Product Details

• Actors: Romola Garai, Rose Byrne, Bill Nighy, Sophie Stuckey, Helena Little
• Directors: Tim Fywell
• Writers: Dodie Smith, Heidi Thomas
• Producers: Anant Singh, Cleone Clarke, David M. Thompson, David Parfitt, Keith Evans
• Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Full Screen, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
  PLEASE NOTE: Some Region 1 DVDs may contain Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE). Some, but not all, of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on what are called "region-free" DVD players. For more information on RCE, click .
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• DVD Release Date: December 23, 2003
• Run Time: 113 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000SX9MS
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #59,809 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "I Capture the Castle" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

When her family moves into a glamorous castle in the English countryside, Cassandra (Romola Garai) imagines great things will happen. But the decaying castle loses its appeal as her novelist father (Bill Nighy, Love Actually) develops writer's block and her mother dies of cancer. From this sad beginning, I Capture the Castle turns into an utterly engaging coming-of-age story as 17-year-old Cassandra and her older sister Rose (Rose Byrne) struggle to win the attentions of their new American landlord (Henry Thomas, E.T. The Extraterrestrial)--but when everything goes the way Cassandra hopes, her hopes fall apart. Garai's wonderful performance carries the audience through bittersweet discoveries about life and adulthood with hope and yearning. The entire cast---also featuring Tara Fitzgerald (Brassed Off) and Marc Blucas--is superb. I Capture the Castle is an absolutely lovely movie, delightful and surprisingly wise. --Bret Fetzer

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

89 of 98 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Ten stars! What a wonderful surprise December 29, 2003

By Peggy Vincent

Format:VHS Tape

I had never heard of this movie when my husband rented it on DVD - and it is such a marvelous treasure. It's a luminous coming-of-age story about an English child/girl/woman (Ramola Garai) who lives with her father (Bill Nighy), a successful author suffering prolonged writer's block, gorgeous slightly older sister, bohemian arty stepmother (Tara Fitzgerald), and bespectacled young brother. They move to a cold, drafty, leaky, romantic and picturesque castle in the middle of nowhere, fall behind on the rent, wear an odd shade of green that resulted when the arty and lovely stepmom dyed damn near everything one day.
Rose, the older sister, yearns for wealth. The property on which they live is owned by two brothers who come to inspect things - and that's where the real story begins. Narrated through the POV of Cassandra (Garai), the movie turns into an utterly engaging, wise and wonderful coming-of-age tale of hopes, dreams, plots and counterplots, dashed yearnings, and a painful journey toward adulthood. Hilarious and bittersweet at the same time. Absolutely first-rate performances by the entire cast in a film which ends with the realistic but still hopeful line in `words of one syllable': I love. I have loved. I will love.
I LOVED THIS MOVIE.

44 of 47 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Why did they ditch half of the book's humor? January 21, 2004

By a reader

Format:DVD

I Capture the Castle is one of my favorite books and I was predisposed to love the film, but it came up short. The movie remains true to the book's plot, but adopted a seriocomic tone that was too heavy on the serious.

The charm of the book lies in the wit of the narrator, Cassandra, even when she writes about her family's poverty, her father's temper, etc. It's all told from a comic slant that contrasts with the subject matter nicely. The movie lost that slant and wallowed in melodrama too often. For instance, the eccentric, selfish, but extremely charming, father becomes simply dysfunctional in the film, stripped of his charisma.

The biggest flaw of the film is that the director, instead of standing in the narrator's 1930-ish shoes, imposes a modern context on the subject, which transformed it into a run-of-the-mill drama, and strips out most of the book's wittiness. The movie even adds a ridiculous touchy-feely reconciliation scene between the father and Cassandra at the end that would have made Dodie Smith puke.

Sigh . . . Maybe someone who's more deft with period pieces will try a lighter hand with this material and get it right in the future.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful coming of age story....... January 23, 2004

By Marcy Gomez

Format:DVD

I must admit that I haven't read the book but I love British comedy/drama so I purchased this dvd without even having seen the film before. I must say I have been very pleased with my choice.

I enjoy this film immensely. It brings to mind that other fascinating British adaptation, "Cold Comfort Farm" starring Kate Beckinsale. "I Capture the Castle" has that sweet, romantic, dreamy feel that completely enraptures the viewer with its charm, humor and wit.

The story centers around 17 year old Cassandra Mortmain (Romola Garai of "Nicholas Nickleby" and "Daniel Deronda") and her eccentric family. Her father (Bill Nighy of "Love Actually" and "Underworld") is an author who hasn't written a word in 10 years. Her sister Rose (Rose Byrne of "Troy" and "Star Wars Episode II) yearns to marry well and get away from their dreary, depressed circumstances. Her stepmother Topaz (Tara Fitzgerald of "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall") is an eccentric artist who tries to keep her family together. Cassandra and her brother Thomas appear to be the only sensible beings in their household. Everyone else seems to be falling apart. Then there is their Adonis-like helper Stephen (an eye-opening role for Henry Cavill of "Count of Monte Cristo") who really does remind me of a Greek god.

The Mortmain's lives are turned upside down with the arrival of the wealthy Cotton brothers (Henry Thomas of "E.T." and "I'm With Lucy" and Marc Blucas). Soon enough, Stephen falls in love with Cassandra who falls in love with older brother Simon Cotton who falls in love with Rose. Before long, Rose is planning her wedding. The story climaxes when secrets are revealed and the phrase "you cannot control who you fall in love with" really does come to play.

The highlights of this film are the brilliant performances, namely of Romola Garai, Rose Byrne and Bill Nighy; the gorgeous and dreamy cinematography; and the enchanting story. It is, above all, a story of love and hope, and Cassandra's optimism throughout the story really shines through. I highly recommend it!