Rating: 
Summary: "A garden is a celebration of art's triumph over nature."
Review: "The Serpent's Kiss" is a costume drama set in England at the end of the 17th century. Landscape designer Meneer Chrome (Ewan Macgregor) is employed to create a garden for Thomas Smithers (Pete Postlethwaite). Wife, Juliana Smithers (Greta Scacchi) has a bit of a wandering eye, and so far her eyes have roamed towards her foppish cousin, James Fitzmaurice (Richard E Grant). Fitzmaurice once courted Juliana, but he lost her to the wealthier Smithers. Fitzmaurice is responsible for Smithers employing Chrome, and it seems that this is all part of a shady plot of revenge. A wilderness currently exists to the rear of the family mansion, and Chrome is employed to tame this wilderness and to design and create a spectacular garden. While planning the garden, Chrome becomes involved with daughter Thea Smithers. Thea (Carmen Chaplin), who also calls herself Anna, is a strange creature. She's apparently considered quite mad by her family. She's obsessed by Metaphysical poet Andrew Marvell, and quotes lines from "To His Coy Mistress." I read several professional reviews that compared "The Serpent's Kiss" to Peter Greenaway's film "The Draughtsman's Contract." I see no such similarity beyond the period in which the films are set, and the fact that garden designs are involved. "The Serpent's Kiss" is really a rather silly, luke-warm love story, plonked onto the top of an implausible revenge plot. The villain--James Fitzmaurice--isn't villainous enough, and the plan of revenge is far-fetched, tepid and unlikely. Surely there are better ways to enact revenge upon the husband of one's lover than to make him build a really expensive garden. The planning and creation of the garden just seems like a pretty way to delve into the plot and create the false impression that we are enjoying authenticity here. And yes, to be honest, the creation of the garden is one of the more interesting aspects of the film. Other fascinating tidbits here include Thea's so-called medical treatments (including leeches) and the supernatural elements within the film. There is a deeper meaning to the story, but it seems to be created as rather an afterthought. I really wanted to like the film more for the slivers of originality it displayed, but unfortunately, overall the film was bogged down by mediocrity and the tepid love story--displacedhuman
Rating:
Summary: "A garden is a celebration of art's triumph over nature."
Review: "The Serpent's Kiss" is a costume drama set in England at the end of the 17th century. Landscape designer Meneer Chrome (Ewan Macgregor) is employed to create a garden for Thomas Smithers (Pete Postlethwaite). Wife, Juliana Smithers (Greta Scacchi) has a bit of a wandering eye, and so far her eyes have roamed towards her foppish cousin, James Fitzmaurice (Richard E Grant). Fitzmaurice once courted Juliana, but he lost her to the wealthier Smithers. Fitzmaurice is responsible for Smithers employing Chrome, and it seems that this is all part of a shady plot of revenge. A wilderness currently exists to the rear of the family mansion, and Chrome is employed to tame this wilderness and to design and create a spectacular garden. While planning the garden, Chrome becomes involved with daughter Thea Smithers. Thea (Carmen Chaplin), who also calls herself Anna, is a strange creature. She's apparently considered quite mad by her family. She's obsessed by Metaphysical poet Andrew Marvell, and quotes lines from "To His Coy Mistress." I read several professional reviews that compared "The Serpent's Kiss" to Peter Greenaway's film "The Draughtsman's Contract." I see no such similarity beyond the period in which the films are set, and the fact that garden designs are involved. "The Serpent's Kiss" is really a rather silly, luke-warm love story, plonked onto the top of an implausible revenge plot. The villain--James Fitzmaurice--isn't villainous enough, and the plan of revenge is far-fetched, tepid and unlikely. Surely there are better ways to enact revenge upon the husband of one's lover than to make him build a really expensive garden. The planning and creation of the garden just seems like a pretty way to delve into the plot and create the false impression that we are enjoying authenticity here. And yes, to be honest, the creation of the garden is one of the more interesting aspects of the film. Other fascinating tidbits here include Thea's so-called medical treatments (including leeches) and the supernatural elements within the film. There is a deeper meaning to the story, but it seems to be created as rather an afterthought. I really wanted to like the film more for the slivers of originality it displayed, but unfortunately, overall the film was bogged down by mediocrity and the tepid love story--displacedhuman
Rating: 
Summary: Criminally underrated
Review: Comparisons to Greenaway are misleading. It gets compared to him mostly because of one film (Draughtman's Contract, Greenaway's best if you ask me) and one fine actor (Ewan McGregor, who starred in another Greenaway film, the Pillow Book). The characters are deeper and more human in this film, rather than simply representing ideas in some sort of post-modern satire. The acting is all around excellent. I can't think of a single performance that wasn't above average to astounding. To discuss the film's plot in detail is to risk giving too much away, as this is a film where there is a lot of surprise and mystery about the main character, Minier Chrome (Ewan McGregor) and his increasingly complex relationship with the Smithers family, for whom he is building a splendid baroque garden. A better 'genre' comparison might be Robert Downey Jr. and Meg Ryan film set in almost the same time period, Restoration (just a bit before). However that film moved around a lot and centered on a wildly uneven character, and in this one, no characters truly dominate (though the actor who plays Fitz steals every scene he is in), and we hardly ever leave the estate where the garden is being built (an English estate, but filmed in Ireland, where apparently the countryside is far more intact).
