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Angel at odds with itself

The Internet Movie Database informs me that today is Sam Neill's birthday, which is a funny coincidence considering I was looking up his latest film, Angel, for spellings and such.

Last night was the TIFF premiere of a new film from daring French director François Ozon, starring Sam Neill, Romola Garai, Lucy Russell, and Charlotte Rampling. It's his first film shot entirely in english.

The good news is that nothing is lost in translation. All of Ozon's mastery and funny quirks are in evidence here, from the strange set decordation and costuming to the thick layers of cliché on cliché. The movie is adapted from a forgotten 1957 work by a British scribe, Elizabeth Taylor (not the actress).

My sense of things is that Ozon had a difficult time reconciling his style with the book. Watching the film is a bit like observing a tug-of-war. Some moments are pure Ozon fun, but occasionally the plot is pulled along by a narrative that seems at odds with the film's central fantasy. As a result, there are times when this film is a joy to watch, and others when characters act irrationally and the plotting is cumbersome.

Then again, perhaps that has as much to do with the premise: A spoiled girl who gets everything she desires. We're so used to moralizing versions of this tale that we spend much of the movie waiting for the "other shoe to drop" and are constantly surprised when it does not.

Posted on 09/14/07 by: garyc 12:22 PM