Thoughts on “Enola Holmes”
I just wanted to capture some of my thoughts on the new Netflix film Enola Holmes while they were still fresh in my mind. This isn’t a proper review, but it will likely be long because … well … I’m me. But before I dive in, can I just say thank you to the powers that be for sending this movie along this week. With all of the terrible news constantly bombarding our social media feeds and unending news cycle, this movie was the breath of fresh air that I didn’t know I desperately needed.
So I guess I owe a big thank you to Millie Bobby Brown and her mom for producing the film, and to Netflix for releasing it mid-week so that I could use it as a positive distraction from the rest of life’s problems.
What Made Me Think (one-off impressions & questions)
I’ve never seen Mycroft played as such a hard-nosed taskmaster before. I’m aware of his clashes with Sherlock in various incarnations in film, TV and the actual written stories, but he never came off as quite so rigid to me. I’m not saying it’s a bad choice, and Sam Claflin certainly did a fine job, but … was Mycroft always such a sexist ass?
I found everyone’s constant reminder to Sherlock that he’s been largely detached from his family, and particularly Enola’s life, to fit the character perfectly. Cavill plays his perturbed annoyance at these reminders well. He’s clearly feeling guilty, but only after fighting the urge to defend himself and staying quiet. He’s genuinely surprised that Enola felt abandoned, and that others recognized that he did indeed abandon her.
I don’t know why they don’t tell us the year the film takes place in at the beginning. I only realized it was set in 1884 when Enola was reading one of the newspapers about halfway through the film.
I know Ms. Harrison, the headmistress, was feeling Mycroft, but was Mycroft in any way interested in? It seemed a bit one-sided, but maybe Mycroft was just playing it cool.
I know this is random, but does anyone else feel like Burn Gorman has lost weight? I almost didn’t recognize him because his face looks more gaunt than usual. Not to say that Burn was every big or overweight. He just looks thinner than normal.
I’m a little disappointed that the movie doesn’t confirm what Eudoria’s plans were. I think we can safely assume that she and the suffragettes were planning to blow up the House of Lords/Commons/Parliament if the vote didn’t go their way, but we never get confirmation. It would’ve been nice to have that assurance.
Wait! The Wanted poster for Enola offered a £4 finders’ fee. That means the lady at the dress shop turned her in for a measly £4. Enola was offering men £5 just for their clothes. The lady at the dress shop sold Enola out for a discount price. WTH!!
The way the British say “Marquess” instead of “Marquis” like the French. I was an English Lit major, but I studied French language in school, and it just sounds wrong to me.
This isn’t a reflection on the movie, but on the times it represented: I hated the way women were often treated as nothing but breeding stock to produce heirs for men during this era. When Ms. Harrison tells Enola: “You’ll thank me one day when you’re happily married with a pair of strapping boys.” I almost threw up in my mouth a little bit. ::shudder::
It took me a minute to get used to the breaking of the 4th wall, but after a while, I liked it.
When Henry first announced that he would be playing Sherlock Holmes, I admit I didn’t see it. As a fan of the original stories, as well as several adaptations I’ve seen over the years in film and TV, I am pretty open-minded about different takes on the character, but I honestly never thought of someone who looked and moved like Henry in the role of Sherlock. I’m happy to say I’m pleasantly surprised with the final result.
I thought Tewkesbury would get on my nerves in the beginning, but I was also pleasantly surprised to find myself kind of liking him by the end. I think it was his presence of mind to use the coat of armor to his advantage. I have a soft spot for clever people.
I appreciated how the story was socially and politically relevant to what’s going on in the world today in regards to the power of voting and the fight for suffrage, the ills of systemic economic inequality, how some are willing to kill so they can preserve their undeserved access to more power and privilege than others, and of course, Mycroft’s favorite topic: feminism. 😉
The way Sherlock would smirk whenever he learned of something Enola did that made him feel proud. I also just like Henry smirking.
“She [Eudoria] always found you quite extraordinary … as do I, Enola Holmes.” – Sherlock complimenting his sister
The movie does a great job of balancing Enola’s maturity. She’s clever and unafraid to defend herself verbally and physically, but she also has a playful, lighthearted perspective on life that isn’t yet jaded by the harsh realities of society. MBB plays that balance incredibly well. I firmly believe this is how a 16-year-old girl of her era would actually behave.
