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| 1. The Lion King Director: Rob Minkoff, Roger Allers | |
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Amazon.com essential video Reviews (339)
With both Lion King and Sleeping Beauty being newly released on DVD right now, if you can only get one of them, there is no question this is by far the better choice. The impressive animation, the story, the fantastic sound, the extras are all superior in this Lion King package. This still isn't my favorite Disney release (Roger Rabbit will always have that honor), but maybe top 5--certainly top 8. Lion King Platinum is well worth the investment for your DVD collection. Your family will get many years of enjoyment from it.
Simba is a young lion in the Serengeti(they call it the Pride Lands though) who just can't wait to be king. However, he's a mischievous little cub who gets into trouble a bit easy. When a terrible tragedy strikes, Simba exiles himself where he meets a warthog and meerkat and develops a carefree lifestyle. Now an adult, he returns to the Pride Lands to reclaim the throne from his evil uncle, Scar. Sounds a bit like Hamlet huh? But you won't care. Many impossibly catchy songs, funny moments and jokes and words that even appeal to adults(do you really think a kid would understand "illustrating the differences in your royal mangerial approaches"? Exactly.) Voice acting is top notch, animation is absolutely gorgeous, and it's done by hand by the way, none of that Finding Nemo/Toy Story/A Bug's Life CGI stuff. There's a reason why this is considered the best Disney film but you owe it to yourself to find out why.
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| 2. The Lion King - Special Edition Director: Rob Minkoff, Roger Allers | |
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Amazon.com essential video Reviews (339)
With both Lion King and Sleeping Beauty being newly released on DVD right now, if you can only get one of them, there is no question this is by far the better choice. The impressive animation, the story, the fantastic sound, the extras are all superior in this Lion King package. This still isn't my favorite Disney release (Roger Rabbit will always have that honor), but maybe top 5--certainly top 8. Lion King Platinum is well worth the investment for your DVD collection. Your family will get many years of enjoyment from it.
Simba is a young lion in the Serengeti(they call it the Pride Lands though) who just can't wait to be king. However, he's a mischievous little cub who gets into trouble a bit easy. When a terrible tragedy strikes, Simba exiles himself where he meets a warthog and meerkat and develops a carefree lifestyle. Now an adult, he returns to the Pride Lands to reclaim the throne from his evil uncle, Scar. Sounds a bit like Hamlet huh? But you won't care. Many impossibly catchy songs, funny moments and jokes and words that even appeal to adults(do you really think a kid would understand "illustrating the differences in your royal mangerial approaches"? Exactly.) Voice acting is top notch, animation is absolutely gorgeous, and it's done by hand by the way, none of that Finding Nemo/Toy Story/A Bug's Life CGI stuff. There's a reason why this is considered the best Disney film but you owe it to yourself to find out why.
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| 3. M Butterfly Director: David Cronenberg | |
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Amazon.com essential video Reviews (16)
Jeremy Irons is cast as Rene Gallimard. John Lone, who was actually trained in the Beijing opera and who played the title role in The Last Emperor, is cast as Song Liling. He is not a convincing female but I feel this was the director's intent. The story is, after all, about Gallimard's blind obsession in his desire for the perfect woman. Both Irons' and Lone's performances are magnificent. Both are tragic and sympathetic characters caught up in history. The theme is also about the role of men and women as well as Communist China and the cultural revolution. Great cinematography and setting brings us to the heart of China which is going through its growing pains. Deception and betrayal are everywhere, not just between the two leading characters involved in the romance. I was unprepared to like the video as much as I did. It did not do well at the box office, I knew the theme in advance and felt it would strain my belief system. However, I was swept away in the story and the excellent performances and had no trouble overlooking its flaws. Of course the author took dramatic license and created a ending that played like an opera, but who is to blame him; the story itself just cried out for theatrics. Recommended as an interesting departure from the ordinary.
