The Serpent's Kiss

If you are an adventurer in film, then you'll know Peter Greenaway. And if you know him, you'll likely know his first feature film: "The Draughtsman's Contract." It wasn't as selfreferentially dense as projects that followed, but its an incredible structure. It references restoration drama in form. While it makes itself that way, the story is of a illustrator who creates reality while drawing it. The "reality" in question is of an English country estate and it involves sexual intrigue toward and by the artist. There's a tussle about who is writing/ drawing the film we see.

Now we have a film built directly on top of that. It stars Ewan McGregor who had the year before starred in Greenaway's most advanced film (as of this writing). You really have to know both of those movies to appreciate this. You have to also know that the "crazy" young woman is the grandchild of our first lucid filmmaker and his wife, herself the daughter of one of our most lucid playwrights. She seems at times to literally control what is seen by all. And it helps to know that the repressed but eager mother is played by the woman who was June Gudmundsdottir in one of our most lucid films.

"Lucid" here in terms of films that see themselves as they unfold.

The actual movie by itself is rather chopped up, and directed in a somewhat incoherent way. But it doesn't matter at all, and I only noticed it the second time. Its about the things behind the things we see. That's what it is and what the story is.

It begins with the most amazing images behind the title. They are blurry images, just barely noticeable as moving humans. Later, they will be conflated with reapers, fishers, statues... and all folded in as the girl's dreams, which are further folded into the book she reads, the letters Ewan's character writes, the design of the garden and its undesign.

Its a mind game. Its lovely without being rich. Its not slick. It has holes. It was done cheaply and without visual flourish. But what a fun ride!

What a ride.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

I found both script and acting to be painfully bad for the first half hour or so, but things seemed to take a turn for the better after Meneer Chrome lost his wig (no, seriously). Scacchi was as glorious as ever; McGregor was as enjoyable as ever; and the other three principles each held down their corner of the story. The biggest weakness was the garden itself - it seems like the filmmakers were even less able to afford Chrome's vision than Smithers was, with a result that was more suited to a stage production than a movie. I'm not convinced that this movie was a good use of two hours of my time, but I also find that I can't get some of the imagery out of my head - generally recommended if you have patience with period pieces and like movies that ask more questions than they answer.

I found this movie to be very strange, and indeed it is! The first time I watched this movie I thought to myself "What the heck is going on here!" I completely missed the point of the movie the first time I saw it. Fortunately, I was already acquainted with some of Ewan M.'s work, and thought that surely Mr. Mcgregor would have more sense than to make a pointless movie. Thankfully I was right. I would advise anyone who doesn't understand this movie, or who has only seen it once, to watch it again. There is a deeper meaning. All of the actors and actresses were fabulous in this movie! Although the movie could have served just as well as a short feature, I'm glad that it is longer so that I can enjoy the chemistry between the cast members longer.

Thomas (Pete Postlethwaite) and his beautiful wife, Julianna (Greta Scacchi) live in England around the beginning of the 19th century. They used to reside in town but have since moved to a large estate in the country. This has upset Julianna, as she loves company, games, and excitement. To help smooth things over, Thomas plans to have a gorgeous formal garden installed near the house for Julianna'e enjoyment and as a place for her to entertain guests. He hires Meneer (Ewan McGregor) to plan the gardens, at almost unlimited expense. Secretly, however, Meneer is not the famous gardener he is supposed to be but, rather, an impostor. A cousin of Julianna's (Richard E. Grant) has arranged for Meneer to pose as the horticulture expert because he wants the young gardener to bleed the finances of Thomas dry, to settle old scores. Thomas and Julianna have a beautiful only child, a daughter, Anna (Carmen Chaplin), for since Anna's birth, Julianna has been barren. Anna is decidedly independent and outspoken and often chooses to walk the grounds by herself. This causes her father to believe she may have mental problems and he subjects Anna to a doctor's unusual and unorthodox treatments. Anna has strong feelings, too, about whether the natural beauty of the grounds should be sacrificed for a contrived showplace of formal gardens. So, how will this garden grow? Will Meneer complete his mission or will he be found out? This is a lovely film, with a nice cast and a terrific, unusual story. Although set back in time, the tale shows quite well how human nature changes very little over the years. Money lust, deceit, and revenge are as natural as breathing, for some folks, causing suffering to those around them. As the main heavy, Grant is wonderfully evil while Postlethwaite, Scacchi, and McGregor fulfill their roles nicely. Chaplin, however, although very pretty, gives a rather weak performance overall. As for the scenery and the costumes, they are of the finest caliber, making for a view that is visually compelling, and the direction is faultless. Why not kiss off the mundane entertainment choices, of an evening, and watch this captivating, gorgeous, extraordinary film instead? You will most likely pat yourself on the back for doing so.

As an independent period flick, the movie supports a decent set and accurate costumes. The acting is, more or less, well done (Ewan McGregor is, as usual, brilliant, Carmen Chaplin made a smashing debut, and the rest of the cast was easy to watch).

The plot of the movie, however, must be watched carefully, or you'll miss the subtle dynamics of the characters, and the beautiful undertones of the themes. If you go into it with expectations, you'll be disappointed. While the main love story is not at all original, I can't see this movie being a box-office hit, or at all popular with main-stream viewers.

I guess the main thing you need to know when going into this movie is, while the plot is an important factor, the real reason I would give for watching it is to see the wonderful way the characters interact with each other. Like so many independent films, The Serpent's Kiss relies on its script and characters more than events and elaborate sets.