Synopsis
The Princess (Mira Sorvino) is in love with Agis (Jay Rodan), the man who is the true heir tothe throne. He has been raised by philosopher Ben Kingsley to hate not just the Princess, but allwomen. So the Princess dons male clothing to infiltrate Kingsley’s home. Her scheme gets moreand more complicated as she winds up having to win the hearts not just of Agis, but of Kingsleyand his spinster sister (Fiona Shaw) as well. Deliberately stagey, and with a script thatcarries dis…inct echoes of the ornate language of the original play, this is cheerful fun. An unusualrole for Sorvino as well, who not only adopts an English accent, but drops her voice an octaveto play a man. Kingsley, meanwhile, is superb.
Audio
The music and sound effects are given a nice surround presence. The creation of anenvironment is very successful, and the left-right separation is nothing to sneeze at either. Thevoices do take a bit of getting used to, as their sound comes across as a bit muddy initially.
Video
The picture is 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, though I have to say that there is one momentwhich suggested to me that the image was still slightly cropped. I may be wrong. At any rate,the colours and contrasts are superb — very, very sharp, as are the flesh tones and the blacks.There are a couple of speckles, and I was struck by slight grain in one scene. Generally verysolid, however.
Special Features
Nothing.
Closing Thoughts
A classic play adapted and performed with enthusiasm. Will this film be remembered fordecades to come? Probably not. But it’s a pleasant way to spend 108 minutes.
