The Golden BowlRating:
Release Date: 06 November, 2001 Retail Price: $14.98 OUR Price: $12.99 You SAVE: $1.99! Cast: Complete Cast (9 total) |
The Golden Bowl Reviews
NOT one of those hardcore Merchant Ivory fans with a lovelust for any and all English boys
I like this movie. I watch it almost every time I find it playing on cable for Kate Beckinsale doing her lethal American impression, definitely MORE devastating than her impersonation in Last Days of Disco. Maybe she's gotten too clever for me to comprehend what the heck is going on when she does Americans nowadays so this movie must remain the strongest draw for my admiration of her. This movie is gorgeous to look at in it's material sumptuousness and entertaining in its American getting their wayness. I've never read Henry James but have watched a number of early Merchant-Ivory films, none of which made an impression on me. They were pleasant and pretty in an eggshell blue way. This movie is gold and coral and stone. I was very sad to hear that Mr. Merchant had passed. I wanted to see if follow up films would as enjoyable as The Golden Bowl.
The almost invisible fracture that flaws relationships...
I'm amazed this film has drawn so many - and so varied - responses! Anyone deciding on whether or not to purchase the DVD may well end up confused. Is this a good film? Is Uma Thurman the only weak point? Is Kate Beckinsale boring? Is everyone irritating except for the character of Charlotte? And so on and so on and so on...
I found the acting of everyone in the film splendid. I was convinced by each character. I didn't LIKE each character, but I was convinced by the actors.
Jeremy Northam's character, a cash-poor Italian minor prince, is a deeply flawed man whose former romance with Charlotte (Uma Thurman) is brought to an unsympathetic end by his decision to wed Maggie, a sweet and practical American heiress (Kate Beckinsale) for her money. He doesn't seem to be in love with either Charlotte or Maggie at this point, but he is certainly intent on ending his former relationship and starting off his marriage with good intentions. Charlotte is clearly deeply upset - she appears to have been far more emotionally invested in the relationship than he.
Charlotte, who weds Maggie's father in a hell-bent way (clearly intent on retaining her presence in the prince's life), then manipulates events so that she's alone with her former lover, and invites him to resume their intimate relationship. She thinks she's in love; one cannot say the same for Northam's character, who appears to be attracted, yes, but not in love. There's also a dynamic created by his feeling left out by his wife's close relationsihp with her father. A man who feels neglected is certainly vulnerable to other influences... which isn't to excuse him, but to give some idea of the influences in his life. Once the affair's underway, it gains momentum and the pair seem to risk disclosure without caring too deeply.
As this deeply flawed man who ends up learning the real value of his wife and feeling appalled by the pain he caused her, Jeremy Northam is simply superb. This would be an easy character to overplay or underplay - but Mr Northam gets it exactly right.
As Charlotte, Uma Thurman is surprisingly good. I've often seen her in sub-standard films (the appalling film Pay Check comes to mind), but this is a magnificent role for her. Again, it's perfectly placed. The audience feels both sympathy for her and dislike for the things she does.
Kate Beckinsale is wonderful as Maggie. For most of the film, we, the audience, have no idea what Maggie knows or suspects, and we can even become a little exasperated by her apparent ignorance and that seeming insensitivity. She seems like a perfectly nice young woman whom we want to shake awake - until the moment when she realises incontrovertibly what has been happening. The title of the film, "Golden Bowl", becomes the metaphor for human relationships - specifically, marriage. And Maggie's agony when she realises there is a terrible flaw in her marriage, that the love and trust she has felt have been abused, is so real and true that it hits one in the face.
Nick Nolte as Maggie's father is also wonderful. His quality of toughness is nicely contrasted by the dignity that is evidence in both him and his daughter. One can see the terrific bond between the two, and the way in which Charlotte, although not obviously punished for seducing her daughter-in-law's husband, is not going to be able to sway her husband when he decides to move away from the lifestyle she loves, in order to protect his daughter's marriage.
The cross-currents of human emotion are truly wonderfully portrayed in this film. In that sense, it certainly maintains much of the original novel. Whether one's familiar with Henry James's novel or not, this is a very rewarding film, beautifully acted, and the scenery is stunning. Everyone looks fabulous, too - it's a shimmering treat to watch - but for me, the high standard of acting is what makes this film so interesting.
The tensions of betrayal, desire, beauty, trust, love, dependency, selfishness and forgiveness are beautifully worked in the film.
More Customer Reviews (21 total)
You like The Golden Bowl?
|
© 2004, 2005, 2006 DVD Booty | Don't Plunder Our Cache of Booty, Matey!
Hosting made possible by donations from American Debt Management, Debt Relief, and countrywide mortgage
