This film played to a packed audience at the closing night of the London Film Festival last week. The story of an upper class English man falling passionately in love with his wife's sister was so involving I completely forgot myself for the duration of the film (and from what I could see,so did the rest of the audience). It is a flawless film. Intensely moving. The complex characterisations were handled with immense integrity. One of the wonderful things about it was that during the course of the story I both liked and disliked all the characters. By the end it is impossible to judge them, only appreciate what they had gone through. A most wonderful and uplifting film. Paul Bettany is a discovery. An actor of immense subtlety who is not afraid to play a character who appears simply weak on the surface but is actually very complex. A very detailed and brave performance. Olivia Williams is transformed by the character. She plays Madeline, a woman who lives by the strict rules of her class. No emotion is allowed to get in the way of how this class organises their lives and Madeline respects that. When we see her years later in life, Williams makes us utterly believe the immense changes that she has endured. Madeline must forgive her sister Dinah for her betrayal. This seems impossible given what Madeline has endured at the hands of her sister, yet Williams makes us believe in that forgiveness. This was a great lesson to me. To see how you must move on in your life. Helena Bonham Carter is more vulnerable, sensitive and outrageous than I have ever seen her. Her character is on a knife edge. She falls passionately in love with her brother- in- law and from that moment on the film takes you on an emotional roller-coaster ride that I still can't get out of my mind. The film also has one of the best scores I've heard in ages - romantic and tuneful without being slushy or sentimental. It's also a ravishing looking film (maybe that's why I cant get it out of my mind) and yet the powerful images never interfere with the story but add to it all the time. Real cinema.
29 Reviews
As a warning: (Could be considered a spoiler, I suppose)
szczur-system7 August 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I thought this movie was exquisite. From the casting to the acting to the settings to the directing and so on and so forth. The plot was beautifully seamless and carried out quite well by all involved in the film. Now that I have stated that, I just wanted to leave a warning that mentioned (at least somewhat) the triggering scene in this movie. It was entirely unexpected that Rickie rapes his wife Madeleine, somewhat close to the end of the story. It's not a very long scene, not even an entirely graphic scene, but some of the elements (it being 'flash-backy' in style, with bleeding over of crying/screaming from both 'time-frames', especially) were quite poignant. Beautiful movie, fair warning.
The BBC Agains Shows Why There'll Always be an England (on celluloid)
lawprof11 July 2003
I've heard that Western religious dogma eschews the thought never mind the act of a man lusting for his neighbor's wife. What really rocks the boat is a married man sappily and hopelessly enmeshed in the arms of his wife's sister. And that's what we have in this dark hued English drama whose scenes alternate between the pre-war social frivolity of affluent men and women unaware that their time was almost up and postwar scenes tieing the story together.
Helena Bonham Carter is Dinah, a free spirit given to studying, and perhaps evangelizing, the gospel of malcontents and revolutionaries in that nonthreatening and oddly endearing manner that insures both bemusement and acceptance by well-to-do English gentlefolk. Olivia Williams is her married sister, Madeleine, a hostess with the mostess, married to businessman Rickie, played by Paul Bettany.
The focus of the film is on this trio, not a menage a trois but a coruscating set of characters wracked by love, lust and confusion leavened by sporadic betrayal and reconciliation.
It's really simple: Rickie sort of loves or at least very much likes Madeleine but his heart and other body parts desperately seek and need Dinah. Dinah loves her sister and her charming adolescent son but she must have Rickie. Madeleine loves both but is blind to the reality of their relationship until... A story of this genre must have a clear and unambiguous "until."
Directed by Thaddeus O'Sullivan, the acting of the three principals is, simply, mesmerizingly superb. Helena Bonham Carter is renowned for her period pieces (she can do much more and she does) and she fits into London's prewar world and its gray aftermath as if she actually experienced those times. Paul Bettany captures the lost male guided by his...ah, lust, with but minimal if any moral insight into his conduct. Special mention must be made of Olivia Williams who captures the pathos, hope and desperation of a decent woman swept up by acts of betrayal she never envisaged as possible. I hope we see much more of this fine actress.
The score by Nicholas Hooper is very good but judicious editing was needed to reduce intrusiveness of the music and the sound level ought to have been lowered for a number of scenes.
A fine production.
8/10.
Helena Bonham Carter is Dinah, a free spirit given to studying, and perhaps evangelizing, the gospel of malcontents and revolutionaries in that nonthreatening and oddly endearing manner that insures both bemusement and acceptance by well-to-do English gentlefolk. Olivia Williams is her married sister, Madeleine, a hostess with the mostess, married to businessman Rickie, played by Paul Bettany.
The focus of the film is on this trio, not a menage a trois but a coruscating set of characters wracked by love, lust and confusion leavened by sporadic betrayal and reconciliation.
It's really simple: Rickie sort of loves or at least very much likes Madeleine but his heart and other body parts desperately seek and need Dinah. Dinah loves her sister and her charming adolescent son but she must have Rickie. Madeleine loves both but is blind to the reality of their relationship until... A story of this genre must have a clear and unambiguous "until."
