Intriguing and creepy, but Rickman fans will love it anyway
The acting is fine, but the story--help! The problem is not Rickman's or Grant's unsavory characters, but the propensity in too many small, independent British films to present lower-middle class characters as if they were slow. The message I get from all these films comes across as snobbish: That people are poor in Britain because they are stupid. But stupidity by itself isn't funny anyway, although that point is lost on producers from both sides of the Ocean. Here, Cate plays a girl who is more than young and naive as the adverts suggest; she is a mentally handicapped and/or emotionally disturbed girl. (The girl's aunt and uncle are also unpleasantly slow.) Cate plays this very well, but her character becomes creepy and rather repulsive. On the other hand, Rickman's and Grant's reaction to her character is what gives this film its interest. Rickman seducing Cate's underage character (she doesn't really look it) isn't creepy at all and is the high point of the film, but maybe that's because it's Rickman that does it. Grant is excellent, playing a different role than usual, and he looks different and slightly goofy here too, a bit like Terry Thomas. But Rickman fans will not want to miss this movie.
A viewing adventure of discovery.
I'd have to concur with many of the reviewers here in their thoughts of this film. I started with certain expectations because of the film adverts. As often happens when a film already has a form in your mind, I had trouble with the lack of synergy between what was described and what I viewed. Had no one said anything but this is a foreign film full of quircky characters and a non-formulaic plot, I'd have enjoyed the first viewing much more. The actors are completely brilliant and if you accept their characters with all their quircky and often sad flaws, this film is more of a tragedy with a cast of eccentric (and often very funny) characters. After setting aside and coming back to it, I found I really enoyed this movie. And it's true, each viewing seems to show another layer or has me focus on another character. Rickman's performance is stellar...no pun intended. :-) And incredible that a woman the age of (rumor has it) at least 30+ if not 40's) was able to carry off the role of the very affecting Stella.
I love Hugh Grant's character who appears to be the 'bad guy' but finally you're left wondering if he didn't just speed along the inevitable. He's still a bit of a conundrum, because he's surely written to be unlikable but is that a challenge to the moviegoer to see past the veneer, or is the veneer all their is...hmm... Oy I'm getting dizzy. :-)
I really think this rates high in the quicky foreign film category and perhaps not quite an Ameilie but certainly had it been marketed more in that vein the right audience and movie would have found each other!
I'd only recommend this movie to those that like the unusual films that are to the left of the main shelves kind of buried in the back row and you love making that great gem of a find that you feel like no one knows about! :-) Hope this helped a bit with making a decision about buying it. It's available in VHS formate for a bit less, especially used, if you're having trouble with the commitment to the DVD price. Happy viewing!
A Lovely, Sad Movie... woefully misleading adverts
This is an excellent film, moving, sad, even tragic. It is NOT a "warm hearted comedy," as it says on the back of the DVD. And it certainly is not "hilarious". The blurb on the cover is quite possibly the most misleading I have ever come across. Despite that, it is a lovely film. It is a solid, serious British drama, with an excellent all round cast. The humour where present is decidedly low key. Its predominant mood is one of sadness and loss, there is warmth to be sure, but certainly not what is projected on the cover or in the trailer. One wonders why the publicists chose to so misrepresent such a fine film. Was it because they were worried its serious and even dark nature would put off the popcorn munchers? Perhaps it would have been better if they had. Then we wouldn't have been saddled with so many negative reviews from viewers who naturally felt short-changed. Then again, this is not a movie that American audiences would readily take to.
Set in 1947, it tells the story of a 16 year old girl, Stella (Georgina Cates), abandoned at birth by a wayward mother and brought up by her aunt and uncle, who aspires to join the Theatre. Into this milieu she willingly plunges herself. She encounters sordid seedy characters. She takes on menial tasks without pay. She embraces all with a gushing eager naivete. She falls for the stage director (Hugh Grant) who in her young innocence she doesn't realise actually has a preference for boys. She then latches on to an aging Lothario (Alan Rickman) who does appreciate young girls. In this darkness in which she finds herself, past and present intersect. The absent mother she faithfully places a call to everyday, the same mother who gave her away years ago, becomes the silent confidant of her hopes and fears. The aging Rickman character constantly pines for his own past even as he happily deflowers the young girl. The stage director's sordid history of seducing and then spurning young men finally comes to a head. All combine to create an air of loss and decay. A nice touch was the use of a lone flute playing "The Last Rose Of Summer" whenever the Rickman character thinks back to his lost love. If you know the song, it perfectly encapsulates the mood of this movie. And yes there is a twist at the end, but if you have been paying attention, it won't come as too much of a shock. Although the prudes and the self-righteous will as usual recoil in moral outrage.
