Customer Reviews

Catherine Cookson's the Rag Nymph [VHS]

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(4)
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This is a very entertaining story set in urban England probably around the turn of the century. Its about Millie, an orphan adopted by a kind lady who deals in junk. Millie's mother was a prostitute and her pimp wants to kidnap Millie. He runs a kind of white slave trade. The little girl who plays Millie in the beginning is adorable. Its a believable story, orphans were really prayed upon and exploited in that time period. The story moves very quickly, never boring or drawn out. The acting is really great, considering this was probably not a "big budget" type production (I beleive it was made for TV). Its not predictable and really draws you in to the character's lives. Its surprisingly good! If you like stories about women beating the odds, you'll like this one. One negative: At times some of the character's accents are unintelligible-but you can still get the drift. Also, you'll recognize one of the actors from the BBC Pride and Prejudice series. I'd give this a PG-13 rating. Try it!

I've seen this film as a mini TV series, and I adored it so much I bought the book, too! The high rating of course is only compared to other stories of the same kind, not to immortal masterpieces! The story is romantic, the actors are great -at least most of them, there is some overacting- the guys are cute, whether you like whitecollars or bluecollars (like I do). What can I say? See it! Read it! Do anything to get hold of this story!

This is an excellent adaptation of Catherine Cookson's novel of the same name. This is the story takes place in a large and bustling English village in 1854. It tells the tale of Millicent "Millie" Forester, a beautiful young child whose desperate mother, having had a change in fortune, looks to earn their daily bread by reluctantly indulging in the world's oldest profession. When her mother is caught and dragged off to the local jail, rag picker Agnes Winkowski takes Millie under her wing. Her rough demeanor and bluster hides a heart of gold, as she already shelters a handsome hunchbacked teen named Ben, whose values and goodness do Aggie credit.

When Millie's mother is abducted by the local pimp and brothel owner, she hangs herself. This degenerate then sets his sights on Millie, as he has a clientele who will appreciate what she has to offer them. When Aggie becomes aware of the perfidy that is afoot, she sets Millie off to a convent school, where she hopes that she will be kept safe. When she finally returns home, Aggie and Ben both keep an eye out for Millie, knowing that the danger has only intensified, as child prostitution proliferates in Victorian England.

As Millie blossoms into a beautiful teenager, she goes to the country to work as a nursemaid. There, she is happy, until a sordid incident at a servants' party at a neighboring manor forces her to return home to Aggie and Ben. A wealthy suitor soon convinces her that she is in love, but this romance is not all that it seems, as Millie will soon discover.

Moreover, her father, whom she has long thought dead, reappears and is nothing more than a scoundrel of the worst sort. To complicate matters further, the brothel owner still has Millie in his sights and will stop at nothing to get her into his clutches, as he has a ready made roster of willing and depraved men who will pay handsomely for Millie's sexual favors. As an added twist, the saintly and forbearing Ben is in love with Millie and waiting patiently in the wings. What is a girl to do?

This is an interesting and absorbing period piece that holds the viewer's attention. Although at times it may strain belief, it is, nonetheless, a well acted and entertaining film that fans of Catherine Cookson and period piece lovers will enjoy.

A young girl's life is torn asunder when her prostitute mother is arrested, and she finds herself alone and penniless on the streets in Victorian England. Taken in by a rag picker (a person who collects and sells rags and bits of old clothing), Millie finds herself struggling to adjust to her new life.

An evil pimp, is also bent on getting his hands on Millie, so she is sent away for a while. Eventually she becomes a governess, where an awful incident and a chance meeting with a young nobleman has Millie falling in love. But is it true love? Or did the young orphan boy she grew up with also have a claim on her heart?

This was an excellent and entertaining DVD. Millie is a loving, and nice girl, and the friendship between her and her foster brother Ben was touching.