Jeremy Irons, a wonderful actor no matter what role he plays, makes for an astounding Rene Gallimard. Less sarcastic than John Lithgow, who created the role on Broadway, Irons gives new depth and intensity to the frustrated, naive accountant. The dramatic depth to John Lone's Song Liling is equal to Irons and equal in departure from BD Wong's somewhat giggly Broadway portrayal of the Chinese diva. A great deal of "s" words can be used to describe David Cronenberg's film, the top of that list including subtle and sexy. The tone is set, mostly, by the score--which includes traditional-sounding Chinese music and variations of Puccini's Madame Butterfly (especially the recurring theme of "Un Bel Di")--and the scenery (shot in the Far East and Budapest). The ubiquitous soft red and gold tones add to the seductive, nearly erotic edge of the film, all of which culminate at the end. I don't want to give any of it away, mainly because when I saw the movie I had already read and seen the play, and there is so much more meaning to realize the end with Rene, but I will say that it is moving to the point of tears. Not necessarily because of the outcome, but more in how the actors play it and how the director has realized it. If you have ANY interest in purchasing this film (especially if you have any experience with Hwang's stage play), by all means buy it. It won't disappoint.
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| 4. The Man in the Iron Mask Director: Randall Wallace | |
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Amazon.com Reviews (168)
Unlike the earlier "Three Musketeers" released by Disney (featuring Oliver Platt, Charlie Sheen, Chris O'Donnel and Kiefer Sutherland), which was aimed at a younger audience, "Iron Mask" is aimed at a more sophisticated adult audience. It aims past the raucus swashbuckling (although there is plenty of action to satisfy) and strives toward deeper character development in an almost introspective manner. From d'Artagnan's severe sense of duty to Aramis' penitence to Athos' alternating joie de vivre and ennui to Portos' fatherly love, with an underlying religous tone, the "Iron Mask" underscores the human struggle toward virtue and a supernatural code of morality. The cast, including Jeremy Irons, Gabriel Byrne, Gerard Depardieu, John Malkovich and DiCaprio) is superb - with the exception that Malkovich's characteristic American accent seems out of place juxtaposed to the more British and French tinge of his fellow musketeers; and, more importantly, that the young DiCaprio (who has since matured) has yet to 'come of age' as an actor in this movie. The direction by "Braveheart"'s Randall Wallace is outstanding, with good cinematography and composition, well-planned pacing and a well-written and edited screenplay adaptation of the work. Of course, the credit to the success of this movie is that the original work by Dumas is a page-turner literary classic! I highly recommend reading the complete trilogy: "The Three Musketeers," "Twenty Years After" and "The Man in the Iron Mask." For hands-down the best translation of a Dumas work to film, I highly recommend "The Count of Monte Cristo," featuring the excellent Jim Caviezel.
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| 5. Lolita Director: Adrian Lyne | |
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Reviews (122)
Jeremy Irons is perfectly cast as Humbert, and captures the kind of clueless social fumbling and bumbling which is a large part of the character in the novel. Humbert is not comfortable around people of any age. Domenique Swain, in her first role, pulls off an acceptable version of the title character, both vulnerable and crafty. Although Frank Langella is no Peter Sellers, his rendition of Clare Quilty is much more realistic and true to the novel - even the over-the-top death scene with the ballet-like movements and red spit-bubble is almost straight from the book. A real problem was casting Melanie Griffith as Charlotte - unfortunately she was completely wrong for the part - being too shrill and light. The cinematography was excellent. The feeling of travel - 27,000 miles in the course of a couple years, and geography plays a substantial part in the book, and was well represented in the movie. Beautiful score by Morricone, who also did the well-regarded "The Mission" score. For all the good things in the movie, the same three things in both the Lyne and Kubrick versions bother me, as I feel it robs Humbert of some nuance to his character: The title cards at the end detailing the demise of the characters was a cheap out in both versions of the movie. Had there been a narration of the last page over, say, a scene of Humbert writing in jail (which in the novel is where the book is written in 56 days of captivity), I'd give this movie 5 stars. The DVD has a lot of extras including a commentary, rehearsal footage and 8 deleted scenes. Nothing replaces the book, and I suggest the "Annotated Lolita" version which has 140 pages of notes, helping with the nuances in the complex, convoluted novel.
