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by Lynda Del Sasso
Quills
US/Germany 2000, Cert. 18
Director: Philip Kaufman
Rating ***
At the turn of the 19th
century, the Marquis De Sade (Geoffrey Rush) is imprisoned in
an asylum near Paris, where he vents his frustration by
penning sexually explicit stories. When his novel 'Justine' is
smuggled out by laundry girl Madeleine (Kate Winslet) and
published, Napoleon orders infamous torturer Dr Royer-Collard
(Michael Caine) to put a stop to De Sade's writings. The
priest who runs the asylum, Coulmier (Joaquin Pheonix) tries
to protect De Sade, and orders his quills removed, but De
Sade's urge to write is insatiable.
Doug Wright, dramatist of the
play Quills and adapter of this screen version, has called his
work fiction based on elements of fact. How much is 'fact' we
are never sure, except that the Marquis was imprisoned in
asylums during the last years of his life, and he did strike
up a friendship with the priest Coulmier - although, unlike
Joaquin Pheonix, the real Coulmier was a four-foot-tall
hunchback.
Director Philip Kaufman (The
Right Stuff, The Unbearable Lightness of Being), obviously
fascinated with his subject, ladles on the Gothic by the
ornate-iron-shovel load, so by the end, the audience may well
believe that dripping dungeons, insanity, rape, torture,
mutilation, bawdy buxom wenches, toothless hulks, dark
eroticism, eye-gouging and torture were quite the thing in
19th century France.
Quills begins well, but like
the Marquis himself, soon deteriorates into chaos and madness
and by the third act, the plot definitely has been lost.
However there are some sharp, funny lines and the actors'
performances are superb.
Rush's De Sade is a complex,
contradictory and tormented character, while Kate Winslet is
warm and appealing as the laundress; both performances are
worthy of Oscar nominations. An impressive supporting cast
includes Billie Whitelaw, Patrick Malahide, and Edward
Tudor-Pole.
Odeon from Feb 2, Duke of York's from Feb 9
Almost Famous
US 2000, Cert. 15
Director: Cameron Crowe
Rating * * *
 In 1970s America, William
Miller (Patrick Fugit) is a 15-year-old aspiring music
journalist. Wangling a writing assignment for Rolling Stone
magazine, he travels on tour with the fast-rising rock band
Stillwater, sharing their experiences, befriending their
groupies and generally learning about life.
Newcomers Russell Hammond and Patrick Fugit display their
considerable talents, as does Kate Hudson, whose screen
charisma is strong. Her central performance as rock groupie
Penny Lane is utterly charming, inevitably inviting comparison
with her mother Goldie Hawn. Also featuring Philip Seymour
Hoffman as the late rock journalist Lester Bangs and Frances
McDormand as William's over-protective mother Elaine.
Director and screenwriter
Cameron Crowe based the story on his own experiences as a 70s
rock journalist, and the attention to detail is terrific.
Enjoyable, if a little sentimental, this is a gentle,
unpretentious tale of a boy's adventures in the rock world,
slightly reminiscent of TV's The Wonder Years.
Odeon from Feb 2
State and Main
US 2000, Cert. 15
Director: David Mamet
Rating * * *
 A big-budget movie crew
descends upon the quaint New England town of Waterford to
shoot a feature film entitled 'The Old Mill'. The production
team, headed by director Walt Price (William H. Macy), is
under pressure. Having been evicted from their original
location due to the sexual misbehavings of the main star,
everyone is aware that shooting needs to start quickly if they
are to stay within budget.
The lead female, played with
relish by Sarah Jessica Parker, suddenly comes over coy and
declares herself unwilling to play a nude scene, while the
male lead (Alec Baldwin) soon drops into his habit of pursuing
under-age girls.
Screenwriter Joe White (Philip
Seymour Hoffman in sensitive mode) is asked to revise his
screenplay of The Old Mill when it transpires that the local
mill is not available for location shooting, having burned
down some years previously. Searching for a typewriter, he
meets bookshop owner Ann Black (Rebecca Pidgeon) who offers
him some helpful editorial tips. A touching romance blossoms,
but Ann is engaged to a town politician who then decides to
fight the film crew.
Aggressive producer Marty
(David Paymer) drops in to apply some powers of persuasion to
the stars, to hush up embarrassing incidents and to threaten
anyone who gets in the way, meanwhile the socially-ambitious
wife of the town mayor is sparing no expense in planning a
ludicrously over-the-top dinner for the glitzy Hollywood types
who have descended on the town.
Most of the humour lies in the
dialogue, and those interested in the process of movie-making
will adore this cutting, satirical take on the farce that
often accompanies Hollywood film-making.
Duke of York's from Feb 16
copyright New Insight 2001
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