Okay, let's just ignore the fact that this is a brilliant play by Oscar Wilde that these producers mistakenly thought they had the intelligence and talent to alter (yes, they did! yes, it is outrageous! can you believe - yes! exactly! i know what you mean!) and start right in with the fact that this film exposes the limits of both Scarlett's and Helen's acting ability to a great and lamentable degree. (In what universe, I ask, would anyone believe that a Mrs. Erlynne could in any way resemble or behave like Helen Hunt?) The rest of the cast are wonderful but can't save this drowning ship, which pairs Wilde's brilliant sayings with only average story-telling ability. The soundtrack of kitschy versions of swing was so forgettable I don't believe I even saw recognition in the credits for it. And the moment I heard said kitschy swing music turn to what I believe to be Puccini's Madame Butterfly, I was through. With all of the great period movies out there, there is no point on wasting one's time with this one.
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Deft Underrated Turn on Wilde
Added 12/20/2009
This is a film that grows on one with repeated viewings. My first thought when I saw it several years ago was, "How clever." But it lingered in my memory, and I rented it again, finally adding it to my collection. The center of this updated version of Oscar Wilde's "Lady Windermere's Fan" is Helen Hunt's heart-breaking performance, but Tom Wilkinson's performance is equally as good and shifts the center of gravity of the story in a way that I think Wilde would have found very interesting. Scarlet Johansen is of course lovely and does as much as can be done with her part, but this is a seasoned and grown up "Lady Windermere," and it's Hunt and Wilkinson all the way. Highly recommended.
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Gorgeous outfits, breathtaking scenery, great performances
Added 2/16/2009
Helen Hunt plays the role of Mrs. Erlynne, who lives off of other women's husbands. The movie opens in New York City during the 30's and we see this gorgeous and self assured femme fatale no longer welcomed by society because of the danger she represents. The credit she once had, provided by the rich and famous is no longer available but she wants to move to new territory and is forced to sell her jewelry to have enough money to buy passage to travel to the Amalfi Coast, the region of Italy's coastline located south of Naples.
The beautiful settings of Amalfi, Positano and Ravello make this movie a cinematographic wonder. The shots of this world renowned stretch of mountainous coastline are breathtaking and we could not help but want to visit the picturesque villages, the beautiful villas that cling to the cliffs as if designed to become part of a portrait.
We get to walk with the actors through the streets of these fishing villages and we join them as they purchase their lunch from the fresh catch of the day. Mrs. Eflynne has apparently set her sight on a newly married Robert Windermere, played by Mark Umbers.
Meg Windermere, played by Scarlett Johansson is portrayed as naïve, completely in love with her husband and incapable of doing anything to jeopardize her marriage. But when her husband starts to visit Mrs. Eflynne at her villa the local gossips become convinced that they are involved in a torrid affair and they become the talk of the town.
John Standing delivers an outstanding performance as Dumby, the high society wealthy Lord Darlington, twice-divorced and reluctant to ever marry again, and yet, he is so smitten by Mrs. Eflynne that he proposes matrimony to the "American" woman that every woman despises and every man admires.
This is one of those few movies that took us by surprise as the plot twists and turns, and rather than revealing it to you, we simply recommend seeing it. If you have ever traveled through Italy, this movie will remind you of the great natural beauty of Amalfi, Ravello, Sorrento and Rome. Gorgeous attire, elegant settings, delightful performances and delicious give and take by the men... Don't miss it!