I don't hold these faults to the actors. I think Adrian Lyne, the director is responsible for the films flaws. For one thing, he seems to want to make Lolita look as unattractive as possible every chance he gets. She takes out her retainer before performing oral sex on Humbert, and is frequently seen munching on bananas and getting milk mustaches. Also in one scene, we see Lolita sitting diown, laughing as she reads a comic book. The camera moves away to reveal that Humbert is making love to her. This and other scenes make the relationship between Humbert and Lolita repulsive, and if you're going to make a film based on Lolita, their relationship can't be portrayed as disgusting. The audience must be made to feel the love that Humbert has for this girl. It only partially succeeds. Irons also fails most in the ending scene where Lolita tells Humbert that she never loved him. Irons merely cries for two seconds and leaves. James Mason in Kubrick's version is much more moving. I also have a problem with the fact that Lyne seems to have duplicated the Kubrick film shot by shot in that scene. My last qualm is that this adaption is nearly completely devoid of humor, which is an essential aspect of Nabokov's story. Melanie Griffiths gives a fine performance as Charlotte Haze, but she is given far too little screen time. Frank Langella as Quilty is also quite amusing, too bad he only gets ten minutes to show it. Thus, when a 17 year old Lolita reveals to Humbert that it was Quilty who put her away, we don't care. It should be a revelation, but it is not. Quilty's death scene offers an infusion of black humor, but it is too little, too late. Jeremy Irons last few scenes as an emotionally broken Humbert are very moving though. I give this movie three stars because for all of its faults, it is involving and does deserve to be seen and compared with Stanley Kubrick's 1962 adaption. Even though it falls short when compared to it.
Some critics claim "Lolita" is a true love story. I disagree. Dominique Swain is beautiful and incredibly sexy; and Irons wants to possess her. Realistically, this can not be, so conflict, and ultimately death, ensue. In "Pretty Baby," Brooke Shields is stunningly beautiful, adorably so, but not sexy, although she becomes a child prostitute. While Swain obviously knows exactly what is on men's minds, Shields portrays a child playing at the sex trade. Ultimately, her photographer-lover lets her go on to a normal childhood, just as earlier he freed the bird trapped in the whore-house. This is love. Athough both films are visually beautiful, in "Pretty Baby," Sven Nyquist's cimematography is transcendentally so. His shots of Brooke Shields posing for her photographer-lover are like peering into the tender, throbbing core of life itself.