Rating: 
Summary: Filming Marvell's Poetry
Review: Experiencing "The Serpent's Kiss" benefits from a re-reading of Andrew Marvell's poetry, the volume that figures so strongly in the film. Characters' lines, at times direct quotes, derive from "The Garden," "Holland," "Bermudas," "To His Coy Mistress," "The Reaper" and others. The characters, in costume, actions, motives and speech, enact the dualities that Marvell explores: Nature versus artifice, eros versus reason, the present versus posterity, humility versus vanity, love versus materialism.
The cinematography, production design and costumes recreate the world of Vermeer, Van Dyke and other 17th century Dutch painters. The film's visual aspects are emblematic of (and sometimes in contrast to) the spirit of late 17th century Northern Europe, especially Holland, England and Ireland, and reward symbolic readings of color, light, and composition.
The script makes fascinating use of imagery, involving flowers, water, industry and agriculture, darkness and light, which enriches the narrative when traced. Consider the use of brambles, the scent of flowers, their exotic versions from the "dark side of the world", tobacco and "medicinal" herbs. In effect, the film asks What is and where is the real garden? Who is barren and who is fertile, physically and spiritually?
Although somewhat simplistic and awkward in execution and with some uncomfortable anachronisms in the script (not "f***" by the way, which has been around a long time), this is a thoughtful, delicately humorous film, well-acted and produced with unusual commitment and deep feeling there within the esthetic feast. In any event, filmed poems are rare.
[Looking into the Glorious Revolution of 1689 when William and Mary became Britain's rulers, seeing pictures of their garden at Het Loo, so similar to Chrome's design, and researching details of Marvell's life reveals the filmmakers' attempt to ground this film in time, place and experience).
Rating:
Summary: A Film Of True Brilliance and Passion
Review: I have recently seen the film Serpeant's Kiss, and found it to be a true work of art. Ewan Magregor is sensational as a held back artist and deciever of minds.When I saw the previous reviews for this spectacular film I was astonished. I highly encourage you to see and buy this masterpiece the sights and sounds will truly touch your hearts and minds.
Rating:
Summary: looks promising but is disappointing
Review: I love period movies and Ewan McGregor, so I thought this would be a win-win situation. Thankfully I found this in the cheap-movie-bin at Wal-Mart for $5.50, so I didn't waste a lot of money on it. The acting is superb, the costumes are excellent, and I thought the sets were decent enough to not be too distracting. But the screenplay is ridiculous. The movie limps along meandering aimlessly in the first half without giving any real intro or background into the characters, and the second half seems to rush tying up all the loose ends. Fitzmaurice seemed to appear out of nowhere, or else I was just so bored that I completely missed that part. I think with any other director, this could have been a really enjoyable movie. I think my main beef with it is that there was not enough character development to keep my interest. I wouldn't even recommend this for rental, unless you are a film student who wants to study How Not To Ruin A Perfectly Good Movie!! I agree with the reviewer above, I don't even want to keep my copy and am going to donate it to the library.
Rating:
Summary: Kiss My Asp!
Review: I own both the DVD and VCR of Serpent's Kiss, the long awaited film by Philippe Rousselot. While I am a fan of Ewan McGregor's work, of costume drama, and small obscure films in general, I can not recommend it. While a visually attractive film largely due to Rousselot, a DP of merit in other work, this production is less than stellar. McGregor, in 18th c. wig is wasted in the title role of Meneer Chrome, a landscape architect of considerable renown hired to create a monumental garden for a status conscious couple played by Pete Postlethwaite and Greta Sacchi. In an over the top Snidley Whiplash role is Richard E. Grant, the cousin of Sacchi's character come to ruin the marriage of his lost lover. Rambling through the scenery is Carmen Chaplin, a fey but boring beauty whose presence irritates her mother, fasinates McGregor, and upsets the servants. The story never achieves the desired momentum despite its superior cast, costumes, and suspense-filled twists, but all in all, it's a dud. Not recommended unless a collector of maudlin films by important British actors before they were famous.
Rating:
Summary: Not really worth the effort
Review: I purchased this DVD based on the previous reviews and the... price tag, but it still wasn't worth it. I'm a fan of McGregor, but this isn't one of his better efforts. I had no trouble understanding the story, it just never caught my interest. Try something else.
Rating:
Summary: ewan mc gregor shines in the serpent's kiss.
Review: I thought Ewan's performance in The Serpent's Kiss was one of his finest ever. I have seen all of his movies, and he still amazes me every time with the depth of his talent. I found it to be a beautiful, sensual film. His scenes with Carmen Chaplin, who plays his love interest, were very romantic and moving. It is very refreshing today to see a film without all the violence, profanity, and explicit sex scenes. I also enjoyed knowing it was filmed in Ireland, because I have visited that beautiful country. Other co-stars include Pete Postlethwaite, Greta Scacchi, and Richard Grant. I waited a long time to see this film, and it was definitely worth the wait.
Rating: 
Summary: Great acting, average movie.
Review: It helped to read a review of the movie before I watched it, otherwise I would not have understood the premise of the movie as you are almost finished watching before you realize why things are being done the way they are. Orignially watched this movie to see Pete Postelwaite and Ewan McGregor (Love them both) but was carried away by Richard Grant. I really enjoyed his character, and the portrayals by all of the actors were very well done. The movie itself is a little on the slow moving side. Does not require an R rating-Have seen PG movies with far worse language than this movie, and there is no nudity or graphic violence. I guess one F*** reduces you to an R...All in all, not a bad rental, or if you are a big fan of any of the actors, it is worth owning just for the wonderful acting.
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