Review of Quills (2000) by Chriss M — 22 Jan 2010
Okay, de Sade is one of my favourite writers, but come on, he was NOT the moral individual in an immoral time. There's way too much fiction in this for me to really appreciate it on that sort of level. So I suppose you really need to look at this movie as, well, as just another movie. And on that level it's pretty nice. The acting is ridiculously good. I'm not too familiar with Geoffrey Rush's work, but I mean wow, what an actor. Kate Winslet is great as well, as is Caine. I actually thought Phoenix's performance a bit cringeworthy, but with the script as it is, his poor performance was irrelevant. Because the script in this film is just amazing. It is starkly humorous, whilst being both thought provoking and witty.
The reason I'm only rating the movie three stars is simply because of just how much fiction there is laced through this movie; too much for my liking. I think it detracts greatly from an otherwise outstanding film. There's also the problem of the portrayal as de Sade as a sort of anti-hero. As much as I truly appreciate his literature and his sheer determination to overcome his censorship at all costs (although some could say this was merely a symptom of his psychopathy), this was not a nice man. This isn't someone you want displayed as a flamboyant jester. And if you do wish to show de Sade as some sort of harlequin (as hilarious as he is in the movie), then one must also attempt to show his darker nature. This movie doesn't do that, at all; simply showing a few acts of selfish immaturity, almost on the point of childish petulance.
...Actually. it deserves four stars. I need to stop viewing this as a biopic and more as a reflection on de Sade as a writer. And in that viewing, this movie really shines. This movie manages to play out with all the themes of de Sade's own novels, whilst still dealing with whether his work had any value, and whether it's value is worth the possible damage it causes to certain types of people. A theme that's very relevant toward censorship today.
This review of Quills (2000) was written by Chriss M on 22 Jan 2010.
Quills has generally received positive reviews.
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