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| 6. The Mission Director: Roland Joffé | |
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Amazon.com Reviews (158)
The Mission directed by Roland Joffe is the story of the struggle between theocracy and theodicy. Ironically the church has the mission to bring theodicy to the world and it does this through the message of God's Love and Forgiveness. It tries to accomplish this through the sending out of missionaries, in this case the Jesuit priests, to tell the story and bring others to the knowledge of God's Love and Forgiveness. Tragically politics and greed for power in the hierarchy of the church (in this case the Roman Catholic Church) brings about a situation where the people of God are killed supposedly in the name of God. This story opens and ends with Cardinal Altamirano (Ray McAnally) dictating a letter to the Pope informing him of the events that had transpired after giving church missions in South America over to the Spaniards and Portuguese. The nature of the setting is beautiful. Views of the waterfalls are breath-taking and spectacular. The message of theodicy is played out in the story involving two main characters Father Gabriel (Jeremy Irons) and Rodrigo Mendoza (Robert De Niro). Father Gabriel brings theocracy to the Natives of South America. At the beginning of our story Rodrigo is a slave trader who undergoes a traumatic conversion experience and serves those whom he had sold into slavery before. His story of transformation is one of heartache, murder, repentance and extreme penance which he imposes upon himself. It is the forgiveness and acceptance of those who he former hunted that sets him feel to serve both God and the Natives. Another film that shows a similar vein of acceptance after tragedy is the classic movie Hawaii (1966) based on James Michener. Rev. Hale accepts the Native Hawaiians as he begins to mellow in the aftermath of his losses. In Rodrigo's case is his acceptance by the tribe that helps them to fight against the imposed theocracy of the Cardinal later on. At issue here, in spite of the beautifully portrayal of conversion to Christianity of the Native people of South America, is the imposed will of governing forces of politics around greed ownership of land. Yet this was done under the auspices of the Church as God's Will, which is called theocracy. The people of the land had no say, they were the conquered, to be exploited and were considered as chattel, for them there was not theodicy. Their willingness to share and work for the common good of all, even though a principle of Christianity was considered a threat to the economy of others with political clout. Because they would not give up that which they had worked for, they were condemned to death. When Cardinal Atlamirno orders them to leave the Mission; they wanted to know why? His answer was that they had to submit to the will of God. Their answer was had God changed his mind? They were doing what they had been taught was God's will for them. Theodicy was not served as there was no justification in this case.
Roland Joffe, the director, pulls few punches. The film opens with the dictation of a letter to the Pope by a prominent religious figure, Altamirano, who has just undergone the events that will transpire in the film, and we learn that these events are not pleasant: "the local savages are now free to be enslaved by his Holiness . . ." These events "were brought about" by the horrifying martyrdom of a Jesuit priest, who had journeyed to the "uncivilized" lands of the Indians above the falls (and what falls!). The local Indians, apparently rejecting his Christian teachings, crucify him and toss him into a river . . . a river that soon flows to the falls, and the descending cross is one of the most haunting images you will ever see on film. In response, another Jesuit priest, Gabriel (Jeremy Irons) heads above the falls, and uses his music (score by Ennio Morricone of "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" fame) to win the trust of the locals. Soon he is preaching the Word of God among them. Unfortunately, the slaver/mercenary Rodrigo Mendoza (Robert De Niro) is hunting the Indians for slavers. He ominously warns Gabriel about the futility of building a mission among the Indians, and he seizes several. On his return to "civilization" below the falls (the dusty town stands in marked contrast to the lush greenery above the falls), Rodrigo learns that his beloved Carlotta does not love Rodrigo, but has fallen for Rodrigo's younger brother, Felipe (Aiden Quinn). Rodrigo, far from a reasonable sort, kills his brother shortly thereafter in a trumped-up quarrel. Distraught, Rodrigo eventually agrees to do his penance above the falls with Gabriel and his fellow Jesuits (including a young Liam Neeson). Following a tortuous climb above the falls with his lodestone of arms and armor, Rodrigo finds salvation and seeks to become a Jesuit. The mission above the falls takes shape, and all seems to be right with the world. Of course, this is not to be. The slavers need their slaves, and they exert enormous pressure against the church -- the Catholic Church is not as strong as it once was, and the militant Jesuits are becoming a nuisance by sapping the supply of slaves (apparently it is too inconvenient to enslave Christians, so the slavers argue that the Indians are monkeys without souls -- nice). Altamirano agrees to visit both the local mission (a gorgeous, mammoth structure complete with farm and Indian priests) as well as the more primitive mission above the falls . . . which is even more impressive despite (and perhaps because of) it's remoteness. But, politics being politics, the missions are doomed and the Indians will be enslaved. Rodrigo and the younger priests decide to fight, leading to one of the more disturbing battles you will see on-screen. It's not "Saving Private Ryan" in its horrors, but it is emotionally wrenching to see the Jesuits and the Indians fight such in such a foregone conclusion. Even more gut-wrenching is Gabriel, who chooses a non-violent response. In a pitch-perfect performance, Irons emobodies the Jesuit commitment to the simple words of Christ . . . not that it does him or the Indians much good in this world. A haunting spectacle and far from a feel-good movie, "The Mission" deserves full marks for its depiction of a common conflict (Europe versus the New World) in a different setting. A top-notch cast and a wonderfully shot film make this one for the video library. ... Read more | |