Directed by Thaddeus O'Sullivan, the acting of the three principals is, simply, mesmerizingly superb. Helena Bonham Carter is renowned for her period pieces (she can do much more and she does) and she fits into London's prewar world and its gray aftermath as if she actually experienced those times. Paul Bettany captures the lost male guided by his...ah, lust, with but minimal if any moral insight into his conduct. Special mention must be made of Olivia Williams who captures the pathos, hope and desperation of a decent woman swept up by acts of betrayal she never envisaged as possible. I hope we see much more of this fine actress.
The score by Nicholas Hooper is very good but judicious editing was needed to reduce intrusiveness of the music and the sound level ought to have been lowered for a number of scenes.
A fine production.
8/10.
Brilliantly acted drama
Buddy-5131 May 2004
`The Heart of Me' is pure, unadulterated soap opera redeemed by the kind of high-toned, stiff-upper-lip seriousness of which the British seem uniquely capable. Set primarily in the 1930's, the film tells the story of two sisters caught in a passionate and quasi-incestuous love triangle. Madeline (Olivia Williams), the older of the two, is an uptight woman whose weak-willed husband, Rickie (Paul Bettany), falls in love with her younger and more free-spirited sibling, Dinah (Helena Bonham Carter). These two in-laws, soul mates for life, carry on a torrid love affair until Madeline discovers the truth and even for a time thereafter.
Given the material, `The Heart of Me' could easily have devolved into a cheap, sensationalistic melodrama for the `Masterpiece Theatre' set. Instead, thanks to truly brilliant performances by the three principal actors and an intelligent, thoughtful screenplay, the film becomes a wholly absorbing drama that offers profound insights into the realities of the human heart. The pain each of these people experiences is so palpable in its intensity that it washes away all traces of artificiality and contrivance. The film becomes a fascinating study of what happens when clanging passions are hemmed in by the restrictions and proprieties of a strict, morally repressive upper class society. Rickie and Dinah choose to turn themselves into social pariahs, then must face the consequences of their convention-defying actions. Of most interest is the emotionally complex relationship between the two very different sisters. What makes the film special is the way in which it allows the seemingly cold-hearted Madeline to become as much a sympathetic figure as the two impassioned lovers. Thanks to Williams' impeccable performance (she played Penelope in the TV movie version of `The Odyssey'), Madeline is allowed to live and breathe and have her own say, making her, in many ways, the most intriguing of the three main characters.
`The Heart of Me,' which is beautifully detailed in costumes and settings, transcends the limits of its genre to deliver a heartbreaking tale of love, loss, lament - and hope.
Given the material, `The Heart of Me' could easily have devolved into a cheap, sensationalistic melodrama for the `Masterpiece Theatre' set. Instead, thanks to truly brilliant performances by the three principal actors and an intelligent, thoughtful screenplay, the film becomes a wholly absorbing drama that offers profound insights into the realities of the human heart. The pain each of these people experiences is so palpable in its intensity that it washes away all traces of artificiality and contrivance. The film becomes a fascinating study of what happens when clanging passions are hemmed in by the restrictions and proprieties of a strict, morally repressive upper class society. Rickie and Dinah choose to turn themselves into social pariahs, then must face the consequences of their convention-defying actions. Of most interest is the emotionally complex relationship between the two very different sisters. What makes the film special is the way in which it allows the seemingly cold-hearted Madeline to become as much a sympathetic figure as the two impassioned lovers. Thanks to Williams' impeccable performance (she played Penelope in the TV movie version of `The Odyssey'), Madeline is allowed to live and breathe and have her own say, making her, in many ways, the most intriguing of the three main characters.
`The Heart of Me,' which is beautifully detailed in costumes and settings, transcends the limits of its genre to deliver a heartbreaking tale of love, loss, lament - and hope.
"The Heart of Me" could use some CPR
=G=13 March 2004
"The Heart of Me" is an excellent film in all respects except one. The pathos soaked story, which moves like a lavalamp, shows us nothing new and does it such a way we are not the least inclined to care. The film traces the life of two English sisters who have a man in common. One is his wife amd the other his mistress. A painfully tedious and stilted film which presents us with such a mawkish protag (Bettany) he can't pick one or the other or manage either much less both. Rather, he lets them manage him resulting in one really whipped dude and a whole lot of crying while we sit watching disconnected and detached. A melancholy affair, "The Heart of Me" is a very pretty flop. (C+)
Soap opera? The Wings Of The Dove again.
haganthomas-129 August 2006
I am not sure what the purpose of this film, The Heart Of Me, a remade The Wings Of The Dove also starring Helena Bonham Carter is but it is pale in comparison however more true to life it could be. Where Wings is heart wrenching Heart is shocking and maybe just a romantic vehicle for Paul Bettany to inspire all possible fans. The Heart Of Me and The Wings Of The Dove are kind of like the double play of Dangerous Liaisons, which I prefer, to Valmont. However if you like romantic tragedy or character weakness with listen dialog The Heart of Me is quite possible for you. Helena Bonham Carter normally a fairly good actress in these period pieces seems absolutely lost and not sure what her character is to accomplish and she comes across that way, unsympathetic where in Wings on course she has the part in her hands. Olivia Williams new to me acquits herself well but still Paul Bettany seems to be the target or missing portion of The Heart Of Me not sure his character is growing or coming out of hiding. Therefore my conclusion is Bettany vehicle not near as good as Linus Roache vehicle, The Wings Of The Dove. Still worth a look for shock value and character assessment.
