Jul. 30, 2002 - 2:07 am
i decided i really wanted to see this film after reading a little bit about the plot and then after seeing the list of the cast members involved. Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz. that's all you need to say and i'm in for the full 3 hours. this film was nominated for Best Picture at the Golden Globes at the 2001 ceremony.
it's the story of a family over a period of about 75 years or so. it goes through three generations, mainly focusing on the male heir to the family. meaning we follow three male protagonists (grandfather, to father, to son) over the course of their lives, all of which are portrayed by Ralph Fiennes. the film begins in the late 19th century and finishes in the latter half of the 20th. the family lives in Hungary and is Jewish, so they face many problems as waves of anti-semitism pass over all of Europe throughout that period. there are many other complex plot elements like familial struggle and the struggle for self-identity, but you really have to see the film to catch those. trying to explain them just sounds like gibberish.
i did enjoy the use of Ralph Fiennes in this film as 3 different characters. it gave it a kind of singularity of tone that you wouldn't have seen with three different actors (well most likely not). this film also has a wonderful supporting cast. i've already mentioned the inclusion of Rachel Weisz who i am obviously drooling over. she's a wonderful actress though. i don't get interested in those who aren't. and a new actress who added a lot to the story was Jennifer Ehle as Ralph Fiennes' first love of the film. her last name is pronounced "ee-lee" just for future reference. i noticed last night that she will also be a supporting cast member for the new Gwyneth Paltrow/Jeremy Northam picture which i'm actually quite interested in seeing, Possession (2002). sounds like a winner to me.
so this film was quite good. definitely worth 3 hours of my time. i was a little overrun at points by all the politics bleeding their way into the story, but the central story of the family was flawless. the politics is really the only thing hurting the film. i would have had the screenplay shaved off by maybe about 45 minutes to rid us of that, but other than that it was excellent.