Frenchman's Creek (1998) Reviews

Masterpiece Theatre's Frenchman's Creek, based on the 1941 novel by Daphne du Maurier, is a romantic tale well presented, just as you would expect from Masterpiece Theatre. If you're familiar with the novel, you may be disappointed in the portrayal of the French pirate. The character is portrayed with an eye towards physical appearance instead of the intelligence and multi-layered personality portrayed in the book. It would have been nice to have both. Tara Fitzgerald as Dona proves an excellent choice, but the opportunity to explore why a woman in this time period would be dissatisfied with her limited choices in life is lost. The love for her children in making her final decision of whether to stay or leave with her French pirate and live a life more suited to her spirit is sadly downplayed. Enjoy the movie, but read the novel to appreciate how a female author from Cornwall in 1941could understand that women can have a pirate's soul.
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