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Amelia Warner
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Quills - Review
by Michael Elliott, Crosswalk.com
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Quills
review by Michael Elliott (Movie Parables)
Synopsis
Quills is a fictional work that reconstructs the unknown fate of the Marquis
de Sade, the writer and sexual deviant who was imprisoned in Charenton Asylum
for the last 10 years of his life. In the film, the Marquis de Sade (Geoffrey
Rush) befriends the director of the asylum, Abbe Coulmier (Joaquin Phoenix),
and both share affections with the asylum laundress, Madeleine (Kate Winslet).
But when Napoleon sends in a doctor (Michael Caine) to cure the Marquis of
his supposed madness, the Marquis' rebellious character only grows stronger.
Feature Review
Summary:
Quills is an excellent example of the craft of film-making, but since its
subject matter is so offensive and distasteful I have chosen not to issue
a star rating lest my readers confuse it for a recommendation.
Review:
It takes quite a lot for a name to actually go down in infamy. If ever a man
achieved this dubious distinction, certainly the Marquis de Sade (whose name
has given us the word sadism) has. Quills, a new film adapted from the stage
play of the same name, is a "naughty little tale..." and a rather
disturbing view of this man's life and philosophies.
Born in Paris in 1740, the Marquis (Geoffrey Rush, Shine) spent a large portion of his life behind bars or within mental institutions, persecuted primarily for writing explicit novels of sexuality and perversion. The film is set in 1794 with the Marquis comfortably imprisoned in Charenton Asylum, a madhouse run by the benevolent Abbe Coumier (Joaquin Phoenix, Gladiator).
Part of the Marquis' treatment includes allowing him to write his stories in the hopes that by doing so he might purge such evil thoughts from his mind. After his lurid manuscripts are smuggled from the asylum with the help of a chambermaid (Kate Winslet, Titanic) and are published for the titillation of French society, Napoleon responds by banning the books and sending Dr. Royer-Collard (Michael Caine, The Cider House Rules) and his radical therapy methods to Charenton to silence the Marquis once and for all.
Rush, as the insane genius, lays bare both his character's body and soul. Asked to run through a gamut of emotions, he does so without once striking a false or insincere note. He excels at showing us the glee of the character as he manipulates through his very outrageousness.
Phoenix as the Abbe is a study in conflicts. He recognizes the Marquis' intelligence and considers him a friend even while being morally outraged and repulsed by his writings. He is sexually chaste as required by his religious position yet is unquestionably attracted to the young chambermaid, Madeleine. He walks a fine line and makes the character's tragic end sadly believable.
Caine is a picture of hypocritical evil. His character's "treatments" are as sadistic as anything the Marquis ever wrote about. The sexual abuse to which he subjects his 16-year-old bride is indeed monstrous.
Winslet, as Madeleine is the closest thing to innocence as we'll find in this film. Intrigued and amused by the Marquis' increasingly pornographic stories, she is also somehow immune to his suggestive charms. She dreams of a purer, though unattainable, love, which would lift her from the working class drudgery in which she willingly keeps herself.
Quills is handsomely mounted and effectively evokes the look and feel of 18th century France. Director Philip Kaufman (The Right Stuff) has meticulously crafted an artful production which serves to further the debate raised in the movie. What is art? And what is the purpose of art?
The Abbe, debating this point with the Marquis, says that "the duty of art is to elevate us above the beast." On this point I must agree. No matter how well-crafted, well-acted, or well-written a script may be, one cannot completely ignore the fact that the subject matter is odious.
Rape, murder, necrophilia and sexual experimentation of all kinds do exist in this world. But must they be included in our forms of recreational entertainment? Such continued exposure to negative elements will have an effect upon us.
"For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man." Mark 7:21-23 (KJV)
One of the characters in the film justifies an action by saying, "In order to know virtue, we must acquaint ourselves with vice." There is a limit to that line of reasoning. While it is true we are commanded to become as wise as serpents yet remain harmless as doves, it is neither advisable nor commendable to play the devil's game in order to appreciate God's rules.