New Line Entertainment has given us a fine if bare-bones DVD. The film is transferred in it's original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 (enhanced for widescreen TV). Picure quality is good, clean and clear with natural warm colors. Black levels are just right. Audio includes the original stereo plus both DTS and Dolby 5.1 remixes. Excellent presentation. There are even optional English subtitles for people who can't get round the British accents. Thank goodness not everybody makes sanitized, Hollywood dross.
Like many, probably most, people checking out this DVD, I got it because Alan Rickman is in it and I often (though not always) enjoy watching his performances. From the perspective of watching Rickman practicing the craft of acting (I know that sound god-awful pretentious), I was not disappointed. This movie is almost like a play with 3 performers. The performances are almost entirely what carries the film -- settings, props, cinematography, are secondary compared to most films. The script calls for the performances to be ambiguous -- appearances are always deceiving, and it was interesting to see how the actors achieved this.
The DVD includes a commentary by the director. Basically, you can watch the movie with a voice-over by the director about how scenes were done,... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Adam Coleman Howard DVD Release Date: Released the 21 August 2001 This item is currently not available.
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I liked this movie ! It has everything. character developement could have been better. maybe longer movie? I like Clive ,Reeves new too me(i`ve ordered 2 more of her movies) It was a hard subject to make a movie about.Reeves would have been Greater with just a LUST story. Wish thet would have pushed the envelope more ! ! (incest has been here since Adam an Eve) More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Alan Rickman - Clive Owen Director(s): Stephen Poliakoff DVD Release Date: Released the 14 October 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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The first two episodes of this BBC miniseries only hint at the delights to come. A lawsuit aimed at church reform in the town of Barchester forces a decent middle-aged clergyman (the august Donald Pleasence, best known in the U.S. for the Halloween movies) into a moral crisis and a conflict with his son-in-law, a pompous archdeacon (Nigel Hawthorne, The Madness of King George). The gracefully written and acted narrative shows glimpses of dry wit--but in episode 3, the arrival of a new bishop (Clive Swift, Keeping Up Appearances), his imperious wife (Geraldine McEwan, The Magdalene Sisters), and his devious chaplain (Alan Rickman, Truly Madly Deeply, the Harry Potter movies) launches The Barchester Chronicles into a satirical power... More Info about this DVD Director(s): David Giles (III) DVD Release Date: Released the 25 January 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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...okay, I am biased. I love everything Alan Rickman has done. I did do investigation of Mesmer before watching the movie in order to know what type of character he was portraying. The entire subject was intreguing. It brings to light the inadequancies of medicine during this time. The lack of common sense is appalling. BLEEDING people??? I don't think so. He brought to light the connection between a person's body and mind. Making them work together. The blindness of Maria Theresa, obviously a result of her fathers physical abuse of her at an early age, was sad because he could have cured her, but she was taken away by the money grubbers too soon. Yes, I was enthralled and hated to see it end. More Info about this DVD Director(s): Roger Spottiswoode DVD Release Date: Released the 05 August 2003 Usually ships within 24 hours
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Something the Lord Made recounts the relationship between Dr. Alfred Blalock (Alan Rickman) and Vivian Thomas (Mos Def). It begins in 1930s Nashville when imperious cardiac surgeon Blalock hires Thomas, an African American carpenter, as his janitor. When the latter reveals a passion for medicine and facility with surgical instruments, Blalock promotes him to lab tech. Thomas isn't given a raise, works side jobs to make ends meet, and is expected to be grateful. Along the way, he follows Blalock from Vanderbilt to Johns Hopkins, where they save thousands of lives through their pioneering work, but will Thomas ever get any credit? The film provides a satisfying answer to that question. Joseph Sargent (A Lesson Before Dying) directs with subtlety and intelligence, while Rickman... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Joseph Sargent DVD Release Date: Released the 25 January 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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