Angels and Insects

This was thoroughly engaging and thoughtful film, with a rich and fascinating plot and characters.

The opening scene of the natives of South America dancing is a well edited opening, and the word 'Angels" appears over it. Indeed, all the Angels in this film are not in England (where the rest of the film takes place). William Adamson (Mark Rylance), a biologist who collects rare insects (especially the butterfly), survives a shipwreck and comes under the protection of an upper class English family. That's where he falls in love with Eugenia (Patsy Kensit). But every family has it's secrets.

Someone described this as "Merchant-Ivory meets Tennessee Williams", which is a perfect way to describe this film.

Several have complained about the actors, saying that there is not a single stand-out performance. I disagree, as both Rylance and Kristin Scott Thomas (in a performance worthy of an oscar nomination) acquit themselves well. The script is also very well written, and the costumes deserved the Oscar nomination.

One of the ten best of 1996.

One of the most intricate, well-made films I've seen. The acting is tremendous, the imagery is subtle yet stunning. A film which makes one think of the intricacies of human relationships. The pilgrimage of the hero from the brutal Amazon to "civilized" society which he finds to be anything but civilized in spite of the gorgeous trappings of the upper aristocracy. Highly recommended!

Think of a coffin- beautiful metal or wood, but with death inside, so to the Alabasters are beautiful to look at but rotting inside. Or have you ever watched ants clean up a carcass of roadkill. Angels and Insects has some of the most beautiful costumes I've ever seen, but one of the most shocking stories. Will Adamson as Mark is very subdued,as Kristin Scott Thomas remarkable as Matty- who proves to be the real beauty.

I like how the director kept giving us subtle hints and then was not afraid to throw the truth in our faces- like being hit by the bucket of ice water. A.S. Byatt's story is well translated into film .

Kristin Scott Thomas gives an Oscar worthy performance full of nuances and subtleness in tune with a by gone Victorian era when nothing is outrightly spoken but always hinted at so unlike our lurid confessional age. Thomas can infuse a scene with a multiplicity of meaning through a movement of the wrist or a tilt of a head and trounces Emma Thompson's lauded performance of British reserve in "Remains of the Day". To appreciate this film you need an artist eye, others who dislike it would be better off getting whacked with a sledgehammer.

When William Adamson an entomologist (Mark Rylance) marries Eugenia Alabaster (Patsy Kensit) the daughter of an aristocratic family, he realises that he will always be considered an outsider. He spends much of his time with his insect collection, drawing, and describing specimens and writing books about his butterflies and ants etc. However, Eugenia both beautiful and wealthy is one specimen he prizes above all others. Mark Rylance plays the quietly spoken entomologist with sincerity and always in character. Patsy Kensit is suitably sullen and mysterious with her changing moods and strange ways. But it is Douglas Henshall who plays her obnoxious lascivious brother who livens up every scene in which he appears. The Victorian conversations and mannerisms while well done do tend to irritate after awhile and it is quite pleasing when Eugenia's mother with her high-pitched voice quietly passes away. It seems to me that the interiors of the castle are quite incompatible with the magnificence of the exterior walls, but that is really of little consequence. As we watch the story unfold, we become aware that it is not only William's presence that is so upsetting, but something deeper, more mysterious, some untold secret brooding over the whole family. It is not too difficult to guess what that secret is. One of the early impressions of the film is the predominance of the unusually bold bright colours in the ladies' costumes - bright blue, bright red and bold stripes. Surely they are wrong for this era. I can only guess that the writer (or was it the art director?) got the idea that the women in their Victorian dresses could reflect the colours of the insects - butterflies, ants and bumble bees. Despite its selection for the Cannes Film Festival 1995, it is not a great film, but quite entertaining to watch despite its slow beginning, and for those who like a happy ending, everyone gets their just deserts. The film underlines the fact we all already know that the aristocracy is not always kind to outsiders.