Contrived Period Piece
robert-bindless30 April 2003
Despite the valiant efforts of Paul Bettany and Olivia Williams this is fairly forgettable stuff, in territory which has been done before and much better. Helena Bonham Carter must feel like she's in Groundhog Day. That said, Paul Bettany and Olivia Williams made the best of pretty mediocre base material filled with predictable unimaginative contrivance, to give performances which show each to be capable of moving and powerful acting. Thaddeus O'Sullivan seemed to be just going through the motions, great direction can come in many different styles, however, it always needs empathy for its subject matter, without which there is gravitation towards the hollow and formulaic. All in all, a worthwhile night out if you like your romantic period pieces, but no more, enlivened by Bettany, who hopefully will go on to do better things, and Williams, who really deserves the chances to move her career up a gear.
Moral Questions/Spoiler Alert
kathyshalleck17 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Rickie is a man who tells his sister-in-law not to marry (although she was ready to) a man with whom she is not in love. He does this - not particularly to save her from a loveless marriage but, as it turns out, to save her for himself. Unfaithful to his wife, he begins a long-term affair with his sister-in-law and then near the end of the film "rapes" (that's what it looked like folks) his wife, the result of which is a female child that somehow in the end is supposed to be very much like his sister-in-law (whose child by him died in childbirth). The characters are all flawed (which is interesting to see) but I found him - the husband, adulterer and rapist - the most challenging to feel any empathy with or compassion for (although I believe we are somehow supposed to). However, all actors were terrific in their roles and I definitely think the film is worth seeing.
A beautiful, heartbreaking film
blackpetalsdancing1 December 2006
A movie full of dramatic irony and beauty. I love Helena Bonham Carter and Paul Bettany. On screen, the characters are so believable that I forget that I am watching a movie. I'm transported to this world of war and snobbery, kite flying and poetry. And every twist in the plot basically rips my heart out or sends it soaring. It's so different from any other romance film that I've ever seen. The premise is familiar, but it's beautifully done. Definitely worth seeing. Keep a box of tissues nearby. This movie made me want to read more William Blake. Watch it, and you'll see why. Seriously. It is a film that grips the heart, wraps up the senses, and causes emotions to boil. Despite the poetry in the film, it is mainly a movie of action, of eyes, beautiful, intense eyes. See this movie.
Adultery never ends well... no matter how good it is.
afterdarkpak14 August 2020
Good movie with some really good performance. and production quality is also good. the movie also has some kinda good ending.
husband n wife with a son living happily , until wife's sister came along and then husband got a hard on. and she also drops her panties for him. But anyhow, love or lust, passion n romance is beautiful but there is no good in the end for cheating.
husband n wife with a son living happily , until wife's sister came along and then husband got a hard on. and she also drops her panties for him. But anyhow, love or lust, passion n romance is beautiful but there is no good in the end for cheating.
Brits going through the motions
philip-6311 April 2003
My, what a repressed lot the inter-war British were, or so film-makers born decades later would have us believe. Well, in this movie here they are again being more repressed than ever - and the ones that aren't repressed are slightly batty, reckless and self-indulgent. Overall the film affects great seriousness, but cannot escape the melodramatic and contrived nature of its source material (a pot-boiler-ish novel by Rosamund Lehman dating from the 1960s). Bonham-Carter reprises roles she'd done before with ease. Williams is rather wooden, even allowing for the (you guesses it) repressed nature of her character. Bettany has done better, but carries off his role believably. But this is not enough to lift the film out of a rather unsatisfying gray area between melodrama and serious/historical period drama.
The Director should be congratulated
jromanbaker10 April 2021
Thaddeus O'Sullivan should be congratulated in making a very fine film out of Rosamond Lehmann's 20th century classic novel ' The Echoing Grove ' and mu one and only gripe is that the title changed to the banal ' The Heart of Me '. That said the story of two sisters and their relationship with a weak man ( who is also the erotic focus of the film ) is a complete triumph. The trio or should I saw the quartet of the main actors, Olivia Williams, as Marianne, the wife of the man Rickie played by Paul Bettany, Helena Bonham Carter as Dinah, Marianne's sister and Eleanor Bron as Rickie's mother are superb. And to bury the myth that this is in any way a sort of Merchant/Ivory film is necessary. Heresy though it may be, but the direction is nearer to a Bergman film in its intensity and concentration than anything Merchant/Ivory made, good though they were. O'Sullivan has a clear voice and it saddens me that this film was not the success it should have been. The mental cruelty within this quartet is overwhelming, especially when the mother lies to her son about where the one of the two sisters he really loves is. The scene during a Blitz on London, as the film takes place between a ten year period from the 1930's to WW2 is perfection in itself. It is also in no way a costume drama, and shows a total almost Bressonian reticence in ' showing off ' superfluous imagery. It is very, very difficult to find and fortunately I have it. So why is it lost ? A timeless film despite its period it should be seen for what it is, a great film.
