Review of The Human Stain (2003) by Gregory G — 29 Nov 2010
Philip Roth's "The Human Stain" was the third book of his informal American trilogy. This final part was written in response to the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, described by Roth as "the ecstasy of sanctimony.
" This movie version, adapted by Nicholas Meyer and directed by Robert Benton, suffers from the fatal miscasting of the lead roles and an inability to express Roth's angered tone towards racial and sexual hypocrisy.
Passages of dialogue and important characters are truncated in a manner that does a disservice to Roth's outrage about political correctness. Anthony Hopkins is Coleman Silk, a professor who is forced to resign after making a comment in class that is misconstrued as a racial epithet.
Silk enters into an affair with a janitor (Nicole Kidman) who is married to a violent Vietnam vet (Ed Harris). Roth's alter ego Nathan Zukerman (Gary Sinise) befriends Silk and writes his story. In flashbacks, we learn that Silk is actually a light skinned, black man who passed himself off as Jewish.
(This was inspired in part by the similar fate of literary critic Anatole Broyard.) The irony of Silk's fate was beautifully sustained by Roth, but by casting the Welsh Hopkins, effective as he is, the meaning is lost.
Kidman is unconvincing as the working class janitor and Sinise is too young to play the septuagenarian Zuckerman. In contrast, the biracial Wentworth Miller is terrific as the young Silk. (Expecting us to believe Miller's physical transformation into Hopkins is ludicrous.
) Jacinda Barrett is wonderful as Silk's girlfriend in college. Score by Rachel Portman; cinematography by Jean-Yves Escoffier. With Anna Deavere Smith, John Finn, Kerry Washington.
This review of The Human Stain (2003) was written by Gregory G on 29 Nov 2010.
The Human Stain has generally received positive reviews.
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