The Other Boleyn Girl, The Band's Visit, The Duchess of Langeais
I saw three films this weekend and because of time constraints I am putting my thoughts on them (a few sentences each) in one post.
The first film I saw was The Other Boleyn Girl. The film is based on a novel by Philippa Gregory (which I must read). The film is directed by Justin Chadwick and the script was written by Peter Morgan. It is about the well known Anne (Natalie Portman) and her lesser known sister Mary (Scarlett Johansson). The Boleyn family needs a boost so Anne is elected to charm King Henry (Eric Bana). But when he comes to visit the family he falls for her recently married sister Mary. And that is when things get sticky. Henry has given up having a male heir with his wife Katherine (Ana Torrent) so he is looking for someone else to give him one. Ah the treachery of it all. I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I am a sucker for period pieces. Both Portman and Johansson were very good. Torrent was wonderful in her small role. But the best acting in the film is done by Kristin Scott Thomas as their mother Elizabeth and Mark Rylance as their father Thomas. Jim Sturgess was also fine in the small role of their brother George. There are two main problems with the film. First, Bana is not charismatic enough to play Henry. They should have cast someone else (I would have to think about who that might be). And second, the film is rated PG-13. I think an R rated film would have been much better. A bit more passion would have been great. But the film is very interesting and the costumes and sets are beautiful. I do recommend it.
The second film I saw it the Israeli film The Band's Visit. This is a gentle, low key comedy about a police band from Egypt that is supposed to play at an Arab cultural center. The band loses its way is given some wonderful hospitality by some Israeli folks they meet along the way. The film was written and directed by Eran Kolirin and has won numerous awards at festivals around the world. Although the film is primarily a comedy there are hints of sadness and loneliness throughout. We see that no matter where people live and no matter what culture they are from they have all suffered heartache at one time or another. The acting by the two leads - Sasson Gabai as bandleader Tawfiq and Ronit Elkabetz as Dina - is marvelous. They both have very expressive faces. The film does not mention politics at all and to me it is beautiful way to bridge some of the differences that the two people have. Hopefully, this film will show that people are more alike than different. Highly recommended.
The last film I saw is The Duchess of Langeais based the novel by Honore Balzac. I saw it on Movies on Demand and I must say that I did not like it. It is directed by Jacues Rivette and I liked his previous film Va Saviour. But this one was not up to par. The story is about Antoinette(Jeanne Balibar) who is a Duchess. She meets the General Armond (Guillaume Depardieu) and he falls for her. They have some kind of relationship but the film doesn't give us much to go on. And that is a major problem. Rivette got good performances out of both actors but there isn't any chemistry between them. And talk about the lack of passion. The film doesn't have any. I understand the book (which I want to read) is filled with passion. So what happened to the film? I was waiting for a display of some sort but none was to be found. You never saw the Duchess's husband the Duke. Did he even exist. All of the actors, including the wonderful Michel Piccoli and Bulle Ogier, are wasted in the film. And the pace is glacial. Not recommended.
The first film I saw was The Other Boleyn Girl. The film is based on a novel by Philippa Gregory (which I must read). The film is directed by Justin Chadwick and the script was written by Peter Morgan. It is about the well known Anne (Natalie Portman) and her lesser known sister Mary (Scarlett Johansson). The Boleyn family needs a boost so Anne is elected to charm King Henry (Eric Bana). But when he comes to visit the family he falls for her recently married sister Mary. And that is when things get sticky. Henry has given up having a male heir with his wife Katherine (Ana Torrent) so he is looking for someone else to give him one. Ah the treachery of it all. I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I am a sucker for period pieces. Both Portman and Johansson were very good. Torrent was wonderful in her small role. But the best acting in the film is done by Kristin Scott Thomas as their mother Elizabeth and Mark Rylance as their father Thomas. Jim Sturgess was also fine in the small role of their brother George. There are two main problems with the film. First, Bana is not charismatic enough to play Henry. They should have cast someone else (I would have to think about who that might be). And second, the film is rated PG-13. I think an R rated film would have been much better. A bit more passion would have been great. But the film is very interesting and the costumes and sets are beautiful. I do recommend it.
The second film I saw it the Israeli film The Band's Visit. This is a gentle, low key comedy about a police band from Egypt that is supposed to play at an Arab cultural center. The band loses its way is given some wonderful hospitality by some Israeli folks they meet along the way. The film was written and directed by Eran Kolirin and has won numerous awards at festivals around the world. Although the film is primarily a comedy there are hints of sadness and loneliness throughout. We see that no matter where people live and no matter what culture they are from they have all suffered heartache at one time or another. The acting by the two leads - Sasson Gabai as bandleader Tawfiq and Ronit Elkabetz as Dina - is marvelous. They both have very expressive faces. The film does not mention politics at all and to me it is beautiful way to bridge some of the differences that the two people have. Hopefully, this film will show that people are more alike than different. Highly recommended.
The last film I saw is The Duchess of Langeais based the novel by Honore Balzac. I saw it on Movies on Demand and I must say that I did not like it. It is directed by Jacues Rivette and I liked his previous film Va Saviour. But this one was not up to par. The story is about Antoinette(Jeanne Balibar) who is a Duchess. She meets the General Armond (Guillaume Depardieu) and he falls for her. They have some kind of relationship but the film doesn't give us much to go on. And that is a major problem. Rivette got good performances out of both actors but there isn't any chemistry between them. And talk about the lack of passion. The film doesn't have any. I understand the book (which I want to read) is filled with passion. So what happened to the film? I was waiting for a display of some sort but none was to be found. You never saw the Duchess's husband the Duke. Did he even exist. All of the actors, including the wonderful Michel Piccoli and Bulle Ogier, are wasted in the film. And the pace is glacial. Not recommended.
posted by Film Fanatic | 3:46 PM
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