Super Acting, Soupy Music
abi_sheldon17 August 2005
The players outdid their director in mining the emotional significance of this story. In the first place, i checked this one out because of Paul Bettany--encouraged in the venture by a comment that Helena Bonham-Carter goes into new dimensions with her character, Dinah Burkett. Which she does. A love story with ugly triangle is not easy territory in which to find people particularly appealing. All three of the forces in this triangle are profoundly and consistently themselves, however. And that alone is appealing. Bettany, Bonham-Carter and Williams all cover a heart-wrenching range of human feeling--not just the big stuff (anguish, desire), but the subtleties as well (self-doubt, tenderness, quiet resentment). Too bad the music behind them is exemplary of the concept "sugar-coated". Or, more generously, sort of like wilted lettuce. The look of the film honorably frames each moment of this powerfully acted story. The art direction is as crystalline as the score is murky. Since one cannot "tune out" the way a film looks, the audience wins big-time in this regard. Eleanor Bron, by the way, who plays the rather monstrous mother (a woman of her place, class and time), has shown up recently also in "Wimbledon". I love to see her. She was totally great in "Women in Love" when she was young. I hope there is more of her over-the-top comedy out there for me to find. Happy trails . . . .
Nearly The Death of Me - possible spoilers
cyanidesweet17 May 2003
Warning: Spoilers
First off, let me admit that I didn't make it to the end of this film. I love costume drama, I'm a fan of Helena Bonham Carter, but this film was too slow even for me. Yes, it had its moments of visual beauty, but the story dragged and the characters were unengaging. Paul Bettany plays - or at least recites the lines of - Rickie, object of desire for two women. One woman is his wife, Madeleine, played by Olivia Williams. She's the sensible, more conventional one. We know this because she says very little and grows flowers. Helena Bonham Carter plays the arty, bohemian sister, Dinah - easily identifiable as a bohemian type because her clothes don't fit properly, her hair is uncombed and she wears too much dark eye make-up.
Yes, it's that stereotypical. I was so disappointed. I expected much better of this film, but it was formulaic and unconvincing. I left not long after the affair between Dinah and Rickie was discovered by Madeleine. So she knew about it. Yes, we knew she knew. But when I couldn't find it in my heart to care what she did about it, I knew it was time to give up on this film.
It could, however, be marketed as the ultimate cure for insomnia.
Yes, it's that stereotypical. I was so disappointed. I expected much better of this film, but it was formulaic and unconvincing. I left not long after the affair between Dinah and Rickie was discovered by Madeleine. So she knew about it. Yes, we knew she knew. But when I couldn't find it in my heart to care what she did about it, I knew it was time to give up on this film.
It could, however, be marketed as the ultimate cure for insomnia.
A wonderful film that goes for substance over style.
Proud_Canadian19 September 2002
I was fortunate enough to see this film at the Toronto Film Festival and talk briefly with the Director afterwards.
"The Heart of Me" is a period piece set in London during the 1930s and 40s. It is a European-style film that takes the time to give exposition and background to the characters. It builds slowly and chooses substance over style. The mood is somber and much of the lighting and colour scheme reflects this in a similar manner to the Crow.
It is a drama with a few moments of levity. The three main leads are excellent. Helena Bonham Carter and Olivia Williams play sisters. Helena's character begins to fall in love with her brother-in-law played by Paul Bettany and they have an affair.
I was pleasantly surprised by Paul's acting. I've only seen him before in "A Knight's Tale" and "A Beautiful Mind" where he has played light-hearted best friend characters. His performance here was understated, subdued, and a change of pace from what I had previously seen. I didn't think he was capable of going head to head with Helena but he was.
If you like Merchant and Ivory films, then I think you would like this. It has the same feel as "Howard's End" and "Remains of the Day".
"The Heart of Me" is a period piece set in London during the 1930s and 40s. It is a European-style film that takes the time to give exposition and background to the characters. It builds slowly and chooses substance over style. The mood is somber and much of the lighting and colour scheme reflects this in a similar manner to the Crow.
It is a drama with a few moments of levity. The three main leads are excellent. Helena Bonham Carter and Olivia Williams play sisters. Helena's character begins to fall in love with her brother-in-law played by Paul Bettany and they have an affair.
I was pleasantly surprised by Paul's acting. I've only seen him before in "A Knight's Tale" and "A Beautiful Mind" where he has played light-hearted best friend characters. His performance here was understated, subdued, and a change of pace from what I had previously seen. I didn't think he was capable of going head to head with Helena but he was.
