Angels & Insects (B+ or 3/4 stars)
Director/co-writer Philip Haas' 1996 British period piece, 'Angels & Insects' is an intriguing & fairly provocative oddity, based on A.S. Byatt's novel, Morpho Eugenia. It is a visually resplendent, nearly too-contemplative drama about forbidden sex & science in 19th century Victorian society. After losing all of his rare insect specimens in a great shipwreck while returning from the Amazon to England in 1858, naturalist/biologist William Adamson (Mark Rylance), a timid, almost dour Scot, is graciously taken in to an aristocratic household by the wealthy Sir Harald Alabaster (Jeremy Kemp), who also happens to be obsessed with insects & the process of natural selection. The Alabasters are an odd brood, led by the country house matriarch.
That would be Lady Alabaster (Annette Badland), a habitually pregnant, headache-prone woman adorned in an enormous cloth, who is pampered by her family like a queen bee. She looks & acts bizarre. They all do -- but why? Sensitive insect biologist, William, soon falls in love with the Alabasters' beautiful, seductive blonde daughter, Eugenia (Patsy Kensit), who - so soon after her fiancee had killed himself - surprisingly agrees to marry him. This is a shock; seeing as William is a penniless man of a modest family, & Eugenia is a high-born with riches. William then finds a partner for a research project on life in an ant colony in Matty Crompton (Kristin Scott Thomas), a poor relative/tutor to the family who turns out to be a talented artist & writer. Drama ensues as William is dumbfounded & distressed upon learning the dark, disturbing Alabaster family secret that would irrevocably alter his life.
Director Philip Haas' film, here, is a mercurial, complicated visual & verbal melange that is sure to startle audiences once they start to realize the mystery at the Alabaster manor, & what it all means for them and William. When I say the word 'mercurial', I really mean it. This film is loaded with off-kilter performances, metaphorical imagery & a weirrrrrd atmosphere that is sure to unsettle you as it becomes clearer what is going on. Heck, the Alabaster women, themselves, appear to be part of an exotic sort of collection; their dresses are made of vivid reds, shocking blues, bold yellows & severe blacks. They have elaborate hairdos & their hats contain such items as fruits, birds, & even eggs. Unspoken oddities, more than overtness, dominate the narrative.
'Angels & Insects' is visually enticing; with award-worthy costumes that are characters unto themselves; designed to evoke the patterns of insects. And the script ably takes us viewers deep into the increasingly dreadful & antiquated Alabaster world and its', shall we say ... peculiar customs. The cast impresses; particularly Kristin Scott Thomas. If I have an issue with the film, it would be that it has some tedious moments. The pacing is too lethargic. Despite an intriguingly creepy storyline, strong sexuality & graphic nudity, the film lacks emotional potency. What I DID like most of all was the contrast btwn. the surface beauty in the film, and the ugliness beneath that sheen. Angels & Insects, huh? Play around with the words of that title, folks.
That would be Lady Alabaster (Annette Badland), a habitually pregnant, headache-prone woman adorned in an enormous cloth, who is pampered by her family like a queen bee. She looks & acts bizarre. They all do -- but why? Sensitive insect biologist, William, soon falls in love with the Alabasters' beautiful, seductive blonde daughter, Eugenia (Patsy Kensit), who - so soon after her fiancee had killed himself - surprisingly agrees to marry him. This is a shock; seeing as William is a penniless man of a modest family, & Eugenia is a high-born with riches. William then finds a partner for a research project on life in an ant colony in Matty Crompton (Kristin Scott Thomas), a poor relative/tutor to the family who turns out to be a talented artist & writer. Drama ensues as William is dumbfounded & distressed upon learning the dark, disturbing Alabaster family secret that would irrevocably alter his life.
Director Philip Haas' film, here, is a mercurial, complicated visual & verbal melange that is sure to startle audiences once they start to realize the mystery at the Alabaster manor, & what it all means for them and William. When I say the word 'mercurial', I really mean it. This film is loaded with off-kilter performances, metaphorical imagery & a weirrrrrd atmosphere that is sure to unsettle you as it becomes clearer what is going on. Heck, the Alabaster women, themselves, appear to be part of an exotic sort of collection; their dresses are made of vivid reds, shocking blues, bold yellows & severe blacks. They have elaborate hairdos & their hats contain such items as fruits, birds, & even eggs. Unspoken oddities, more than overtness, dominate the narrative.
'Angels & Insects' is visually enticing; with award-worthy costumes that are characters unto themselves; designed to evoke the patterns of insects. And the script ably takes us viewers deep into the increasingly dreadful & antiquated Alabaster world and its', shall we say ... peculiar customs. The cast impresses; particularly Kristin Scott Thomas. If I have an issue with the film, it would be that it has some tedious moments. The pacing is too lethargic. Despite an intriguingly creepy storyline, strong sexuality & graphic nudity, the film lacks emotional potency. What I DID like most of all was the contrast btwn. the surface beauty in the film, and the ugliness beneath that sheen. Angels & Insects, huh? Play around with the words of that title, folks.