Review of The Portrait of a Lady (1996) by Alison O — 11 Apr 2004

Best in Show: Nicole Kidman.

One for the future: Martin Donovan.

Stand-out scene: Ralph Touchett's deathbed scene.

Brainer or no-brainer: Brainer.

Stands up to one viewing or repeated?: Repeated.

DVD commentary any good?: n/a.

VIDEO.

What an extraordinary chameleonic actress Nicole Kidman is - here she gives another stunning performance of depth and resonance as proto feminist Isabel Archer. That she made this film between the by numbers Batman Forever and The Peacemaker, just on the cusp of when her career really took off makes it all the more incredible. Archer is an intelligent heart-breaker who defies the dictates of her era and refuses a series of marriage proposals in favour of a self-enriching tour around Europe. I did find it pretty incredible though that any woman with a pulse would favour John Malkovich over Viggo Mortensen, even with a silly floppy flick. When she comes into some money she is cuckolded into marrying the cold-hearted gold-digger Gilbert Osmond (Malkovich). Instead of being worshipped by Osmond he uses her as a mere tool to set his daughter up with a wealthy Lord she herself had rejected whilst living in England. Fine supporting performances from the likes of Barbara Hershey, Shelley Duvall, Christian Bale, Richard E. Grant, Mary Louise Parker and Sir John Geilgud add to the enjoyment that can be gleaned from this sometimes slow but ultimately rewarding movie. Jane Campion's eye for unusual touches (here she uses a cinema veritie style to represent Archer's travels) always means she's a director whose work is worth watching (Sweetie is an excellent movie) and watching repeatedly.