| Philip Kaufman's Quills | |
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The acting is wonderful throughout. Geoffrey Rush is hilarious as the Marquis de Sade, quick with funny dialogue and seeming invulnerable even when stripped naked. I've already praised Kate Winslet, who can do no wrong. The slow, unfortunate transformation in Joaquim Phoenix's compassionate priest is perhaps the most interesting performance to watch, and Amelia Warner makes a promising debut as the Doctor's young wife snatched from the convent.
Given the subject and the previous films of Philip Kaufman, you might expect Quills to be an erotic film. The Unbearable Lightness Being, based on Milan Kundera's political novel was an erotic masterpiece. The NC-17 rating was created for Henry and June. There are certainly erotic moments in Quills. In once scene, the Marquis dictates his prose through an elaborate game of telephone that arouses and disturbs his readers. But rather than sex, Kaufman devotes his attention to prose: the power of words, the writer's need to write, the public's need to have access to writing--even pornography.
More than a twisted love story or a sumptuous costume drama for the holiday season, Quills is an anti-censorship movie, but one that's too smart to drown the story in sermonizing or giving easy answers to complex questions.
Drama. 2 hrs. 04 min. Rated R for strong sexual content including dialogue, violence and language.
Starring: Geoffrey
Rush, Joaquin Phoenix, Kate Winslet, Michael Caine, Michael Jenn. Directed by
Philip Kaufman and Rogier Stoffers.
Produced by Mark Huffam, Julia Chasman, Nick Wechsler and Peter Kaufman.
Written by Doug Wright.
Distributed by Fox Searchlight
