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Review of "Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears" 4/4/20 by Jim
airs now on Acorn

A Review for Fans and Newcomers

This is going to be a slightly strangely formatted review. It has to be this way in order to avoid spoilers, and also to communicate to fans of the Miss Fisher franchise what to expect from this film, as well as to those who will come to the character without any prior knowledge. The review is taking this form because it's reflective of the way that video is consumed in our society these days. Many films are not seen in the theater. People who become fans of a particular show tend to binge-watch it from beginning to end, going all of the way through its seasons. But why do they do this? I think it's because they get consistent emotional satisfaction from key elements of the show. That's what I'm going to partly address in this review. I'm out to answer the questions of not only, is this a worthwhile film, but is it consistent in tone and payoff of the TV series that preceded it?

The Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries TV series has several consistent elements that are worth mentioning here in order to set some context. In full disclosure, I have watched the whole series (probably more than once).

In the three series (known as “seasons” in the USA), the fictional character of Miss Phryne Fisher is an independent woman with financial means in the 1920’s. She lives in a large house in Australia with two servants, a  housemaid and butler, and she often employs two rough and tumble characters to help her in her pursuit of being a professional "lady detective." She also carries a gold-plated snubnose revolver, usually has several throwing knives tucked away in a garter belt, and is not afraid of adventures... and sometimes misadventures. She also has a penchant for the current fashions of the day, in which she indulges completely. Although it’s a slightly more subtle character attribute, she also freely engages in very brief sexual trysts with whatever very handsome man she chooses. Although all of these and other elements are part of her presented “face,” she is also given the backstory of being a WWI nurse, dealing with the horror of the wounded, and she’s a staunch supporter of feminism and women’s rights. Though she can come off as tough and sardonic, she has a sympathetic streak that sometimes comes through to temper her actions. An example of this is her being a crack shot but hesitating at pulling the trigger when there might be a better alternative.

Very often she'll end up partnering with the local police investigator, Jack. There is clearly sexual tension between them, which makes fans wonder about their clearly-intimate but nonphysical relationship. The police investigator also has his consistent Constable Hugh, who has become the love interest of the housemaid, Dot. The aforementioned characters almost all show up in every episode. One other frequently repeating character is Miss Fisher's Aunt Prudence, who often serves as a link to other characters and situations in the current episodes plot. These situations often involve not just criminal - but also social - intrigue.

As previously hinted at, Miss Fisher leads an adventurously wild life. This includes driving her expensive convertible sports car, flying her own small plane, or meeting any other challenge to further her life of fun.

Now to address the film... it starts off action-packed! Miss Fisher has been hired to locate the missing niece of a Palestinian Sheik. There are escapades and chases of several types. There’s daring do, fabulous fashions, and various villains (of indeterminate levels of evil and efficacy) to be discovered and thwarted. The outdoor visuals of the desert sands and skies could be quite stunning on a big screen, if one has the chance to see the film this way.

Now for some more specifics, without being very inclusive of spoilers. The usual supporting cast is mostly all here, in a way. Mr. Butler is a no-show. Dot the housemaid, her constable boyfriend, and our favorite back alley skulkers only make a brief cameo appearance as they - along with Inspector Jack - get the notice that Phryne Fisher has been...(insert plot spoiler here) in Palestine. Jack travels to England to deal with Miss Fisher’s aftermath, without the rest. This felt like what it was, a separation from the usual format. The Aunt Prudence character fulfills her usual expositional role. Miss Fisher continues to indulge in adventure and fashion, and manages to keep Inspector Jack in her corner throughout the many obstacles and mysteries that the writers throw at our heroes. There’s both political and upper crust British family intrigues to be uncovered. Mysterious figures appear and disappear as the story of what really happened in the young girl’s village is slowly revealed.

Okay, so mostly the films creators have kept enough loyalty to the audience to be consistent with this brave new format of a feature film,  with not too many departures from the TV series. It’s definitely a larger canvas, with a somewhat broader palette with which to create their story. The writing in the series could not be considered to be high art, tightly written, or showcase really plausible detective procedural story lines. But none of those elements were what really holds the audience of Phryne Fisher in it’s thrall. No, the show was more about tone, style, and characters that were emotionally satisfying. And it all held together in the 1920’s period genre of the British Empire heading towards its’ end, and Miss Fisher with her very modern and artful approach to life and freedom. None of that is really too toned down here, although in the end, there is one very major character development that resolves a question that was held over from the TV series. And Miss Fisher’s sexy past with an included non-mainstay character is discussed, as is typical.

However, the plot is driven by some ancient objects (à la Indiana Jones) that have mysterious supernatural importance and associated man-made conflicts that must be resolved. This was a complete deviation from the previously crafted world of Miss Fisher, and I found it to be a terrible distraction from my enjoyment of the film. Of course, the villains are revealed, the world is put right, the good women and guys triumph, and it’s a bumpy fun motorcycle/train/airplane/camel ride of a film.

I suspect that fans of the show will mostly be fans of the film, and I recommend it to them. The tone is a bit heavier and darker than most of the TV episodes (though they were all murder mysteries). So I found it to be less fun in some ways and more fun in others. However, Miss Fisher’s character (as described in the beginning of this review) comes through intact.

If you’re not part of the existing fan base, you can enjoy this period action adventure with a lady detective protagonist for what it is: escapism. But you will also probably feel like you are missing some backstory and character development and wonder why some characters are shown once briefly and never heard from again.  Maybe you’ll hope for some more adventures with Phryne and Jack. I kind of doubt it, though, as a fair amount of the fun and easy going interplay between these characters is lost. In the TV show, you get to know and appreciate their different world views (and those of more than just the two lead characters). Unfortunately, that emotional exchange and the tension surrounding the changing gender roles in “modern” society never really got to be played out in this fast-moving film.

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