Portrait of a Lady (B or 3/4 stars)
'The Portrait of a Lady', adapted from a Henry James novel, & written/directed by Jane Campion (The Piano), tells a late 19th century tale. But even though the time & setting is far from the here & now, the humanistic themes are highly relevant to today. Furthermore, the film opens in 1996 with a brief montage where young Australian women are reflecting about love; and segues into an English 1870's story with a close-up of our main protagonist, Isabel Archer (Nicole Kidman). Isabel is an American heiress & free thinker who traveled to Europe to explore the world & "find herself". Headstrong, yet somewhat naive, Isabel stays at the estate of her aunt & uncle (Shelley Winters, John Gielgud). Her best friend/soul mate there is her sickly cousin, Ralph Touchett (Martin Donovan); who encourages his father to will a fortune to Isabel. Meanwhile, Isabel is pursued by 2 suitors: the rich, but boring Lord Warburton (Richard E. Grant) & the handsome Caspar Goodwood (Viggo Mortensen); a man who's followed Isabel to Europe from America. She rebuffs them both, exclaiming, "I shall probably never marry".
When her uncle dies, leaving her said fortune, she now has the means to do as she pleases. She ventures to Italy. And it is here where she makes an unfortunate encounter with the creepy Madame Merle (Barbara Hershey). Merle falsely leads Isabel to believe that they are friends. And in fact, contrives for Isabel to meet the equally creepy (and dangerous) Gilbert Osmond (John Malkovich). He's a calculating, cold collector of art who slowly but surely seduces Isabel into a false love. He convinces her to marry. And it's only after this union where Isabel realizes that Gilbert will treat her, not as an equal (which she's always desired), but as another one of his precious pieces of art. Furthermore, Gilbert's lover-on-the-side happens to be none other than Madame Merle. As they conspire to take Isabel's fortune, will Isabel be able to break free? In that time & place? Will her reputation be damaged forever? What of her prior suitors? What of cousin Ralph? Can he overcome his illness to be her physical/emotional/spiritual beacon? Or will tragedy strike? What will become of Isabel?
Though this film takes place in 19th c. England, it is nothing like any light, breezy Jane Austen adaptation. Though some of the themes are the same (love, betrayal, sexual repression, societal traps), this film is much darker. Dismal, almost. Grim. That sounds awfully depressing. It is. But it's an absorbing film that starts slowly, but builds interest as it goes. You may not want to watch the trainwreck(s) occur, but you are 'in' so deep that you simply can't look away. The production values (not unlike The Piano) are stellar. Most impressive are the costumes & the wonderful cinematography. So much of the film is shot in dim lighting, or half shadows; which actually accentuates certain characters' attributes. It's interesting when the camera angles/lighting actually serves the character.
Other than the 'grim' issue, it has other weaknesses. The general structure of the film (bookends & layout) is odd. Campion's direction sometimes gets a tad too artsy (pretentious). And the pacing is quite slow. Yes, the film is absorbing. But it's slow, to a fault. You feel nearly every minute of its 140. The acting is great. Kidman's Isabel is a cold character, but you do feel sorry for her in the gut-wrenching climax. That's a great testament to Kidman's acting talent; bringing dimension to the role. She's physically & psychologically toyed with. We feel for her as elements of the plot unfold to her great horror. Malkovich is always great in these vicious, snake-like roles. Sure, he's a villain. But he's also interesting. And boy, do we hate him. Martin Donovan is great as Isabel's true love. And Hershey is fantastic as the deceptive Mme. Merle. Overall, 'The Portrait of a Lady' is one of those intelligent, subtle, sensitive, psychologically rich, but languorous films that is best to watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Parts of it are dull/lacking a charge, but I was completely immersed in Isabel's world by the end.
When her uncle dies, leaving her said fortune, she now has the means to do as she pleases. She ventures to Italy. And it is here where she makes an unfortunate encounter with the creepy Madame Merle (Barbara Hershey). Merle falsely leads Isabel to believe that they are friends. And in fact, contrives for Isabel to meet the equally creepy (and dangerous) Gilbert Osmond (John Malkovich). He's a calculating, cold collector of art who slowly but surely seduces Isabel into a false love. He convinces her to marry. And it's only after this union where Isabel realizes that Gilbert will treat her, not as an equal (which she's always desired), but as another one of his precious pieces of art. Furthermore, Gilbert's lover-on-the-side happens to be none other than Madame Merle. As they conspire to take Isabel's fortune, will Isabel be able to break free? In that time & place? Will her reputation be damaged forever? What of her prior suitors? What of cousin Ralph? Can he overcome his illness to be her physical/emotional/spiritual beacon? Or will tragedy strike? What will become of Isabel?
Though this film takes place in 19th c. England, it is nothing like any light, breezy Jane Austen adaptation. Though some of the themes are the same (love, betrayal, sexual repression, societal traps), this film is much darker. Dismal, almost. Grim. That sounds awfully depressing. It is. But it's an absorbing film that starts slowly, but builds interest as it goes. You may not want to watch the trainwreck(s) occur, but you are 'in' so deep that you simply can't look away. The production values (not unlike The Piano) are stellar. Most impressive are the costumes & the wonderful cinematography. So much of the film is shot in dim lighting, or half shadows; which actually accentuates certain characters' attributes. It's interesting when the camera angles/lighting actually serves the character.
Other than the 'grim' issue, it has other weaknesses. The general structure of the film (bookends & layout) is odd. Campion's direction sometimes gets a tad too artsy (pretentious). And the pacing is quite slow. Yes, the film is absorbing. But it's slow, to a fault. You feel nearly every minute of its 140. The acting is great. Kidman's Isabel is a cold character, but you do feel sorry for her in the gut-wrenching climax. That's a great testament to Kidman's acting talent; bringing dimension to the role. She's physically & psychologically toyed with. We feel for her as elements of the plot unfold to her great horror. Malkovich is always great in these vicious, snake-like roles. Sure, he's a villain. But he's also interesting. And boy, do we hate him. Martin Donovan is great as Isabel's true love. And Hershey is fantastic as the deceptive Mme. Merle. Overall, 'The Portrait of a Lady' is one of those intelligent, subtle, sensitive, psychologically rich, but languorous films that is best to watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Parts of it are dull/lacking a charge, but I was completely immersed in Isabel's world by the end.