Early on in Susanna Nicchiarelli’s Miss Marx, the writer-director makes it clear she considers her subject to be a kind of punk rock icon. Pity then that her film largely shuns that angle and instead meanders into becoming another tepid costume drama. The film ostensibly features a fiery feminist icon, but it plays out as a doomed love story.
The Miss Marx of the title is Eleanor Marx, daughter of Karl Marx. Like her father, Eleanor was moved by the plight of the working classes in 19th Century England. She worked for a variety of left-wing organisations, was active in the labour movement, in theatre, and in literature (particularly translations). But in Nicchiarelli’s film, she’s (disappointingly) defined almost entirely by her relationship with men. So what initially promised much, end up petering out into a fairly routine “he done her wrong” tale.
The film opens soon after the death of Karl Marx. Eleanor (Romola Garai) – encouraged by her father’s collaborator Friedrich Engels (John Gordon Sinclair) – is determined to carry on her father’s legacy. She throws herself into socialist and feminist causes, as well as caring for her nephew. But Eleanor finds herself attracted to Edward Aveling (Patrick Kennedy). He’s a charming and intelligent playwright. He’s also committed to the socialist cause, which makes it a seemingly perfect match. The only hitch is that Edward is still legally married, so instead of marrying, Eleanor simply moves in with him.
But trouble is on the horizon. Seems Edward is a bit of a libertine. He enjoys opium and gambling – a combination that soon leads to financial trouble. But he also has a wandering eye. While Eleanor throws herself into her causes, Edward is increasingly drawing away from her.
Although Miss Marx presents as the profile of an early feminist, it rather misses the point. The fact that it seeks to explore Eleanor largely via her relationships with three men – her father, Engels and Edward – is disheartening. Nicchiarelli doesn’t seem to be able to come to grips with Eleanor as a character in her own right. The scenes in which she visits factories are moribund. Eleanor seems to talk a lot – in drawing-room discussions or formal speeches – but I never got a sense of what was actually doing in the movement. Oddly the film’s coda doesn’t wrap up her achievements in any significant way. So I felt like I didn’t really understand her.
Nicchiarelli uses some unconventional techniques – like breaking the fourth wall – but those moments are few. The vast bulk of the film is a very conventional costume drama. So when the left-field moments arrive, they felt a bit cheap to me; a trick to draw attention from the script’s shortcomings.
For all that though, Romola Garai (Suffragette) is excellent in the title role. She gives a fine performance, even down to nailing some of the film’s more bizarre moments. Patrick Kennedy (The Queen’s Gambit) provides an excellent foil for her as the duplicitous but charming Aveling. Those two actors dominate the film, so many of the supporting characters are marginalised. John Gordon Sinclair brings an avuncular charm to the kindly Engels, while Karina Fernandez (The Sense of an Ending) has some nice moments as activist Olive Schreiner.
Although it looks great, I found Miss Marx a missed opportunity. The real story of Eleanor Marx is probably worth its own movie, but I’m not sure this is it. Rather than emulating the punk-rock spirit it posits for the character, this film plays it very safe – so safe that its story about a radical loses any sense of radicalism.
David Edwards
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David Edwards is the editor of The Blurb and a contributor on film and television