If you like Merchant and Ivory films, then I think you would like this. It has the same feel as "Howard's End" and "Remains of the Day".
The movie has heart. But it has it's cons.
PatrynXX29 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The biggest of which is what happened to his son. There's word of an accident. I get it where his daughter comes from , a rather rash incident towards the end. The movie is a big confusing but I would call this a bad thing. Overall the acting wins me over. I will have to add a couple of things. I don't know many if any movies that have been shot on the Isle of Man. It's not that big The other is the deleted scene (4 minutes) on the dvd. Which I'm guessing was only available through Blockbuster, as I got this used ages ago and finally watched it (2006 or so) I thought the deleted scene should have been included but then again they have to have the rash scene at the end. I don't really agree with it. I would rather have had it explained though that Helena's character had a daughter and if Olivia ever figured that out considering what she said towards the end and Helena crying about it. Oh well. The ending somewhat reminded me of Possession
Quality: 6/10 Entertainment: 7/10 Re-playable: 5/10
Quality: 6/10 Entertainment: 7/10 Re-playable: 5/10
Poet laureate's GF's roman à clef might've been hot stuff back in '51, but...
The_late_Buddy_Ryan25 July 2022
Watchable but unsatisfying period piece, mistakenly listed on Amazon Prime as a current film; actually it's from 2002. Based on novelist Rosamond Lehmann's The Echoing Grove, which in turn was based on Lehmann's nine-year affair with poet Cecil Day-Lewis (father of Daniel). IRL Day-Lewis dumped both Lehmann and his wife and took up with actress Jill Balcon (mother of Daniel), which might've made a more interesting movie.
On-the-nose casting of Olivia Williams as the straitlaced, conventional sister and Helena Bonham-Carter as the unstable, bohemian sister ensures the best possible outcome for the creaky plot. Nice to see Elinor Bron (Dudley's Moore's unrequited crush in the original Bedazzled) again as the sisters' interfering mother. Paul Bettany does his best with the thankless role of the sisters' wavering husband/lover; the fact that he's so easily bamboozled by his mother-in-law suggests that Lehmann came away from all this with a poor opinion of C. Day-Lewis, which certainly seems understandable.
On-the-nose casting of Olivia Williams as the straitlaced, conventional sister and Helena Bonham-Carter as the unstable, bohemian sister ensures the best possible outcome for the creaky plot. Nice to see Elinor Bron (Dudley's Moore's unrequited crush in the original Bedazzled) again as the sisters' interfering mother. Paul Bettany does his best with the thankless role of the sisters' wavering husband/lover; the fact that he's so easily bamboozled by his mother-in-law suggests that Lehmann came away from all this with a poor opinion of C. Day-Lewis, which certainly seems understandable.
a thought-provoking and challenging story
kluismans14 July 2007
this is the second time that i have seen this movie and it definitely lives up to repeated viewings. at heart the story maybe about an illicit affair of forbidden love, but in reality it seems much more. It lays bare the consequences of the worst betrayals of trust without apportioning blame. all three characters, Madeleine, Dinah and Ricky, are left unsatisfied and the pain that they feel makes the film challenging viewing - it is simply so sad. what i liked most about the story is its time frame, as we weave through fifteen odd years and see the story, or rather the affair through the different perspective of time - it is such a clever technique because our sympathies never rest- we switch allegiance constantly and recognise that for these three people there could be no happy resolution.
there is so much else to love about this film, i loved the way the large elegant house, appeared to take on the appearance of Madeleine's state of mind - all bright and happy in the beginning and then grey and sterile at the end.
the film does have a fault i would say, though. which is why i have given it 8. i do not like Helena Bonham carters performance. it was partly because both Olivia Williams and Paul Bettany gave such wonderful performances that hers appears forced and insincere. i think that we are meant to like Dinah and see her as colourful and vital - but i didn't believe in her portrayal. she is remarkable at expressing anguish and truly has a beautiful voice when reciting Blake, but i found her garish costumes and brazen comments, unconvincing and unnatural. she grated on me because i really needed to believe that this woman was worthy of Ricky's obsessional love and i didn't. having said that i still recommend this movie, if only really because of its deep and intelligent exploration of the different types of love.
there is so much else to love about this film, i loved the way the large elegant house, appeared to take on the appearance of Madeleine's state of mind - all bright and happy in the beginning and then grey and sterile at the end.
the film does have a fault i would say, though. which is why i have given it 8. i do not like Helena Bonham carters performance. it was partly because both Olivia Williams and Paul Bettany gave such wonderful performances that hers appears forced and insincere. i think that we are meant to like Dinah and see her as colourful and vital - but i didn't believe in her portrayal. she is remarkable at expressing anguish and truly has a beautiful voice when reciting Blake, but i found her garish costumes and brazen comments, unconvincing and unnatural. she grated on me because i really needed to believe that this woman was worthy of Ricky's obsessional love and i didn't. having said that i still recommend this movie, if only really because of its deep and intelligent exploration of the different types of love.
