Product Details

• Actors: John Malkovich, Barbara Hershey, Mary-Louise Parker Nicole Kidman
• Directors: Jane Campion
• Format: NTSC, Import, Subtitled, Dolby
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: B000SBAI44
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #460,127 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

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3.0 out of 5 stars A LUSH AND BEAUTIFUL PERIOD PIECE..., April 23, 2006

By 

Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Portrait Of A Lady [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2.4 Import - United Kingdom ] (DVD)

Jane Campion is a brilliant director who can direct a film and convey much with a minimum of language and action. Her film, "The Piano" is a testament to that innate talent. This would lead one to believe that directing an adaptation of a Henry James novel would be a natural segue for her.

While this is a lush and beautiful period piece, the problem with it is that it is somewhat dull. Despite stellar performances by Barbara Hershey and the supporting cast, the main star, Nicole Kidman, is out of her league, though she is a luminous beauty and has some acting ability. The problem is that her performance lacks the presence or depth necessary to transcend the material and make this a truly interesting film. She just is not good enough an actress to be able to carry this type of storyline and engage the viewer in the lead role of wealthy expatriate, Isabel Archer.

Moreover, while John Malkovich gives a wonderful performance as the malevolent Gilbert Osmond, he is decidedly miscast as he is simply not charismatic enough to make it believable that Isabel Archer would throw caution to the wind over such an unattractive and, decidedly, sinister man. It is unfortunate, as the film is an otherwise fairly faithful adaptation of Henry James' complex novel of the same name. It could have been a contender.