Mrs. Soffel

This one was a nice surprise, I hadn't seen it when it first came out, so I rented it and enjoyed it thoroughly. Diane Keaton and Mel Gibson carry the day in this true tale of a wardens wife who falls for a prisoner. Matthew Modine does a fine job as Mel Gibsons brother, and the entire cast is fine. It's beautifully shot in Pittsburgh, and there is a languid quality about it that I found alluring. Well done all around.

Australian director Gillian Armstrong makes great films with strong women characters--her earlier Australian film "My brilliant career" being a perfect example. I watched "Mrs. Soffel" because of my admiration for Armstrong and found that "Mrs. Soffel" could not hold a candle to "My brilliant career" even though American actress Diane Keaton was admirable compared to the Australian actresses in the latter.

Armstrong had the talented Australian cinematographer Russel Boyd (who was responsible for the seminal works of Peter Weir and Bruce Beresford) once again to work with. While Armstrong and Boyd used justifiably darkened interior shots, I had problems seeing anything for long periods and had to rely on the soundtrack!

Armstrong loves to develop the female characters but leaves the male characters totally undeveloped (Mr Soffel and Jack Biddle). This is one reason I prefer the works of Weir and Beresford over Armstrong--even though her latent talent cannot be ignored. It is amazing to see Soffel's daughter getting equal or more prominence in the script than Mr Soffel towards the end.

Mel Gibson has made a name for himself by directing "Braveheart," but I give more credence to his acting phase in Australia ("Tim", "Mad Max", etc.). I am convinced that he is a director's actor--doing well with good directors. In "Mrs Soffel" Armstrong has evidently invested time with Diane Keaton, who carries the film. Gibson only lends support to her thanks more to the script than his acting capabilities.

Most of the fine tribe of Australian filmmakers of the Seventies have drifted to the US to become richer and gain international recognition--but their work in Australia in the Seventies remains unsurpassed.

This is a visually beautiful movie bringing the story along in with obvious and subtle references.

The title character is a trapped woman. The 'noblesse oblige'of being the warden's wife coupled with her own frustrations and frailties makes her life intolerable. She loves her children; she hates her life.

Here, she becomes intrigued by a prisoner in her husband's jail. He appeals to her imagination as well as her sensibility as a woman. She finds a soul-mate in their exchanges as she pretends to read-him-to-reform from bible passages. She flees with him and is willing to die with him to keep from returning to her unbearable life.

This is based on a true story. But it is a telling of the story of women, most of whom until the last 25 years or so, had little choice but to marry and to identify themselves in terms of their husbands. Their identity was not their own; their choices had to be appropriate to their marriage station; they were judged by how well they maintained husband's well being and their children's achievements.

While much has changed in women's lives, vestiges of the past still do exist. The references to "baking cookies" in the 2004 presidential campaign signals this.

Mrs. Soffel represents the lives of women over time. She desperately seeks the love and freedom that her standing in life denies her. This has been a common women's theme.

(1984) Mrs. Soffel DRAMA/ SOCIAL COMMENTARY

Starring Mel Gibson as prisoner, Ed Biddle and Diane Keaton as Kate Soffel that was supposedly based on fact. That happened in 1901 centering on those two characters unusual love affair. 'The Biddle Brothers' of Ed (Mel Gibson) and his brother, Jack (Mathew Modine) are sentenced to death because of another former criminal's testimony, which this guy claims he saw the brothers shoot and kill a defenseless store clerk. Except that these claims are made by a convict who already has a criminal record. And since out of the many robberies the Biddle Brothers had done together, their had never been a recorded incident where someone had been killed as a result of those robberies, so it's more probable than not that it had never happened. Anyways, Mrs. Soffel is married to the warden of this particular prison where all she does is hand out bibles and blankets to all the inmates. At first, she doesn't believe Ed (Gibson) when he tells her that him and his brother are innocent in regarding a clerk's death, but as a result of putting one her daughters into bed, her daughter informs her as a result of saving newspaper clippings that it's more probable than impossible that 'the brothers' may be innocent. Ed then strike up an emotional attraction with Mrs. Soffel since she's not getting any from her impotent husband anymore, which her marriage seems to be lifeless. As viewers witness they sleep in separate rooms and act like husband and wife in principal only. And it was during that time, she of course does her best to prevent this death penalty to occur. Although, I liked both Mel Gibson and Diane Keaton's performances, the story structure is somewhat dull and predictable. For it was obvious the film is clearly arguing against the death penalty, solely for this reason is that the accused might be innocent. And this message was mentioned like in the first half hour before it drags and prolongs the movie by showcasing the two characters of Keaton and Gibson becoming intimate with one another, something one can get from a Harlequin novel. And that is boring which forced me to use the fast forward button on many scenes while playing.

It's 1901 Pittsburgh. Kate Soffel (Diane Keaton) is the wife of prison warden Peter Soffel (Edward Herrmann). Ed Biddle (Mel Gibson) and Jack Biddle (Matthew Modine) are brothers on death row for murder although they claim to be innocent. Kate befriends Ed. It grows into a romance and she helps them escape.

This is based on a true story. It doesn't always make it compelling. I can do with a lot less of the courting in the first half. It is terribly boring and terribly long. It takes an hour before they escape. The escape and the fugitive stages have a bit more tension which this movie sorely needs. As for the romance, it's hard to know Ed's true feelings until they become fugitives on the run. Keaton and Gibson do try to generate some heat at that point. It's a 50-50 proposition. It feels more like a romance novel. The most compelling scenes happen in the last five minutes. It is a very long slough to get there.