Customer Reviews

The Red & The Black

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

i found this movie to be exquisitely photographed and whom ever was in charge of selecting the actresses and actors truly had an amazing sensitivity to the story line and characters portrayed by the author. Even though I sensed from the very begining of this story line that the journey ultimately would lead this fasinating cast of characters to a dooms day conclusion I still enjoyed every scene. Rarely do costumers location people sound technicians work so seamlessly on a project. I challenge anyone who enjoys a tragic love story to say pass on this one. I attribute much of this movies magic to the wonderful acting of the Italian actor Kim Rossi Stuart he was fabulous in the movie THE KEYS TO THE HOUSE but he really out does him self in THE RED AND THE BLACK buy your self a copy and a box of tissue and enjoy.

It's a shame that a beautiful novel with such intriguing and fascinating characters would be reduced to soap opera level. While certainly handsome, Kim Rossi Stuart can barely act, Carole Bouquet plays a manipulative Mme de Renal that is out of step with the spirit of the book. Judith Godrech plays a good Mathilde, although both she and Rossi Stuart don't corrispond to the physical description of their characters, a minor fault that can't be held against them. But many episodes are changed to a level of pettiness more appropriate to cheap TV than the rendition of an infinitely complex classic plot. Mme de Renal is not jealous of Mathilde, we don't see at all the July Revolution in the book, and the Marquis de la Mole nevers has any intention to ask the king to pardon Julien. These are just some of the more apparent and unjustified betrayals of the original plot, there are many others. It's still worth watching if one has no alternatives, some of the scenes are still quite beautiful and appropriately rendered.

a beautiful yet very sad movie in that tumult era before the french revolution. passion, jealousy, love, ambition, poverty, richness....whatever. beautifully performed and directed. the sadness of this movie won't make you shed tears. a french movie that rarely has the integrity from the very beginning to the very end. the tall and hansome young actor was really a very good and appropriate cast. nothing short of a 5-star rating.