| 7. Kafka Director: Steven Soderbergh | |
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Amazon.com Reviews (20)
Franz Kafka (played precisely and with aplomb by Jeremy Irons, in one of his best roles) is an anonymous, numberless bureaucrat laboring in the stifling confines of his office in a shadow-haunted city somewhere in Eastern Europe (the city Soderbergh uses is Prague, which, with its winding cobbled streets and menacing feudal castle, which Soderbergh develops into a major character in its own right). Kafka is intellectually curious, though, and through his writing seeks escape from his wearying job as a clerk and the looming, austere tyranny of his lordly superior, the Chief Clerk (played with leonine reserve and typical brilliance by Sir Alec Guiness). Kafka's work is the stuff of dark conspiratorial nightmare, plots within plots, revolutions brewing and quelled by ranks of faceless secret police, but after he befriends a group of anarchists and revolutionaries led by the mysterious Gabriela (played subtly by Theresa Russell), his life takes a turn for the bizarre, eerily paralleling his literary work, replete with disappearances, mysterious horrible deaths, shadowy night-time pursuits through the streets, and terrible rumors of malign plots hatched in the inaccessible Castle that hulks above the city. "Kafka" is subversive, insidious, breathtakingly beautiful and deliciously creepy work. It is also Soderbergh's best film, slipping as effortlessly between the real and surreal as it does between its black-and-white and color palettes. Soderbergh assembled a team that worked brilliantly together, including cinematographer Walt Lloyd, Set designer Joanne Woollard, and costume designer Michael Jeffery, to work a feat of cinematic magic. The acting here is also uniformly seamless, with Irons alternately purringly subservient and winsomely brave; Irons delivers the goods as a man pushed up against the limitations of his courage. Russell shines in her brief but crucial role, Sir Alec Guinness brings a nice touch of Dickensian gloom to the picture, Armin Mueller-Stahl is note perfect as the sinister but befuddled Police Inspector Grubach, Ian Holm calmly psychotic as the evil Doctor Murnau (Holm uses the same line---"you don't belong here, do you?"---in three films: "From Hell", "Brazil", and this movie) and the great Brian Glover psychotically calm as his beetling, murderous hench-thug. But the standout in "Kafka" is the atmosphere itself, thick with paranoid, horror, and intrigue. This is a movie fraught with secret passages, nitreous oubliettes, forgotten cemeteries, cobbled streets, fog-shrouded squares. All of this is nicely underscored by a haunting soundtrack by Cliff Martinez. "Kafka" is above all a movie where terror stalks the alleys and haunts of the City, terror as Beautiful as it is horrific, because in life the Nightmarish can also be Beautiful. And be warned: this is a truly frightening, grisly film that does its level best to give you nightmares. Kafka's wild flight from a hideous Laughing Man is the scariest sequence I have ever sweated through. Not a biography but a stark and luminous journey into the mind of Franz Kafka, the movie is rich and layered with echoes of "Metamorphosis", "In the Penal Colony", "The Castle" and "The Trial". Take a steadying drink, and slip into its dark streets and deep paranoia. ... Read more | |
| 8. Being Julia Director: István Szabó | |
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Amazon.com Reviews (40)
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| 9. Faeries Director: Gary Hurst | |
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Amazon.com This beautifully animated 75-minute production, which premiered on the Bravo Channel, features bright, bold colors and a picture that's amazingly sharp and clear. Add the voice talents of well-known stars such as Kate Winslet, Jeremy Irons, and Dougray Scott (Mission: Impossible 2), and you've got a video with widespread appeal. So what are you waiting for? Flitter on in to Faeryland! (Ages 3 and older) --Tami Horiuchi Reviews (5)
The animation is different from what you might expect. It's nothing like the mega-budget eye candy typically put out by Disney, Dreamworks, and other media giants. (Some of us actually consider that a plus.) "Faeries" uses a combination of 2-D hand-drawn animation and very simple 3-D, flying-toaster-like computer animation. The result, as I said, is quite different. But it's not unpleasant, and I found myself getting quite used to it after only a few minutes. So while the animation technique is unusual and more economical than some, the artists use it well, and the result is a beautiful and effective piece of visual story-telling. The voice acting is also very good, with excellent performances all around. And it's fun to recognize the voices of the three adult stars (Kate Winslet as Brigid, Jeremy Irons as Shapeshifter, and Dougray Scott as the Prince). All-in-all, it's a fine piece of work. But since not all people enjoy this sort of thing, I'll just say this: If you don't get it... don't get it. The rest of us will enjoy a great show!
