The Ruby in the Smoke (2006) (TV)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Brian Percival

Writers:

Adrian Hodges (screenplay)
Philip Pullman (novel)

Release Date:

4 February 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

In Victorian England, Sally Lockhart receives an anonymous note sending her on a mysterious quest. Her...

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Billie Piper	...	Sally Lockhart
Matt Smith	...	Jim Taylor
Sian Thomas	...	Mrs. Rees
Kay Lyon	...	Ellen
Robert Putt	...	Porter
Trevor Cooper	...	Mr. Higgs
Robert Glenister	...	Samuel Selby
Dominic Coleman	...	Jeremiah Blyth
Miles Anderson	...	Major Marchbanks
Tilly Vosburgh	...	Mrs. Thorpe
Chloe Walker	...	Adelaide
Julie Walters	...	Mrs. Holland
JJ Feild	...	Frederick Garland
Ramon Tikaram	...	Maharajah
Matthew Cureton	...	Young Marchbanks

Also Known As:

Sally Lockhart Mysteries: Ruby in the Smoke (USA) (DVD box title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Filming Locations:

Bluebell Railway, West Sussex, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Quotes:

[Mr Berry has just stolen the clue to the treasure from Sally]
Mrs. Holland: Oooh, Mr Berry. This calls for a celebration. There's gin in the cupboard.
Mr Berry: I signed the Pledge in Dartmoor, Mrs Holland. Alcohol is the cause of madness, hallucinations, softness of the brain and moral decay.
Mrs. Holland: I think the damage is already done in your case.
Mr Berry: Yeah, I was *formerly* very wicked - but I intend to lead a good life from now on.
Mrs. Holland: Always excepting the odd murder or two.

Movie Connections:

Followed by The Shadow in the North (2007) (TV)

A bit disappointing

I haven't read "The Ruby in the Smoke" which probably explains my reaction to this film. Anyway, for the other uninitiated amongst you, this is the basic plot - young Sally Lockhart (Billie Piper) is living with her aunt after her father's ship sank. It turns out there is more to this death than it seems, as Sally receives a cryptic note, eventually leading her to a man named Marchbanks who gives her a notebook and tells her she has an enemy called Mrs Holland (Julie Walters, at her villainous best). This leads Sally through a maze of clues and memories, finding out the fate of her father and the truth of her own origins, and the truth of the elusive eponymous ruby.

I feel this would have done very well as a television series, but as a film it merely felt rushed. The characters introduced promised to be interesting, but weren't really properly developed, and I had trouble keeping up with all the twists in the plot, which were rushed by in seconds. Sally seemed like a fascinating character, but her character development was left to a few scenes of her standing up to her aunt and demonstrating her ability for dealing with figures. This left the film feeling somewhat sterile - more of a puzzle than a story.