Review of The White Countess (2005) by Mloy X — 30 Dec 2010
Set in 1930's China, The White Countess centers on Sofia Belinsky (the taken too soon Natasha Richardson), a Russian countess who prostitutes herself to support her exiled family. She meets blind American diplomat Todd Jackson (Ralph Fiennes) who wants to open a Shanghai nightclub with Sofia as his hostess.
War with Japan looms and Todd begins to see his club as a sort of league of nations. The screenplay (by the amazing novelist Kazuo Ishiguro) is frustratingly convoluted, but director James Ivory manages to get some first-rate performances our of his stars, especially Richardson.
At not time is she more vital than when she's acting alongside her mother Vanessa Redgrave, playing her aunt, and her real-life aunt Lynn Redgrave, playing her on-screen mother. They find the emotional life in the story and run with it, and Fiennes matches Richardson wonderfully.
The White Countess not only a stirring tribute to Richardson, but also to producer Ismail Merchant, who along with Ivory, made some of the finest British films in modern cinema. This was their last collaboration, and a fine one.
This review of The White Countess (2005) was written by Mloy X on 30 Dec 2010.
The White Countess has generally received positive reviews.
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