The Changeling (1974)

When her father (Alan Webb) attempts to force her into a marriage to a man (Malcolm Reynolds) she doesn't love, a young woman (Helen Mirren) coerces a servant (Stanley Baker) into murdering the groom. But when she discovers that it isn't money he wants for payment but her, it spirals downward into tragedy. Based on the 1622 play by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley and directed by Anthony Page. Jacobean tragedy is an acquired taste and it's not for everyone but THE CHANGELING is a good place to start if you're unfamiliar with the genre. While its outlook on morality and sin may seem too black and white for contemporary audiences, as a theatrical piece it can be riveting if done right. This production is quite well done although Stanley Baker seems miscast. His character is supposed to be physically repugnant and thus unattractive which the ruggedly handsome Baker is not. No "ugly" make up has been applied to Baker so you wonder why Mirren's character finds him repulsive. Other than that, it plays well. There is another parallel story, which could be called a subplot I suppose, set in an insane asylum that doesn't work for me and I found myself annoyed whenever the narrative changed to that setting. With Brian Cox, Frances Tomelty, Susan Penhaligon and T.P. McKenna.