Curiously stilted melodrama
peter-30024 May 2003
This film reminded me of those drawing room dramas that used to play in English theatres in the 1940s and 1950s - like a Noel Coward, with more sex but not a trace of wit. The characters are not engaging, and are played without much in the way of flair. Williams is starchy, Bonham-Carter is flighty but weary (the usual thing - I think this probably just how she is in the flesh), Bettany is agonisingly caught between the two. His is the best performance of the three, but his skilful portrayal of suffering is not enough to carry the piece. This was an odd adaptation for the BBC et al to plump for. Surely there are still better period novels out there still awaiting adaptation for the screen.
Betrayal
jotix10015 July 2004
This exquisitely crafted film is much better than what we have heard it was. The film has an incredible texture, but of course, it's not for everyone. Director Thaddeus O'Sullivan presents this story of love and betrayal with a style that is surprising. The material in which this film is based is the novel by Rosamond Lehmann, that shows a slice of the life in London among the upper classes in the 30s, prior to WWII and adapted for the screen by Lucinda Coxon.
The story of this love triangle involves Madeleine, a young society matron, married to Rickie, a successful bank executive. They entertain lavishly; it's obvious they know the right people, as it shows in their lavish parties. Dinah, Madeleine's sister is a loose cannon. She is a young woman who couldn't care less about being int the right places, or to mix with the right crowd.
Dinah and Rickie begin an affair. Rickie agonizes about the situation and how to handle it. Madeleine never gets a hint until Rickie reveals his intention of leaving her. Madeleine, without Rickie will lose it all, her status in society and all the other little perks. But she is not prepared to accept the idea that Dinah is the one who has lured Rickie away from her. The relationship among the three principals will never be the same.
Helena Bonham Carter plays Dinah with abandon. She's a no nonsense actress and she clearly gets into her character's skin. Olivia Williams is a staid and shocked Madeleine. Ms Williams is a beauty that epitomizes the type of English society woman naturally. Paul Bettany is convincing as Rickie, the man torn between love and duty. Eleanor Bron makes an excellent Mrs. Burkett.
The story of this love triangle involves Madeleine, a young society matron, married to Rickie, a successful bank executive. They entertain lavishly; it's obvious they know the right people, as it shows in their lavish parties. Dinah, Madeleine's sister is a loose cannon. She is a young woman who couldn't care less about being int the right places, or to mix with the right crowd.
Dinah and Rickie begin an affair. Rickie agonizes about the situation and how to handle it. Madeleine never gets a hint until Rickie reveals his intention of leaving her. Madeleine, without Rickie will lose it all, her status in society and all the other little perks. But she is not prepared to accept the idea that Dinah is the one who has lured Rickie away from her. The relationship among the three principals will never be the same.
Helena Bonham Carter plays Dinah with abandon. She's a no nonsense actress and she clearly gets into her character's skin. Olivia Williams is a staid and shocked Madeleine. Ms Williams is a beauty that epitomizes the type of English society woman naturally. Paul Bettany is convincing as Rickie, the man torn between love and duty. Eleanor Bron makes an excellent Mrs. Burkett.
Good acting. Bad film
Pleasehelpmejesus13 February 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I wonder of some of the other reviewers and I saw the same film. While this film had great visual beauty it was slow as molasses. That isn't always bad if one feels involved in what is going on on screen but that was not the case here. It seems that many reviewers blame Paul Bettany's character's weak will and Bonham Carter's character's lack of moral compass for their affair. I don't think this is the case. For one thing I have never known love to be something one can feel or not feel at will. For another, Olivia Williams' Madeleine seems to have lost her passion for her husband at least by the time the affair is revealed to the audience. Did anyone not notice her (literally) turning a cold shoulder when her husband comes to kiss her at her dressing table? Did anyone notice the challenge in Bettany's voice when, after the affair is discovered, he kisses Williams and tells her that this is what she has coming back to her revealing the lovelessness (at least physically speaking) that would likely have doomed their marriage regardless of outside influence?
Carter does not, for me, possess the kind of fatal beauty that would make her character irresistible to a happily married man and I don't think the film intends for us to feel that way about her. Williams is much more classically beautiful and if the sister character (Carter) had been supposed to be a femme fatale then the roles of sister and wife would have been better switched. It was love that brought the husband and sister together not just a submission to passion by two morally weak characters. Yes, something can be said about the sister allowing herself to be in such a position. She might have decided that, love notwithstanding, the great wrong was not necessarily being with a married man but being unfaithful to her own sister. Still, it seems clear that the marriage was an empty one anyway with only the couples' love for their doomed son giving them much reason to continue the charade. Remember too, that their daughter was the product of angry assault and not the result of a resumption of regular marital relations.
