A film
review by James Berardinelli, for ReelViews.net.
What do you call a character study with
shallow, sketchily-drawn characters, but a gorgeous setting? A scenery study,
perhaps. Or an atmosphere study. Either would be appropriate for Stealing Beauty, a stylish,
sensual motion picture that's hollow where it should have a heart. This film is
aesthetically pleasing but not emotionally satisfying. It's occasionally erotic
but rarely dynamic. While these aren't unforgivable traits, I somehow expected
more from a Bernardo Bertolucci (Last Tango in Paris) film.
The central theme of the movie is the
attempt of the lead character, Lucy Harmon (Liv Tyler), to lose her virginity. At age 19, she's never slept
with a man -- a revelation that causes a great stir among the residents of the
Tuscany villa where she is spending the summer. Everyone is sympathetic to her situation, and they begin to consider who might best be able to accommodate
her.
There is no shortage of candidates. Stealing Beauty presents them one-by-one, then
dismisses them in the same manner. There's Richard (D.W. Moffett) the American boyfriend of Miranda (Rachel Weisz) the
jewelry-maker daughter of Lucy's hostess, Diana (Sinead Cusack). There's Diana's son, Christopher (Joseph Fiennes), or one
of his friends, including Nicolo (Roberto Zibetti), with whom Lucy shared her first kiss four
long years ago on her last visit to Italy. Then there's Nicolo's shy, sensitive
friend Osvaldo Donati (Ignazio Oliva), who turns away from the sight of an exposed female breast. And, it doesn't take a genius to weed through the choices to determine who will get the opportunity to deflower Lucy.
As the story, such as it is, develops,
a mystery subplot is introduced: who is Lucy's real father? There are three
apparent possibilities: Alex Barnes (Jeremy
Irons), a dying writer; Ian Grayson (Donal
McCann), the sculptor husband of Lucy's hostess; and Carlo Lisca (Carlo Cecchi), a mysterious ex-military
man. We know the truth long before Lucy does, but Stealing Beauty is never surprise-oriented.
Despite all the screen time accorded to
Tyler, her character shows little development. Events seem to swirl around her,
only briefly touching her shallow emotional center. Fundamentally, she's no
different at the end than at the beginning (except that her hymen is no longer
intact). Several of the supporting characters show greater depth. Most notable
of these is Jeremy Irons' terminally ill author, who becomes Lucy's confidante
and vicariously lives out his last days through her.
There's very little comic relief in
this too-serious film, which makes for a rather grim movie-going experience. Stealing Beauty is long, but doesn't really go
anywhere. It is most remarkable for its excellent sense of time and place. The
Italian countryside becomes as vital a supporting character as Alex, and when
Lucy dives into a swimming pool, you can almost feel the cool, clear water. Stealing Beauty functions as a two-hour, surrogate
holiday -- diverting and visually captivating, but far from a cinematic
landmark. [Berardinelli's rating: ** 1/2 out of 4]
Labels:
drama, romance
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