 | Quills Starring: Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix, Michael Caine |
I cannot review this film. As a film critic, I did the unthinkable. After one hour, I walked out! This is unforgivable and I plead guilty. I did, however, intend to give it another try but I never could quite build up the courage or interest. Alas, I failed in my duty. I am only mentioning this film in Roads because of Geoffrey Rush's nomination as best actor. There is, at least, some validity in my opinion of the first hour. I went to "Quills" with high expectations. Being familiar with the infamous Marquis de Sade, I had heard high praise for this film even before it's successful release. The film deals with the latter days of the Marquis de Sade (Rush) as he created his naughty little stories in the comfort of his cell at Charenton insane asylum in France, circa 1807. Since his wife paid the bills, the controversial Marquis was given all the books, writing materials and pleasant lodgings that money could buy. What a cozy, happy asylum it was! Led by the saintly Abbe Coulmier (Phoenix) who believed that the mentally ill could be cured with kindness and respect, he quickly befriended the Marquis de Sade and gently looked the other way at his outrageous conduct. Phoenix is so syrupy in this role that the good priest becomes unreal. Enter the sexy, virginal Madeleine (Winslet). Madeleine is a jovial laundress who becomes aroused when the lovable, lecherous, Marquis relates his wicked little tales. Madeleine is so excited with her new friend that she assists in smuggling his stories out of the asylum where they became the talk of Parisian society. Unfortunately, the nasty little stories raise the ire of Napoleon who orders the old fool shot! Instead, however, he sends an emissary to the asylum, the evil, cruel Dr. Royar-Collard (Caine), to silence the Marquis de Sade once and for all. It was at this point that I stared longingly at the theatre EXIT sign. When Michael Caine arrived at the asylum dressed in a black top hat and black cape, I became all too aware that the party was over. Caine plays a cartoon villain that is ridiculously flat and one-dimensional. Rush's Marquis misses the mark entirely. Perhaps the Marquis de Sade WAS witty and lovable but he certainly had a dark side. To omit this dark side is to create an incomplete and uninteresting character. I understand that actors tend to look for the sympathetic side of the worst characters but this performance is so absurd that the real Marquis de Sade fails to emerge. Supposedly, the film is based on the writings of the Marquis. If this is true then why are many of the Marquis' stories made up for this film? What did I miss? I hear that Madeleine meets with a violent murder, the bumbling Marquis is gleefully tortured by the evil doctor and dies when his tongue is ripped out, and the holy Abbe loses his mind and inherits the very cell of the foolish Marquis. Shame! I may have missed the best part. |