With all that juicy plot substance going for it I still think the film was a dismal failure. Very little exploration of Bettany and Carter's life together and despite the fact that the war plays a big part in Bettany's character's demise there was very little sense of the times for the part of the film that takes place before and during the war. I wouldn't recommend this film to anyone except hard core fans of the leads (and Eleanor Bron who was so great in "Help)and as a chance to see more of Olivia Williams who deserves better than the clunkers ("Born Romantic","The Postman","To Kill A King") she's appeared in. Of course, she has also done episodes of "Van der Valk" which I would love to see but which, it seems, will never come out on video or DVD.
Carter does not, for me, possess the kind of fatal beauty that would make her character irresistible to a happily married man and I don't think the film intends for us to feel that way about her. Williams is much more classically beautiful and if the sister character (Carter) had been supposed to be a femme fatale then the roles of sister and wife would have been better switched. It was love that brought the husband and sister together not just a submission to passion by two morally weak characters. Yes, something can be said about the sister allowing herself to be in such a position. She might have decided that, love notwithstanding, the great wrong was not necessarily being with a married man but being unfaithful to her own sister. Still, it seems clear that the marriage was an empty one anyway with only the couples' love for their doomed son giving them much reason to continue the charade. Remember too, that their daughter was the product of angry assault and not the result of a resumption of regular marital relations.
With all that juicy plot substance going for it I still think the film was a dismal failure. Very little exploration of Bettany and Carter's life together and despite the fact that the war plays a big part in Bettany's character's demise there was very little sense of the times for the part of the film that takes place before and during the war. I wouldn't recommend this film to anyone except hard core fans of the leads (and Eleanor Bron who was so great in "Help)and as a chance to see more of Olivia Williams who deserves better than the clunkers ("Born Romantic","The Postman","To Kill A King") she's appeared in. Of course, she has also done episodes of "Van der Valk" which I would love to see but which, it seems, will never come out on video or DVD.
Sisters and their men
comoc9 March 2005
Beyond the beautiful photography and brilliant performances in this fine film, it brings us an intimate view into one of this life's great challenges. Having almost stepped into Ricky's shoes myself, this story clears away the fog of imagined outcomes to reveal the most essential, critical and invariable costs with their likely and possible consequences.
These three characters, the husband Ricky, the wife Madeleine, and the sister Dinah, live lives well examined, know well the agony and the ecstasy of true love, of loving without reservation, and that life is short and then we're gone forever. That true loves makes the gods jealous of our mortality.
Perhaps there is a marriage of reason, and then an affair d'amour. But there's much more than that. Ricky loves Madeleine, and then he loves Dinah. Both are wonderful, brilliant women with whom any man could be truly content and more than that, in love.
But this is their lives: this situation has much more depth than a simple love triangle, or a man lacking reason. It is the force of life, the river that runs through us when love flies. It's about choices, yes. But it's about one's life. Can Ricky choose to not love Dinah? Can he live the rest of his days not having known the outcome? How does one choose such a thing? How does one decide? That's why we need this story. To illuminate the road ahead. Is love with Dinah more than love with Madeleine? This is the question, perhaps in real life. And this story will help.
The film steps through the traversal of events in quick succession, depending on our keen understanding to comprehend what may and may not possibly be happening to each character.
On a much smaller note, in this writer's opinion this film contains one of the most beautiful images of any. A quick little profile shot of Helena Bonham Carter in profile, wearing some clown makeup. For the briefest moment, one may find one of film's finest flowers.
These three characters, the husband Ricky, the wife Madeleine, and the sister Dinah, live lives well examined, know well the agony and the ecstasy of true love, of loving without reservation, and that life is short and then we're gone forever. That true loves makes the gods jealous of our mortality.
Perhaps there is a marriage of reason, and then an affair d'amour. But there's much more than that. Ricky loves Madeleine, and then he loves Dinah. Both are wonderful, brilliant women with whom any man could be truly content and more than that, in love.
But this is their lives: this situation has much more depth than a simple love triangle, or a man lacking reason. It is the force of life, the river that runs through us when love flies. It's about choices, yes. But it's about one's life. Can Ricky choose to not love Dinah? Can he live the rest of his days not having known the outcome? How does one choose such a thing? How does one decide? That's why we need this story. To illuminate the road ahead. Is love with Dinah more than love with Madeleine? This is the question, perhaps in real life. And this story will help.
The film steps through the traversal of events in quick succession, depending on our keen understanding to comprehend what may and may not possibly be happening to each character.
On a much smaller note, in this writer's opinion this film contains one of the most beautiful images of any. A quick little profile shot of Helena Bonham Carter in profile, wearing some clown makeup. For the briefest moment, one may find one of film's finest flowers.
It all just "happened" that way!
Cipher-J11 April 2004
The soul of this film is in the empathy, or it would be easy to judge. Men tend to marry women who think like themselves, but there is that darker side, different from themselves, that some men cannot resist. In the usual case, at least as far as movie plots are concerned, his darker side will drive him to find some lover that is everything that he is not. If he is obsessive, she will be moody and impulsive, otherwise she will be the Eros to his Thanatos. The wife and the lover seldom know each other. In this case, however, he finds both of these women as sisters, adding incest to the convoluted plot. The one he marries is structured like himself, but then he falls in love, or lust, with the other, a neurotic Bohemian whose child-like passions rob him of reason.
