Review of Disgrace (2008) by Niek S — 14 Dec 2010
Every time I see a film that features John Malkovich, I see John Malkovich. I don't see the character he plays, I see the actor. Always. It's his near-deranged look, I guess, and his weird diction that draw attention to the man. To me, that is an handicap for an actor, but I'm not sure his acting is so bad, cause it isn't. It's just, well, unsettling.
In that sense, Malkovich is the perfect actor to portray the main character in Disgrace - a film based on one of the most brilliant books of the past decades. His portrayal of a Cape Town Professor whose has an affair with one of his students, invokes both sympathy and disgust, one never never stronger than the other. His acting helps to set the tone in this unsettling film.
Steve Jacobs has done a good job of bringing the Coetzee novel to the screen, turning stark prose into sober cinema. I'm still not sure whether Malkovich is the perfect actor for this role, or whether would have been even better with another actor. I have no clue.
This review of Disgrace (2008) was written by Niek S on 14 Dec 2010.
Disgrace has generally received positive reviews.
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