Portrait of a Lady
|
Our Price: $17.21 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $1.69 (click here) Category: VHS Video See more movie releases |
|---|
Canada
VHS Movie Reviews of Portrait of a Lady
Movie Review: Lush, But Lifeless
Summary: 3 Stars
In Jane Campion's version of Henry James' "Portrait of a Lady", many important elements of the novel are intact: the heroine's search for a life outside of society's strictures, the machinations of the 'villains' in the piece, the ambiguity of certain situations. However, from the start of the film, I found myself wondering what was going on: the mixture of color, b/w, 'old time' film styles was confusing and unnecessary to what is a period film with a strong enough narrative and point of view. Even the opening credits made no sense with the rest of the film, and were not tied to anything else. Nicole Kidman, Barbara Hershey, and John Malkovich are good, but other characters, such as Mary Louise Parker's Henrietta, make no sense if you haven't read the book. Some of the sequences felt edited to the extent of loss of continuity, and the transformation of Kidman's character into someone looking like Hershey's isn't mentioned, and no one seems to care that Kidman's hair miraculously changes color and texture the minute she is in England. Disconcerting. At least Campion took the abrupt and ambiguous ending seriously, although if you haven't read the book, it seems as if the film just ran out of ideas, not to mention steam. Points for the costumes and locations.Movie Review: overflowing with beauty, dignity and intelligence
Summary: 5 Stars
I would not be writing a review if I had something negative to say about this film. I am more energetic when I have something good to say and this movie completely fullfills this. I have been fond of this film for some time now. It took me months to realize just how deeply I was touched by it and how it stayed with me continually. Henry touches on FEMALE NATURE, and the foolishness of women to want an abusive husband. Henry couldn't do better with knowning a woman's soul literally. I have never seen a man be so wise in reading women like books. I am attracted to Ms. Archer because she reminds me so much of myself. It was quite evident that she was terrified of intimacy, and almost wanted someone to abuse her. Throughout the whole movie, she screamed inwardly, " SAVE ME from myself." Many people have mentioned the word "masochist" in describing her character and I believe they are correct. To some level, most women are masochists. There is a battle between the sexes. This movie touches on it. Women, like Ms. Archer are afraid of REAL men who don't easily fall for them. When Ms. Archer supposedly returns to her husband Oswand, it shows her in-ability to grow and break away from him and her wanting abuse. The film touches on so much psychology of the female, I could go on forever. I only wished she would have given up and had been strong, and married the other respectable gentleman at the end of the film, and starved the other side of her till it vanished. With all respect and dignity I can give in my review, SEE THIS FILM. It touched me deeply and is still with me.Movie Review: One can be independent and still not be free!
Summary: 4 Stars
I absolutely adore this movie, soundtrack, and book. There are a few discrepancies with all three, however. The actual composer referred to in the book is Beethoven, but in the movie they use Schubert. The three pieces of music by Schubert were still exquisite in capturing the emotions of the movie itself. The soundtrack for this film is equally as moving as the book and movie. It is perhaps one of my favorite Cd's and I cannot go one day without listening to it at least once. The prologue, I found to be thoughtful and beautiful. It showed the beauty of women with all it's different faces and forms. It showed women just being women. It was the director's way of adding her own signature to a wondrous classic. I must say Ralph Touchett was my favorite character, because he truly wanted to see Isabel succeed and do everything her heart desired. Isabel's return to Gardencourt, to spend time with her cousin before he dies, is the most haunting scene in this adaptation. To summarize this movie/book. Freedom comes when one has enough money to gratify their imaginations. Or does it?Movie Review: This Portrait is The Piano's Distant Cousin
Summary: 4 Stars
Jane Campion did an absolutely superb job in her 1993 Oscar-nominated film The Piano, which starred Holly Hunter as a mute woman sent to marry a man she's never met. That movie is for some reason one of my favorite of all time, despite the fact that I personally don't like romance movies or their equivalent, "chick flicks." After seeing this movie you tend to think there may be no such thing. Jane Campion has done another great film here, although not as good as the Piano, gets a pretty high mark on its own as a different, brilliant film.Nicole Kidman stars as Henry James' headstrong character, Isabel Archer, an American woman who moves to England to live with her rich uncle (Sir John Gielgud) and aunt (Shelley Winters), while at this time in her life is desperate to find true love and marry. After her uncle dies, he leaves her a fortune in his will. Isabel, now being the rich woman she is, marries the monstrous Gilbert Osmond (John Malkovich), who turns her life from pleasant to perhaps utter unhappiness, all at the hand of Madame Merle (Barbara Hershey--who was nominated for best supporting actress).
The movie surely plays as a "Dangerous Liaisons" from the victim's point of view, although the film is much more than that. For one, this movie is a lot better. Secondly, the villians are far more monstrous than revengeful, and finally this movie is just plain more interesting. A flaw in this movie is its slowness, although if you allow yourself to be intrigued by its plot and characters, this tends not to be a problem (at least it wasn't for me). It also depends on how educated you are to enjoy this film, and from my view, a person has to be somewhat to enjoy this movie in the slightest sense. Not to say I'm smarter than everybody else--I had to put the closed captioning on to read what the characters were saying to keep up with the plot.
Once again, Campion has scored and proven that yes, even a woman, can make a fantastic motion picture. I think people should give her more credit (not to mention she needs to make more movies) because her talent is truly one that should be noted. The DVD pretty much blows as you can tell if you read the techno-info, but a widescreen version of the film (a 2.35:1 non-anamorphic transfer) will at least let you see the movie in all its splendor.
Movie Review: Captivating and Unusual
Summary: 4 Stars
Campion's film of James' complex and difficult novel is a strong achievement despite a strained prologue. Though I find the book ultimately more satisfying, particularly the ending is made more justifiable in the book, it is a work to be cherished. I'd like to expound on the ending. What the film doesn't make quite clear enough is that James' Isabel is afraid of intimacy, of closeness to men. This causes her to flee from the true admiration of Casper Goodwood. In the film, however, Isabel is made into more of a masochist, willingly going into a tortuous relationship with Osmond to get hurt. The novel simply has a different outlook. It suggests that Isabel was manipulated my Merle and Osmond and was simply too idealistic. At any rate, Campion's change does work because like all great works of art, it is open to interpretation. While I personally feel the novel's vision makes more sense relating to the time period, Campion's is a unique and provoking idea. Similarly, I don't believe this change is more "feminist". I actually think the book is more truly feminist, but the film still works. The ravishing performances of Kidman, Malkovich, and especially Barbara Hershey are great to watch. Campion's direction here is near-flawless, ranking with her work on An Angel at My Table and The Piano. The production design is rich and powerful, and the music is harmonious. My only slight reservation, as I mentioned, was the cutesy prologue, which doesn't really belong in the film. Still, I admire Campion's attempt to point out the essential sameness of the battle between the sexes across different generations. Stylistically, the film is splendid and full of memorable visual moments, particularly Isabel's travelouge and the final haunting image, which, coincidentally (?) invokes the ending of "The Piano" in which Ada drifts below the surface of the water, grasping her destiny for the remainder of her life.