There is a fatalistic element to this plot, however. All three characters, while seemingly driven by their feelings, are actually so out of touch with their feelings that they act without reason. We say that it is their "feelings" that are driving their actions, when in fact it is their lack of "reason" that is driving their actions. They are just letting themselves feel without thinking, as though it was "fate" that made such decisions. They can't help themselves. Fate has determined that he will marry the wrong sister, and fate has determined that he will become hopelessly obsessed by the other. What is left for the audience, therefore, is to empathize with their dilemma as presented, and agree without doubt that where matters of love are concerned, there is no room for reason.
What a pessimistic and lugubrious theme! Feelings, passions and emotions, are wonderful and inspiring forces, that can drive us to the heights of ambition, or drag us down to depression, bigotry and resentment. Unless measured by reason they are worthless and potentially harmful. It is "reason" that makes feelings supreme, not just feelings alone. Wallowing in passion without reason only results in self-indulgence and destruction, as evidenced by this film. The events of this story did not "just happen" to these characters as though by fate. Not only is there "room" for reason in matters where love is concerned, but without it love becomes a trap, a disease, and a tragedy. What is missing from this story is not love, but reason.
There is a fatalistic element to this plot, however. All three characters, while seemingly driven by their feelings, are actually so out of touch with their feelings that they act without reason. We say that it is their "feelings" that are driving their actions, when in fact it is their lack of "reason" that is driving their actions. They are just letting themselves feel without thinking, as though it was "fate" that made such decisions. They can't help themselves. Fate has determined that he will marry the wrong sister, and fate has determined that he will become hopelessly obsessed by the other. What is left for the audience, therefore, is to empathize with their dilemma as presented, and agree without doubt that where matters of love are concerned, there is no room for reason.
What a pessimistic and lugubrious theme! Feelings, passions and emotions, are wonderful and inspiring forces, that can drive us to the heights of ambition, or drag us down to depression, bigotry and resentment. Unless measured by reason they are worthless and potentially harmful. It is "reason" that makes feelings supreme, not just feelings alone. Wallowing in passion without reason only results in self-indulgence and destruction, as evidenced by this film. The events of this story did not "just happen" to these characters as though by fate. Not only is there "room" for reason in matters where love is concerned, but without it love becomes a trap, a disease, and a tragedy. What is missing from this story is not love, but reason.
Lending-library escapism courtesy of the poll-tax funded BBC
rowmorg8 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Why can't the private sector deliver sleepwalking junk-TV like this? Why does one of the few surviving public broadcasters on earth have to waste resources on such mediocre pap? The script should have been thrown out by BBC Drama execs on sight. It breaks all the rules. No hero, no heroine, no love interest, no sub-plot, no climax in the third act. It should have been binned right away. Only a director named "Thaddeus" could have been persuaded to take it on. Not one of the characters is even slightly plausible, and only their removal into some remote pre-war era gives them some spurious credibility. The working class --- er, that's 90 per cent of the UK population at the time --- is airbrushed out. Even the Second World War is reduced to the status of a prop and a 'deus ex machina'. Dinah and Madeleine obviously should have been swapped: Olivia Williams is irresistibly sexy even when playing a frigid wife, while the squat, pinch-faced Bonham-Carter has to plaster on the make-up to persuade her 40 years to look more like 30 (and definitely not 20). Paul Bettany struggles to make a manipulable goon and upper-middle class twit seem of consequence. His deeply unsympathetic behaviour and unmotivated, pathetic end (walking brainlessly into a Nazi bombing raid) plead for a well-deserved tearing up and binning. Rather than committing suicide, his character would have bought all the sex he wanted from the millions of sex-trade workers available in that era. Why throw up everything for a bisexual hippy? All three main characters seem to be desperately searching around for a sub-plot to give their lives meaning. Olivia Williams's agent should be shot.
How much the overacting performers of "The Hours" could have learned!
mjkarlin9 April 2003
Here is an exquisite, delicately told tale of frustration, repression and deception told about two sisters, the wife and lover of the same man, through the 1930s and 40s England. Although from time to time, the plot wanders toward the predictable and the sentimental and the script could have done with some more acerbic wit, you simply cannot take your eyes off the protagonists, particularly the two leading ladies. Helena Bonham Carter and Olivia Williams show how to perform with perfect pitch the same sort of roles that Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and especially Julianne Moore trashed with overacting hyperbole in The Hours (although they were actualy models of restraint compared to Ed Harris - I couldn't wait for his character to throw himself out the window). They are ably supported by Paul Bettany and the wonderful Eleanor Bron.
This is not a movie for the 18 - 24 year old male demographic of course, but it will hold every intelligent viewer for its full 96 minutes (how wonderful - a moview well under 2 hours edited with self restraint).
This is not a movie for the 18 - 24 year old male demographic of course, but it will hold every intelligent viewer for its full 96 minutes (how wonderful - a moview well under 2 hours edited with self restraint).
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