I suspect Jacob Rees-Mogg would have really liked the Dowager. 😉
Henry Cavill has a very distinctive walk. That is all.
I love, love, love stories about women in history shirking their social expectations and redefining their own paths. I know this is fiction, but a lot of modern history would have 21st century women believe that most women just toed the line until the 1960s and 70s, and before that, every woman was content with the assigned role regarding their education, clothes, politics, etc.
But during this time period there were plenty of women like Eudoria and Edith who swam against the tide, not just in terms of fighting for women’s suffrage, but in their right to be able to defend themselves, select their own education, and live a life free of being defined by their fathers or husbands. This movie is a great hat tip to all the real iconoclasts who lived during that time period who we rarely hear about.
Anyone else think this film is a wonderful blend of the Light/Dark Academia Aesthetic + Cottagecore? No? Just me. OK.
I enjoyed the subversion of traditional gender roles quite a bit. I liked how Enola was adept at archery, defending herself in a fight, fearless in her pursuit of solving a mystery, and dressing in clothes associated with boys, while Tewkesbury knew a lot about plants and how to survive off of them, but wasn’t too skilled at fighting or escaping danger on his own. Plus, he wasn’t afraid to cry in front of her. Neither of them are dumb, and no one was presented as less than. Sure, he was a little soft. But it was because he came from money. Not because he wasn’t someone’s idea of a strong male character.
“No. Your face is totally unmemorable!” – Enola as she’s being attacked by the man hired to kill Tewkesbury. I loved that line. ☺️
Is it wrong that I got a kick out of Enola stealing the headmistress’ car?
I really like the diversity in the casting that felt both realistic and inclusive. Not only do we see Eudoria’s friend/partner-in-crime, Edith Grayston, is a dark-skinned black woman, but Lestrade is played by a man of East Asian descent. And both are sizable roles. But we also see people of color throughout the movie in what feels like honest representation. For example, we saw a black man traveling on the train, Asian and black women at Ms. Harrison’s finishing school, PoC in restaurants and walking through the streets, an Asian women working at the Journal of Dress Reform, a black man delivering the basket to Enola at the finishing school, and a black man selling newspapers (and his clothes).
I’m old enough to remember when this film could have been made in the late 1980s, and every single actor in it would’ve been white, and no one would’ve thought twice about it. I know the progress has been slow, but it’s nice to see the entertainment industry moving away from the idea that people of color were only recently invented after the 1960s, and that’s why we can’t be included in period films. It’s an issue that’s been a major problem in the film and TV industry in the US, UK, Canada, NZ and Australia for some years. Maybe times are really changing.
Other than using her brother’s name and reputation to help her gain longer access to Tewkesbury’s family, I love how the movie doesn’t really need Sherlock at all. It’s clearly Enola’s story, adventure and mystery to solve. Sure, some will likely check out the movie because of the name of Sherlock Holmes, but this is 100% Enola’s tale. As a lifelong fan of Sherlock Holmes, I have to say I love that!
“Don’t be ridiculous.” – Sherlock quickly rebuffing a police officer as he tries to stop Sherlock when he walks into Scotland Yard to talk to Lestrade.
This is really a pro-women vehicle. Not just because of characters like Enola, Eudoria or Edith. But also because of characters like Ms. Harrison and the Dowager. When women are presented as multifaceted, complex and diverse in terms of personality and perspective, that’s when they’re finally being presented as truly human. We can play heroes and villains of equal measure. And that’s how it should be.
Overall, Enola Holmes is exactly the type of film that if it came out when I was 9 or 10 years old on HBO, I would’ve annoyed the heck out of my mother by watching it literally every time it came on. It is educational, inclusive, frightening when you least expect it, inspiring without being heavy-handed, and a genuine good time.
As a matter of fact, my mother and I were talking about the movie earlier today after she watched it, and she said that she actually watched it last night and again this morning. So maybe if it had come out when I was 9 or 10, I wouldn’t have annoyed her at all. Maybe she would’ve watched it every time it came on with me. 😊
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