Dan
03-21-2001, 10:24 AM
Quills (R)
Two stars
It's not easy make a boring movie about depravity, sex and torture, but
"Quills" somehow accomplishes that feat.
"Quills" is the latest tale of the life of Marquis de Sade, the man who
inspired the word "sadism." The Marquis regards killing and torturing
people as justifiable because it provides him pleasure. The Marquis and
Hitler would probably head the list of "Family Feud" answers to the
question: Who are the most evil beings who ever lived?
"Quills" focuses on a curious part of the legend of Marquis de Sade: His
passion for writing. We meet him in an asylum, writing his notorious
tales, and sneaking them out for publication with help from a sympathetic
maid (Kate Winslet). The tales are widely despised, and equally widely
devoured. The film provides us glimpses of hypocrites in action:
preaching against the Marquis by day, sneaking a read of the books by
night. Napoleon asks that the books be read aloud to him, but waits for
the tale to end before condemning the depictions of debauchery.
Napoleon sends an ruthless physician named Royer-Collard (Michael
Caine) to silence the author. Caine proves to be as wicked as de Sade
himself, preferring near-drowning as a motivational tool.
But de Sade prevails, finding increasingly more clever ways to write,
even after the Quills are confiscated. He writes on sheets, on walls, and
on his clothes. And, in a particularly clever solution, he whispers
sentences through asylum walls to other patients, who whisper them to
others, and then to others - until it reaches a woman with a pen, willing
to help.
"Quills" romanticizes sadism, almost making the Marquis de Sade heroic.
His passion for freedom of expression becomes the predominant theme
of a film that seems to lose sight of the horror of his vision. A second,
less moralistic objection, is that the movie is boring. Despite the fact that
sex and torture were continuous, I had no desire to move closer to the
screen. Instead, I checked my watch often.
The reason, I suspect, is the simple truth that modern filmmakers often
forget: that truly sexy cinema leaves something to the imagination. A
classic example is when Claudette Colbert coyly lifts her skirt to hitch a
ride in "It happens one night," the 1934 Frank Capra classic. That same
film features a bedroom scene in which Clark Gable and Colbert are in
twin beds, and their separation becomes very seductive.
Long ago, Hollywood stopped being coy. "American Pie" provides a
case study of how directors are sexy these days.
Enough pining for lost days, however. Suffice it to say that "Quills"
shows too much, too often - and romanticizes sadism, under the halo of
freedom of expression. There are better ways to spend an evening at the
movies.
Brent Northup
Two stars
It's not easy make a boring movie about depravity, sex and torture, but
"Quills" somehow accomplishes that feat.
"Quills" is the latest tale of the life of Marquis de Sade, the man who
inspired the word "sadism." The Marquis regards killing and torturing
people as justifiable because it provides him pleasure. The Marquis and
Hitler would probably head the list of "Family Feud" answers to the
question: Who are the most evil beings who ever lived?
"Quills" focuses on a curious part of the legend of Marquis de Sade: His
passion for writing. We meet him in an asylum, writing his notorious
tales, and sneaking them out for publication with help from a sympathetic
maid (Kate Winslet). The tales are widely despised, and equally widely
devoured. The film provides us glimpses of hypocrites in action:
preaching against the Marquis by day, sneaking a read of the books by
night. Napoleon asks that the books be read aloud to him, but waits for
the tale to end before condemning the depictions of debauchery.
Napoleon sends an ruthless physician named Royer-Collard (Michael
Caine) to silence the author. Caine proves to be as wicked as de Sade
himself, preferring near-drowning as a motivational tool.
But de Sade prevails, finding increasingly more clever ways to write,
even after the Quills are confiscated. He writes on sheets, on walls, and
on his clothes. And, in a particularly clever solution, he whispers
sentences through asylum walls to other patients, who whisper them to
others, and then to others - until it reaches a woman with a pen, willing
to help.
"Quills" romanticizes sadism, almost making the Marquis de Sade heroic.
His passion for freedom of expression becomes the predominant theme
of a film that seems to lose sight of the horror of his vision. A second,
less moralistic objection, is that the movie is boring. Despite the fact that
sex and torture were continuous, I had no desire to move closer to the
screen. Instead, I checked my watch often.
The reason, I suspect, is the simple truth that modern filmmakers often
forget: that truly sexy cinema leaves something to the imagination. A
classic example is when Claudette Colbert coyly lifts her skirt to hitch a
ride in "It happens one night," the 1934 Frank Capra classic. That same
film features a bedroom scene in which Clark Gable and Colbert are in
twin beds, and their separation becomes very seductive.
Long ago, Hollywood stopped being coy. "American Pie" provides a
case study of how directors are sexy these days.
Enough pining for lost days, however. Suffice it to say that "Quills"
shows too much, too often - and romanticizes sadism, under the halo of
freedom of expression. There are better ways to spend an evening at the
movies.
Brent Northup