Film: The Libertine

[tamaranth]

Ever since I first heard the rumours that a film was being made of Stephen Jeffreys' play The Libertine -- and well before I found out that the Earl of Rochester would be played by Johnny Depp -- I've been waiting to find out how the screen version might work. And finally, over a year after the film's first outing at (I think) Montreal Film Festival, it's on general release -- for values of 'general' meaning 'you'll be lucky' -- in the UK.

Don't go and see this film if you're hoping for another nicely-lit period drama, or a lewd romp through the more, ah, excessiveaspects of Restoration life. Or if you find it impossible to imagine Johnny Depp not looking attractive.

There's a lot of bad language, a lot of on-screen debauchery, but the intent is not to titillate. Laurence Dunmore manages to convey a faintly repulsed boredom throughout the orgies, drunken revels, poetry recitals and theatrical advances of the film. Depp's Rochester is not played for laughs, or for glamour. "I do not want you to like me," begins the play, and the film. At the beginning, he's sharp and witty (though bored senseless): by the end it's quite a different story. The last half-hour of the film is stunning, sad, pathetic in both senses of the word. Depp has that trick, in his more serious films, of conveying a great deal in silence (I think it's called 'acting') and I don't think I've seen him do it better.

New scenes have been added, especially with Rochester's mother and with the King (played by John Malkovich, who took the role of Rochester in the original stage play, though not in the version I saw in 1998 with gummitch, lproven, highheeled fishlifter and others). Substantial cuts have been made, too: scenes that were in the play but not in the film, and scenes that were filmed but haven't made it to the final cut. Stephen Jeffreys wrote the screenplay as well as the original play, and I'm dying to read something about the process of adaption -- please let me know if you spot any interviews! There's one particular new scene near the end which shows Rochester doing politics, and it gives quite a different perspective on his engagement with monarch and government.

Samantha Morton splendid as Elizabeth Barry; Rosamund Pike exceptional as Rochester's wife Elizabeth; Johnny Vegas entertaining, though underused, as Sackville; miscellaneous minor (and not so minor) actors doing an excellent job. Camera-work interesting enough for me to notice it, too: leisurely panning shots, dialogues in single-shot with alternating focus, blurry panoramas, fog in St James' Park (and a good thing too, considering the poem). Excellent make-up: make-up that's meant to look dreadful.

Oh dear: according to IMDB, "Runtime: 130 min / UK:114 min". I want those 16 minutes ...!

---

Oh, and don't go and see this film in Crawley (sole venue in Sussex that's showing the film) at a 14-screen cinema when the heating in Screen 14 has failed -- guess which screen was showing The Libertine; go on, guess -- and most of the other screens are showing the Harry Potter film, attended by hordes of squeaky teenagers. Especially after a 2-hour job interview which leaves you enough time to get there by cab, but not by train, and thus adds a whopping £9 to the cost of the excursion. Especially when you're waiting for a call from your niece to find out whether your sister's operation went OK (which it did, thank heavens: I can breathe again). Especially when you haven't eaten anything since noon, and the thought of Cineworld food (plus a cab ride) makes you feel faintly nauseous.

Though I did, and all that stuff fell away for two hours.

Comments

[pigeonhed.livejournal.com]

Looks very interesting... if it ever makes it oop north i'll go see it.

What do you makes of this? http://www.bookslut.com/blog/archives/2005_11.php#007205

Johnny Depp explains how poet John Wilmot, Second Earl Of Rochester, was "the Shane MacGowan of his day."

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

thanks for the link! hadn't seen that one.
Also a good interview on the BBC film site (http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2005/11/15/johnny_depp_the_libertine_2005_interview.shtml). I like the way Depp researches his characters: I really do rate him as an actor, as well as a pretty face. (And more so after The Libertine.)

[pigeonhed.livejournal.com]

as well as a pretty face.

he's not my type but I do enjoy his acting in his more serious work.

Reading the Ramble poem in the light of the Shane comparison was interesting. Some similarities to things like Rainy NighT in Soho so it wasn't just the drunken debauched parallels...

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm really looking forward to that. I love Rochester. Just recently I was re-reading 'The Imperfect Enjoyment' and spluttering with dirty-schoolkid laughter at the phrase 'a common fucking-post'. But I know there's more to him than debauchery and it's good that the film shows that.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

I am quite envious of you, in spite of the whole no heat/expense/moviefood thing (I'm very happy to hear your sister is all right, btw). I've been wanting to see this movie for many months now. It'll be showing next weekend in L.A. somewhere, just to qualify for the Academy Awards, I guess -- it doesn't go into wide release until January. I may have to persuade my daughter
to go with me to see it.

I saw 'Pride and Prejudice' tonight with a friend. Loved it.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Re: the Shane MacGowan connection - that is the weirdest thing. Currently one of my favorite songs is 'Streams of Whiskey' by Shane MacGowan, although I didn't realise he'd written it until I googled it, just now. The version I have is by Hair of the Dog. It's great.

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

he's actually in the film, a cameo role, though I didn't spot him and only realised when I read one of the interviews.

[jhaelan.livejournal.com]

I shall the trailer for this and it looked very interesting. Shall definitely be going now :)

[jhaelan.livejournal.com]

Errr.. s/shall/saw. I have no idea how I mistyped that

[adela-terrell.livejournal.com]

Ah, I've realised now, i didn't read this before because of the spoiler warning, Which is silly, as I know they play inside out!!