Reviews
The Libertine (2004)
movie review
I had the fortunate pleasure of viewing The Libertine in Toronto on Saturday 9/18/04 and wanted to share my thoughts and feelings. Before doing so, in reply to those who have seen it and have made comments on things such as the sound, camera work, lighting, etc., it should be reminded that this film was shone at the festival in the "Special Presentations" category and was listed as "a work in progress." The filmmakers were hustling to get the film edited as much as they could before the first showing, in hopes of finding a distributor. That said, minor details such as those mentioned need to be taken with a grain of salt. If released theatrically, or to DVD alone, it will be further "cleaned up" and edited. But I digress, because that wasn't what I was paying attention to while watching this movie. I go to see a movie for the story, the characters, and/or the actors; not the lighting, sound or costumes. Now, on to my review: In a nutshell, this movie was fantastic and the performance of Johnny Depp was nothing short of brilliant.
I was captivated from the moment Depp begins his monologue as the Earl of Rochester to assure the audience that "You will not like me," to the very end of his epilogue where he asks "How do you like me now?" Depp impeccably captured the essence of a man who despised life, drank profusely, seduced women, condescended everyone from the King to his mother to his servant, and preferred to have his portrait done with a monkey rather than his wife. Hmmm, not too much to like, right? On the contrary. Mixed with his utter disrespect for life was his charm, his wit, his irresistibility, and his desire to do whatever he pleased. As such, I had conflicting feelings of hatred, pity, love and admiration for Rochester. This was due, entirely, to Depp's performance. As Rochester's fatal disease begins to take it's toll, Depp transforms into a creature almost too unbearable to look at. You will weep and shudder at the same time. It is without doubt Depp's best work to date and I'm convinced that no other actor could have portrayed him as brilliantly as Johnny. John Malkovich as Charles II, and Samantha Morton as Rochester's mistress are wonderful as well, and contribute nicely to a movie mixed with humor, sex, tragedy, and darkness. All said, it was a movie I would highly recommend and would love desperately to see again.