Boring, puerile tale of a young writer sent to interview a successful wealthy artist (Olivier) at his country estate in France. One of Olivier's more unfortunate films - he is hammy without the fun (not a patch on "Sleuth" or "Marathon Man"). As the "great" artist he gets to pontificate about art in running undergraduate monologues, which include every cliché about artists in film. This is not Olivier's fault, I fear, but Fowles', who likes to write about callow young men who learn the meaning of life from some great older man (e.g. "The Magus"). The scenery is stunning, as is Greta Scacchi - it must have been in her contract at this time that she had to drop her gear in every role (as in "White Mischief", which at least was heaps of fun). Watch for the straight-faced, but unintentionally hilarious recreation of Manet's "Breakfast on the Grass" with 80's pop star Toyah Wilcox. Could have been good if it had even a grain of wit or some real drama. For a film that explores similar territory - but brilliantly - try Alain Resnais' film "Providence". DUD.
Review of The Ebony Tower