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Modern take on 19th century morality tale
Added 10/15/2008
What makes this film wonderful is that it is made after Oscar Wilde's play "Mrs. Windermere's Fan". For anyone who saw his play in the theatre, this film is visual disappointment in terms of costumes, jewelry, hair and mannerisms of the female characters. Two main female leads Scarlet Johnasson and Helen Hunt are miscast. It is almost as if their roles are reversed. Johansson is too seductive to be cast as a prim young bride, while Hunt's thin lips and deep, severe facial lines make her even less appealing in her role of a seductress of men. Wilde's smart snippets of wisdom make this film lively. Although film was made in Italy, I wish there were more beautiful places showing in the film that could entice some true romantic emotions - but that is not the case. Tom Wilkinson is great in portraying aging, wealthy man, somewhat pretending to be shallow and yet remaining irresistibly endearing. The moral tale of how men can get away with being a playboy while women have to conform to a higher standards of a moral virtue is still true today. I liked the line that Helen Hunt had where she says to a young woman:"Do you think that just because we got a right to vote that makes us equal to the standards of men?" Good entertainment, but not a great movie.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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One of My Favorites
Added 9/9/2008
I saw this film on an international flight a couple of years ago, before it was released in the US, and loved it. I thought everyone in it was great, the location perfect for the story, and that all of the elements came together nicely. I've seen it several times since and my feeling for this film has not changed. It's one of my all-time favorite films.
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Okay, let's just ignore the fact that this is a brilliant play by Oscar Wilde that these producers mistakenly thought they had the intelligence and talent to alter (yes, they did! yes, it is outrageous! can you believe - yes! exactly! i know what you mean!) and start right in with the fact that this film exposes the limits of both Scarlett's and Helen's acting ability to a great and lamentable degree. (In what universe, I ask, would anyone believe that a Mrs. Erlynne could in any way resemble or behave like Helen Hunt?) The rest of the cast are wonderful but can't save this drowning ship, which pairs Wilde's brilliant sayings with only average story-telling ability. The soundtrack of kitschy versions of swing was so forgettable I don't believe I even saw recognition in the credits for it. And the moment I heard said kitschy swing music turn to what I believe to be Puccini's Madame Butterfly, I was through. With all of the great period movies out there, there is no point on wasting one's time with this one.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Deft Underrated Turn on Wilde
Added 12/20/2009
This is a film that grows on one with repeated viewings. My first thought when I saw it several years ago was, "How clever." But it lingered in my memory, and I rented it again, finally adding it to my collection. The center of this updated version of Oscar Wilde's "Lady Windermere's Fan" is Helen Hunt's heart-breaking performance, but Tom Wilkinson's performance is equally as good and shifts the center of gravity of the story in a way that I think Wilde would have found very interesting. Scarlet Johansen is of course lovely and does as much as can be done with her part, but this is a seasoned and grown up "Lady Windermere," and it's Hunt and Wilkinson all the way. Highly recommended.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Gorgeous outfits, breathtaking scenery, great performances
Added 2/16/2009
Helen Hunt plays the role of Mrs. Erlynne, who lives off of other women's husbands. The movie opens in New York City during the 30's and we see this gorgeous and self assured femme fatale no longer welcomed by society because of the danger she represents. The credit she once had, provided by the rich and famous is no longer available but she wants to move to new territory and is forced to sell her jewelry to have enough money to buy passage to travel to the Amalfi Coast, the region of Italy's coastline located south of Naples.
The beautiful settings of Amalfi, Positano and Ravello make this movie a cinematographic wonder. The shots of this world renowned stretch of mountainous coastline are breathtaking and we could not help but want to visit the picturesque villages, the beautiful villas that cling to the cliffs as if designed to become part of a portrait.
We get to walk with the actors through the streets of these fishing villages and we join them as they purchase their lunch from the fresh catch of the day. Mrs. Eflynne has apparently set her sight on a newly married Robert Windermere, played by Mark Umbers.
Meg Windermere, played by Scarlett Johansson is portrayed as naïve, completely in love with her husband and incapable of doing anything to jeopardize her marriage. But when her husband starts to visit Mrs. Eflynne at her villa the local gossips become convinced that they are involved in a torrid affair and they become the talk of the town.
John Standing delivers an outstanding performance as Dumby, the high society wealthy Lord Darlington, twice-divorced and reluctant to ever marry again, and yet, he is so smitten by Mrs. Eflynne that he proposes matrimony to the "American" woman that every woman despises and every man admires.
This is one of those few movies that took us by surprise as the plot twists and turns, and rather than revealing it to you, we simply recommend seeing it. If you have ever traveled through Italy, this movie will remind you of the great natural beauty of Amalfi, Ravello, Sorrento and Rome. Gorgeous attire, elegant settings, delightful performances and delicious give and take by the men... Don't miss it!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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