Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
DESTINED TO BE, February 10, 2001
Most films featuring Cate Blanchett are destined to be brilliant simply by virtue of her luminous presence. I would venture to say that her presence can elevate an otherwise mediocre film to being good. This is no easy feat. Oscar and Lucinda is a somewhat slow moving period picture, and while the subject matter is interesting, it will not engage the interest of every viewer. The movie could be well served with analysis of its complex elements, including its main characters' upbringings, the religious background of Ralph Fiennes's character, and the symbolic nature of the glass church the main characters build at the end. Blanchett is remarkable as the unconventional and gambling-addicted Miss Leplastrier, while the always brilliant Ralph Fiennes plays a tormented and equally gambling-addicted love interest who has been estranged from his deeply religious father. The characters are complex and rich, and the interaction between Blanchett and Fiennes' characters are deeply human and believable. The addictions from which both characters suffer are also quite believable onscreen. I felt that this was an underrated picture hindered only by the fact that it moved slowly. The ending is sad, but most good films do have a sad ending, even if the endings provide some kind of hope.
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
At Long Last On DVD!!!!!!!, February 7, 2005
Based on the excellent Booker Prize wining novel of the same name by Peter Carey, "Oscar and Lucinda" is a gem of movie making but one that, sadly, has been little seen by the public.
Rewarded with only one Academy Award nomination (Best Costume Design) despite deserving more, in the year when the whole world was obsessed with the much inferior "Titanic," "Oscar and Lucinda" fell through the cracks playing mainly in independent movie houses and in those cineplexs that are not terrified of off center story telling and films made outside of Hollywood.
Ralph Fiennes and, in her leading role debut, the marvelous Cate Blanchett, lead an impressive cast in this beautifully shot movie (complete with a gorgeous Thomas Newman score) that tells the story of a love between two quirky misfits in 19th century society.
As part of its "fallen through the cracks" status, "Oscar and Lucinda" was released on VHS in mid 1997, a couple of years before DVD became the norm and has only in the past month finally been made available on this format. Sadly there are no extras here aside from the theatrical trailer. No director's or cast commentary, no making off featurette, not interviews etc. but the look of this feast for the eye film translates well to DVD and is here for all to see in glorious widescreen. It is several years late, but most welcomed and absolutely and unreservedly recommended.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Rare Gem of a Movie, May 5, 2000
I spent over a year looking for this movie and when I finally found it I wasn't disappointed. This interesting romance between two gamblers thrown together after a card game is enchanting. Every minute adds another shimmering thread to the movie's tapestry. The two lead actors were absolutely marvelous. Ralph Fiennes plays the role of the shy,modest, and moral Oscar surprisingly well and Cate Blanchett is absolutely luminous as the going against society type. If you love period, slightly odd movies of the romantic nature than buy this movie, you won't regret it.
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