Well, hello there, kind folks. If you’re visiting this blog of mine, I presume that you have a certain interest in the cinema. As for me, even since my early childhood, I have had a deep love of everything related to movies and television. As far as I can remember, I have been more at ease in front of a screen than in the yard, outside, playing. It is a great way to travel, though other people’s stories, without having to foot any kind of steep bill. Over the years, I feel that movie-watching has even fuelled my own creativity.

All that being said, I welcome you in my Cinephile’s Nest. I hope you enjoy it here, feel free to come back at any time. Here you will find reviews of current movies and older ones. TV shows also. Some classics that have remained some of my favourites, some that have disappointed me. I will use a very basic star (*) system to grade them from 1 to 5 (5 being sliced bread level). Remember, these are just my tastes. I will try to explain in each review what I liked about these particular movies, without giving spoilers.

Il y aura aussi des critiques en français pour les films francophones, car j'aime également le cinéma dans ma langue maternelle. Avant d'apprendre l'anglais, plus jeune, je louais des tonnes de films traduits en français, surtout ceux de Bud Spencer et Terrence Hill. Ma mère a eu le choc de sa vie lorsqu'un jour, dans la boîte d'un de ces films, Deep Throat avait malencontreusement inséré. Une expérience formatrice pour le jeune cinéphile que je suis.

Bienvenue à tous, amusez-vous bien.

I welcome you all here, enjoy yourself.

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Quills (2000)

Genre: Drama
Directed by: Philip Kaufman
Cast: Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix, Michael Caine 
Time: 124 minutes

 


Adapted from the Doug Wright 1995 play of the same, Quills offers a heavily fictionalized account of the Marquis de Sade’s last years of incarceration in the insane asylum of Charenton, before his death, at the age of 74. Here, we see Sade manage to keep on publishing his controversial works, thanks to the help of a laundress, leading Napoleon 1 to send in Dr. Royer-Collard to attempt to silence the Marquis once and for all.

With a compelling story involving such an interesting character, a talented director at work in a project he is passionate about, and a cast loaded with such amazing actors, this film packs up quite the punch. The sets and costumes are also great. Sure, like the play, the movie does not limit itself to the facts of Sade’s life. There are a lot of liberties taken but isn’t the Marquis the perfect subject matter for the taking of liberties. Quills is a very riveting exploration of such subjects as censorship, pornography, sex, art, and mental illness. I enjoyed this one very much, though it dragged a bit in a few places.

Rating: ««««

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