I love this movie. It's an acquired taste to be sure, but it's all there
if you're willing to visit. I'm a big fan of Whartons book, so I was
almost looking for it to let me down, and it didn't which is rare. The
supporting players are all perfectly cast. Dan Aykroyd is a great Gus
Trenor, unexpectedly turning from friend to foe with a smile that
lingers a bit too long. Anthony LaPaglia is a wonderful Sim Rosedale,
although why they avoided his Jewishness is a mystery to me- the only
nod to politically correct revisionist history in the film. Laura Linney
is an icy Bertha Dorset, all smiles and warmth till you cross her, and
Elizabeth McGovern is the perfect Carry Fisher (no, not the one from
Star Wars) the woman who fascilitates everything. But the film belongs
to Gillian Anderson and Eric Stoltz. Stoltz is the perfect Seldon- all
repressed passion and loving desire coupled with inaction and a ghostly
demeanor that is just as Wharton wrote him- it's a difficult role that
we rarely see in films these days, the 'passive lover'; he's the
equivalent of a female supporting role in that he does nothing to help
her but love her, and I believed every minute of their screen time
together and was quite moved by it. The scene where he lets her lean
down and kiss him (this is framed, interestingly enough, with Anderson
on top and as the aggressor) was wonderful. And Anderson surprises and
delights throughout, throwing herself into the role of Lily Bart like
she's never thrown herself into a role before. I've seen the X-files
once or twice, I'm not a huge fan of the show (I'm not really into
sci-fi) but what Ms. Anderson does here is so wonderful and unexpected
that it took my breath away. Her Lily Bart is conflicted and needy and
beautiful, so torn by her circumstances that she doesn't know where to
turn, and this is all shown on Andersons face at any given moment. I
particularly loved the way she smoked, or held her umbrella, seemingly
non-chalant but actually quite studied, as if everything she does, every
movement she makes is designed somehow to get her what she wants. It's a
terrific performance, and it holds the movie together. She has clearly
joined the ranks of the major American actresses with this role. The
photography is gorgeous and the music (what little of it there is) is
just perfect. My one wish was that it moved along a little faster, at
times it felt rather indulgent, but then again it gave me time to soak
in the fantastic scenery. This is not your MTV Wharton, it expects you
to sit with it and think on it and not be afraid of the fact that in
1905, things moved much slower. After fighting with it for a while, I
gave in and had a wonderful time.
A great film, surprisingly relevant, and well worth seeing.
if you're willing to visit. I'm a big fan of Whartons book, so I was
almost looking for it to let me down, and it didn't which is rare. The
supporting players are all perfectly cast. Dan Aykroyd is a great Gus
Trenor, unexpectedly turning from friend to foe with a smile that
lingers a bit too long. Anthony LaPaglia is a wonderful Sim Rosedale,
although why they avoided his Jewishness is a mystery to me- the only
nod to politically correct revisionist history in the film. Laura Linney
is an icy Bertha Dorset, all smiles and warmth till you cross her, and
Elizabeth McGovern is the perfect Carry Fisher (no, not the one from
Star Wars) the woman who fascilitates everything. But the film belongs
to Gillian Anderson and Eric Stoltz. Stoltz is the perfect Seldon- all
repressed passion and loving desire coupled with inaction and a ghostly
demeanor that is just as Wharton wrote him- it's a difficult role that
we rarely see in films these days, the 'passive lover'; he's the
equivalent of a female supporting role in that he does nothing to help
her but love her, and I believed every minute of their screen time
together and was quite moved by it. The scene where he lets her lean
down and kiss him (this is framed, interestingly enough, with Anderson
on top and as the aggressor) was wonderful. And Anderson surprises and
delights throughout, throwing herself into the role of Lily Bart like
she's never thrown herself into a role before. I've seen the X-files
once or twice, I'm not a huge fan of the show (I'm not really into
sci-fi) but what Ms. Anderson does here is so wonderful and unexpected
that it took my breath away. Her Lily Bart is conflicted and needy and
beautiful, so torn by her circumstances that she doesn't know where to
turn, and this is all shown on Andersons face at any given moment. I
particularly loved the way she smoked, or held her umbrella, seemingly
non-chalant but actually quite studied, as if everything she does, every
movement she makes is designed somehow to get her what she wants. It's a
terrific performance, and it holds the movie together. She has clearly
joined the ranks of the major American actresses with this role. The
photography is gorgeous and the music (what little of it there is) is
just perfect. My one wish was that it moved along a little faster, at
times it felt rather indulgent, but then again it gave me time to soak
in the fantastic scenery. This is not your MTV Wharton, it expects you
to sit with it and think on it and not be afraid of the fact that in
1905, things moved much slower. After fighting with it for a while, I
gave in and had a wonderful time.
A great film, surprisingly relevant, and well worth seeing.