Oscar and Lucinda

Rating:
Summary: Well worth the effort
Review: At first I didn't like the movie because it seemed too pale and almost watery, but after a second attempt I realized that therein lay the beauty. The two main characters are both as fragile and delicate as Lucinda's translucent glass, and in order to see the luster it has to be caught by the light at a certain angle. Once I did fall in love with the movie, I couldn't understand how it was bypassed by the oscars et al., and I think it must be because the protagonists are so quirky. I recently read the Booker prize-winning book by Peter Carey as a follow-up to the enchanting film, and the uniqueness came from the practically complete shunning of the hero and heroine. Not that they were without friends entirely, but the characters were described as having such strange appearrances. It's about time! But it's unfortunate that the film may have been ignored becase Ralph Fiennes was perhaps not his characteristically debonair self (at least on a superficial level), or because Cate Blanchett wore what looked like skirts over pantaloons. Both Fiennes and Blanchett live up to their exquisite potential, immersing themselves in the deeply wounded and yet inspiringly hopeful characters, spun as aptly and flawlessly as a spider web. Watch this sparkle of a movie, and then read the book, too.

Rating:
Summary: DESTINED TO BE
Review: Most films featuring Cate Blanchett are destined to be brilliant simply by virtue of her luminous presence. I would venture to say that her presence can elevate an otherwise mediocre film to being good. This is no easy feat. Oscar and Lucinda is a somewhat slow moving period picture, and while the subject matter is interesting, it will not engage the interest of every viewer. The movie could be well served with analysis of its complex elements, including its main characters' upbringings, the religious background of Ralph Fiennes's character, and the symbolic nature of the glass church the main characters build at the end. Blanchett is remarkable as the unconventional and gambling-addicted Miss Leplastrier, while the always brilliant Ralph Fiennes plays a tormented and equally gambling-addicted love interest who has been estranged from his deeply religious father. The characters are complex and rich, and the interaction between Blanchett and Fiennes' characters are deeply human and believable. The addictions from which both characters suffer are also quite believable onscreen. I felt that this was an underrated picture hindered only by the fact that it moved slowly. The ending is sad, but most good films do have a sad ending, even if the endings provide some kind of hope.

Rating:
Summary: Longing for a DVD
Review: This movie is near the very top of my list of movies for which I CRAVE to be released on DVD but, at least for the time being, it seems to have fallen through the cracks having had its theatrical release just before the DVD format began to take off and not having been a massive hit to have made it a big priority for the studio to get out in the new format.

If you haven't seen this movie go ahead and find a copy of the VHS for watching it in this format is better than not at all. The acting is flawless (this was Cate Blancheet's first starring role) to cinematography superb, the costumes on target, and the story, the musical score gorgeous, and the plot though not a break neck action flick, very involving.

But above all I plead with anyone in a position to help in this matter to please see to it that this movie gets the DVD treatment it deserves, and SOON!