Seen July 10 2015
Saw it last night. Exquisite recreation of rural 19th century France, faithful adaptation of Flaubert’s story, fine acting, but Mia Wasikowska’s accent and pronunciation were distractingly jarring. All English speakers except the most ignorant can pronounce ‘monsieur’ the French way – ‘m’sieu’. She repeatedly said ‘mon-sewer’, even when the other characters were getting it right. She also pronounced the name of the nearby city ‘Rou-EN’. You don’t have to master French nasal vowels to the nth degree to know that it’s ‘Rou-on’, more or less. Also, when Charles learns of his father’s death he reports to Emma that his father has ‘passed’. Utterly wince-making anachronism! This is a recent euphemism, never heard in my youth, let alone the 19th century.