I will from time to time offer capsule reviews of new films and dvd releases and this is the first.
THE LIBERTINE has had a checkered career. Shown, withdrawn, refilmed, recut, shown, withdrawn, etc. since 2004, it would surface at film festivals, garner reviews, and then drop out of sight again for more work.
The film has finally come to DVD and we can appraise it.
It is a character study of John Wilmot, second Earl of Rochester, set in the 17th century. Wilmot was a poet and a playwright, who lived a life of licentiousness and debauchery, only to receive acclaim for his work after his death at the age of 33, a victim of syphilis.
The screenplay, by Stephen Jeffreys and based on his play, is the real villain here. We are not meant to like Wilmot but we are also not allowed to understand why he does the things he does. We are not able to see any genius in the small glimpses we get of his writings, so we are at sea as to why we should be interested in the plot of the film or his life.
Basically, the small story revolves around his Pygmalionizing a young actress, Elizabeth Barry, and turning her into the finest actress of her day. She, however, accepts his favors and the price she must pay for them, but never holds him dear as a person. Once she has achieved her stardom, she throws him on the dust heap.
Charles II owes his life to Wilmot's father, so takes a fatherly interest in "protecting" the young man from his own vices. Eventually, however, Wilmot insults Charles so that he too must cast him on the royal dust heap.
This is a tale of a man who is disgusted by the world and who is bent on self-destruction. We see it happen before our eyes. It's not pretty, but neither are the filth and misery of this period of history- England's Restoration, depressingly recreated by the set designer and costume designer.
The cinematography is murky, with dim natural light sources, much fog and much darkness. Although all mise en scene elements are historically accurate, it does make for a rough cinema experience.
Now to the good part - Johnny Depp gives his best performance here - he has never dared so much nor gone so deeply into a character and he is nothing short of brilliant. He has become the Olivier of our day - his range and depth of talent are staggering. Almost unrecognizable under make-up and giving a very restrained performance as Charles II is a superlative John Malkovich (an actor I can normally not stand in anything). He is totally in character here and supports Depp admirably. Samantha Morton, one of our finest young actresses and twice an Oscar nominee in recent years, portrays Lizzy Barry with a mixture of innocence, rage, guile and cunning that is truly astonishing.
The make up, both on Malkovich and on Depp as his face crumbles to the ravages of smallpox and syphilis, is outstanding as well.
Depp has two speeches that are Oscar worthy alone - his opening monologue and his parliamentary defense of Charles' reign - Olivier's style inhabits his body in both and Depp's delivery of these difficult passages is beyond reproach. His cadences, his lilts, his growls, his sneers - vocally he is an orchestra of mood, emotion and intellect.
Unfortunately, the checkered career of the film makes it ineligible for any Oscar consideration. Officially released in 2004, if its marketing had been up to snuff, nominations would have been secured for Depp, Malkovich, Morton and the Make-up. The only award ceremony that recognized the film was the British Independent Film Awards, nominating it in 7 categories, Best Film, Director, Actor, Set Design, Supporting Actor (Tom Hollander - who? rather than Malkovich) and giving an award to Rosamund Pike for Best Supporting Actress - over Morton. Pike as the much neglected wife of Wilmot is on screen in only a few scenes, compared to the lengthy presence of Morton, so this pick is an incompetent one in my opinion.
For those who are interested in English history or who love costume dramas, I recommend THE LIBERTINE. For those who admire extraordinary acting (Depp and his supporting duo, Malkovich and Morton), I recommend it even more highly.