The voice acting is very good, with fine performances all around, and it's fun to recognize the voices of the three adult stars (Kate Winslet, Jeremy Irons, and Dougray Scott). The story itself I found engrossing, despite its very simple plot which is geared toward a child's pace and grasp of conflict. It is magical and has an ample number of twists, not unlike "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," which also takes place in England in roughly the same time period. And importaly, this particular fairy story enjoys the distinct advantage of NOT being two-hundred years old. So for younger children (and for the young at heart), I definitely recommend "Faeries." For people not so easly enchanted, perhaps you'll want to think it over more carefully before buying it.
the main characters are air heads, all except the red haired female lead who does all the work, (she saves her brother and endes up with an ulcer at the end of the film) the story line is simple enough to entertain 7- down, the bright colours are atractive as are the fairies. Not family fun !Interesting for little kids only! ... Read more | |
| 10. The House of the Spirits Director: Bille August | |
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Amazon.com Reviews (26)
The film delicately captures the mysticism of the book, rendering those scenes in which such is the focal point highly believable. This is no mean feat given the subject matter. The story takes place in South America. The saga begins in the nineteen thirties. Vanessa Redgrave and Armin Muehler-Stahl play the wealthy and liberal parents of two daughters, Rosa and Clara Del Valle. Rosa is the beautiful, older daughter. Clara, played by Meryl Streep's real life daughter, is a lovely child with exceptional, psychic gifts. Jeremy Irons plays the part of Esteban Trueba, an impoverished young man in love with Rosa. Vowing to make his fortune in order to marry her and provide her with the comforts to which she is accustomed, he succeeds in making his fortune. He loses Rosa, however, before being able to marry her, when she drinks poisoned wine intended for her liberal party father. Esteban, broken hearted, leaves with his fortune and buys an estancia, where he sternly rules with an iron fist over the peasants who work the land for him. They obsequiously refer to him as "Patron". He takes what he wants, even the women, with the expected result. He has a bastard son whom he does not acknowledge. Esteban has a spinster sister, Ferla, well acted by Glenn Close, who, for the past twenty years, has lived a grim existence in the city with their ailing mother, whom she has taken care of. When their mother dies, Esteban, now a bitter and lonely man, returns to the city from his estancia to attend his mother's funeral. In doing so, he spots Clara, who is now all grown up and ethereally portrayed by the very talented Meryl Streep. Not wasting a moment, he goes to her home. She, luminous, and mystical, already knows that he is there to ask for her hand in marriage and happily accepts. After all, she has loved him ever since she first saw him all those years ago. Clara lovingly embraces his sister, Ferla, into the bosom of her househould, when they move to her Esteban's estancia. Ferla blossoms from a bitter old maid into a companionable and pleasant woman, under Clara's warmth. Esteban and Clara eventually have a child, Blanca, who grows up playing with Pedro, the son of the estancia's indigenous indian foreperson. When Esteban discovers this, he sends Blanca away to boarding school. He does not want his daughter fraternizing with the peasants. Clara, loving and pure of heart, is his exact opposite. When their daughter finally grows up and returns home from school, she knows that the independent Blanca, well played by Winona Ryder, has fallen in love with her childhood playmate, Pedro, passionately portrayed by Antonio Banderas. Esteban hates Pedro, as Pedro is a liberal inciting the peasants to unionize and demand their rights, whipping them into a frenzy against the "Patron", or so