(**Some very minor spoilers)
An excellent and very accurate adaptation of A.S. Byatt's ("Possession") novella, "Morpho Eugenia", which was published along with her "Conjugal Angel" under the title "Angels and Insects".
The story basically takes the traditional "plain governess" story that we are familiar with from countless romances, but especially "Jane Eyre", and subverts it, bringing in modern concepts of sexuality, genetics and incest to what is traditionally a very discreet and modest literary genre. The brilliant young actor Mark Rylance (he's also the Artistic Director of the restored Globe Theatre in London) stars as a mid-19th century naturalist who is forced into a lowly teaching position on a estate, when a tragic turn of events destroys his life's work of insect studies in South America. At the house, is a plain but brilliant young governess (Kristen Scott Thomas) but he overlooks her for the aristocratic daughter of the family (Patsy Kensit), who is traditionally blond and gorgeous. Initially blinded by the erotic quality of their marriage, he is gradually drawn into a web of lies and deception by the corrupt aristocratic family.
A few reviewers have commented on the loud and gaudy costumes of the film. Although the designers are taking a few liberties, and clearly want us to associate the costumes with various insects, like bees, in fact they are not as bizarre as first impression would indicate. We often think that 19th century costumes were very grim and dark, but this is largely because we only see them in B&W photos of the period, or the few faded examples that have survived. In fact, the bright fabric dyes of the period WERE very loud and gaudy, and the taste of the time was for big prints, contrasting colors and lots of elaborate fringes, ruffles, etc. (I studied fashion history in design school, and I can vouch for this!) It IS startling, because we have been largely misled by "tasteful" costume dramas, but I found the picture of the 19th century represented here to be fresh and authentic.
Since many contemporary domestic films and TV movies have dealt with the theme of incest, it may not strike some viewers as all that shocking or extraordinary, but in the tightly repressed Victorian era, such things would be deeply hidden and repressed, and even more so -- never spoken of, which would guarantee that such things would continue to go on, only in secret.
I think whether or not this film (or the novella for that matter) touches you, depends on whether you identify with the idea of the "plain jane" who has to inevitably watch the man she desires reject her and choose the prettiest girl. Since these actions result in tragedy and disaster, and the "plain jane" ends up triumphing and getting her man in the end, "Angels and Insects" is following basic romantic novel tradition, with a few highly original and unusual quirks along the way.
I personally enjoyed it very much on this level -- however, there may be people (especially some men) who find this sort of thing mind-numbing, and the few graphic sex scenes will not be enough to keep them from running screaming out of the room. So -- make a judgment call on those grounds, but for the right type of viewer, this is intelligent and interesting film-making.
An excellent and very accurate adaptation of A.S. Byatt's ("Possession") novella, "Morpho Eugenia", which was published along with her "Conjugal Angel" under the title "Angels and Insects".
The story basically takes the traditional "plain governess" story that we are familiar with from countless romances, but especially "Jane Eyre", and subverts it, bringing in modern concepts of sexuality, genetics and incest to what is traditionally a very discreet and modest literary genre. The brilliant young actor Mark Rylance (he's also the Artistic Director of the restored Globe Theatre in London) stars as a mid-19th century naturalist who is forced into a lowly teaching position on a estate, when a tragic turn of events destroys his life's work of insect studies in South America. At the house, is a plain but brilliant young governess (Kristen Scott Thomas) but he overlooks her for the aristocratic daughter of the family (Patsy Kensit), who is traditionally blond and gorgeous. Initially blinded by the erotic quality of their marriage, he is gradually drawn into a web of lies and deception by the corrupt aristocratic family.
A few reviewers have commented on the loud and gaudy costumes of the film. Although the designers are taking a few liberties, and clearly want us to associate the costumes with various insects, like bees, in fact they are not as bizarre as first impression would indicate. We often think that 19th century costumes were very grim and dark, but this is largely because we only see them in B&W photos of the period, or the few faded examples that have survived. In fact, the bright fabric dyes of the period WERE very loud and gaudy, and the taste of the time was for big prints, contrasting colors and lots of elaborate fringes, ruffles, etc. (I studied fashion history in design school, and I can vouch for this!) It IS startling, because we have been largely misled by "tasteful" costume dramas, but I found the picture of the 19th century represented here to be fresh and authentic.
Since many contemporary domestic films and TV movies have dealt with the theme of incest, it may not strike some viewers as all that shocking or extraordinary, but in the tightly repressed Victorian era, such things would be deeply hidden and repressed, and even more so -- never spoken of, which would guarantee that such things would continue to go on, only in secret.
I think whether or not this film (or the novella for that matter) touches you, depends on whether you identify with the idea of the "plain jane" who has to inevitably watch the man she desires reject her and choose the prettiest girl. Since these actions result in tragedy and disaster, and the "plain jane" ends up triumphing and getting her man in the end, "Angels and Insects" is following basic romantic novel tradition, with a few highly original and unusual quirks along the way.
I personally enjoyed it very much on this level -- however, there may be people (especially some men) who find this sort of thing mind-numbing, and the few graphic sex scenes will not be enough to keep them from running screaming out of the room. So -- make a judgment call on those grounds, but for the right type of viewer, this is intelligent and interesting film-making.