Woodmere. For more information, contact 215-247-0476 or woodmereartmuseum.org, or visit Chestnut Hill Film Group on social media.
Lily Williams is vice president of Chestnut Hill Film Group.