Esteban sees it. He drives Pedro off his land. He also drives Ferla off, as he believes her to have unatural feelings for his wife, Clara. Possessive to a fault, he is consumed by jealousy. Clara and Esteban have a fight over his cruelties, and she finally leaves him, taking Blanca with her to the Del Valle family home in the city. Meanwhile, life goes on. Blanca, pregnant by Pedro, has his child, believing that Pedro has been killed by her father. Esteban, representing the wealthy, becomes senator. He reigns for years, until the liberals win power. When they do, however, their tenure is short lived, as a militairy coup sets up a reign of terror and his old sins come home to roost. Meanwhile, Blanca discovers that Pedro is alive, and they joyously hook up again. When Blanca is picked up as a political dissident and tortured for her political views, Esteban, old and broken, is now just a bit player in a larger arena. Too late, he tries to right some wrongs. Some of the wrongs, however, can never be righted. This is a magnificent, multi-generational family epic, that holds the viewer in its thrall. While it only loosely follows Isabelle Allende's wonderful book of the same name, it is a winner in its own right. It has something for everyone, as it deals with human nature, as well as the complex emotions, forces, and events that shape one. The film is about a family struggling to find its place in our ever changing world, and the relationships that each member of that family forges. It is a rich and vibrant tapestry, which succeeds in capturing the viewer.
The very thought of Jeremy Irons, Vanessa Redgrave and Meryl Streep wasting six months of their lives only to produce this meandering flop is beyond me. The performances are fine, but the script their given to work with is lifeless. It is, I think, a film which takes itself way too seriously; at no point is there substance to back up the self-reverence.
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| 11. The French Lieutenant's Woman Director: Karel Reisz | |
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Amazon.com essential video Reviews (14)
The film is beautifully acted by Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons. Steep is possitively luminous in the role of the enigmatic Sarah Woodruff, a Victorian woman who is wrongfully castigated by her neighbors for being a scarlet woman. Jeremy Edwards is excellent as Charles, the gentleman who becomes obsessed with her and loses his reputation in order to remain free to pursue her. Pinter skilfully weaves these two stories together, making for an unusual cinematic experience, which, while not faithful to the book, is compelling, nonetheless. This is an audaciously imaginative and visually lush film, a story within a story that, while thought provoking, is just a tad off the mark.
The first few scenes in this movie are so terribly sad if you have seen the movie at least once before. In the first few scenes all you see is a lone figure walking along the projecting sea wall (Cobb). Sarah Woodruff is looking out to sea for her lover's return. It is all so tragic. This story is set in the coastal town of Lyme Regis, famous for its fossils and now also famous for this movie. For some reason, the first scenes are so symbolic of the entire loneliness both the fictional and real character play in the movie. This is a film-within-the-film and the stories follow similar themes. You could almost compare the style of this movie to the more recent "Possession 2002." The French Lieutenant's Woman was adapted from John Fowles' novel and is a parallel love story. One between forbidden lovers Sarah Woodruff (Meryl Streep) and Charles (Jeremy Irons) in the 19th century, and then a romance between Anna and Mike who play Sarah and Charles when the Victorian romance is not being filmed. It is confusing at first, but soon you are watching this movie five times and have no idea why. It is rather romantic! There are of course two endings, one for each story. I can't decide which I loved best. They are just both so | |