Drama

One reviewer accurately described The White Countess as having "echoes of Casablanca." More than that, this last production from Merchant-Ivory seems like it lifted its premise entirely from the classic Bogart film. But at the same time, there is enough different about this colorful and mesmerizing piece to distinguish it as something original - or original enough. With murmurings about that Hollywood may one day remake Casablanca (as it seems they have everything else), I hope and pray the gods ...f better judgment will win out, and let Countess stand as the sole benefactor of such a superior motion picture. At its core, this Ralph Fiennes vehicle is about two people, fallen from glory, who realize the only chance they have in a world quickly going to Hell is the love and respect they share for each other. The film keeps such potentially boring material - and for those that scoff at such an idea, let it be known Merchant-Ivory didn't always knock their films out of the park - fresh and interesting through deep characterization and beautiful imagery. The world the production designers and director of photography Christopher Doyle create is enchanting beyond belief. Once you start watching, it's nearly impossible to remove your eyes from it. In short, these folks make Director James Ivory's job too easy; but it's the audience that reaps the benefits.

Of course, whether the production crew does their job or not, Fiennes always gives a performance worthy of an Oscar - and is subsequently always shunned for his contributions. I would be amiss if I didn't point out just how much his presence adds to the enjoyability - and the credibility - of the film as a whole. He is one of few actors today with that old-time Hollywood quality represented in actors such as Jimmy Stewart or Cary Grant. Let me just say I realize those two men have a world of difference between them, but their best qualities speak much on the kind of incredible actor Fiennes is. Whether he's playing tyrannical Nazi (Schindler's List), vengeful husband (The Constant Gardener), hopeless junkie (Strange Days), or meek blind hero with a sacrificial heart (The White Countess), he always turns in performances worthy of Oscar gold. As you can guess, his rendering of Countess's Todd Jackson is nothing short of amazing. He idolizes, looks out for, and loves the Countess Sofia (Natasha Richardson, with her usual solid performance), and seeks to pick her up from her fallen status in 1930's Shanghai. Pursuing his dreams, he starts a nightclub (shades of Casablanca), where Sofia takes center stage as the object of the club's affections - as well as his own. As the final act begins with the Japanese invasion of Shanghai, we see more shades of Bogart's film in the sacrifices Jackson makes to insure the well-being of the woman he has grown to love. He is content to die, so long as he knows he's done all he could for Sofia and her child (who reminds him of his own daughter, now deceased from the same bombing which claimed his eyesight). But The White Countess is a more optimistic picture than its subject matter will lead many to believe, and it manages to leave viewers with a few surprises and a bit more warmth than they may have expected going in. This film should have been Oscar material, at least for the acting and production value; it is, in my opinion, the fourth best film of 2005.

Diane Keaton and Tom Everett Scott star in Surrender, Dorothy, a predictable, over-the-top melodrama plagued with unsympathetic characters, clichés, and unbelievable plot developments. The plot centers on Keaton as she copes with a car accident, which claims the life of her daughter. There is a lot of venom and hostility inside her, as the rest of the world takes a back seat to her own grief. As someone, who has lost a loved one prematurely, I take offense to the behavior of this central character. She’s a sel...ish, loathsome wretch, who feels like she can walk all over her daughter’s friends, simply because she’s the grieving parent. It’s an aggravating picture of grief, and it dims the possibilities of ever feeling for your protagonist. They should have toned her down several notches, because, by the time she does start to behave like a human being, you’re already sick of her. Also, the daughter’s tragic death is made a lot less tragic, when viewers actually get to know the kind of person she was. Her greatest offense is to engage in adulterous sex with her best friend’s husband, who gets her pregnant. Then, in a glowing act of heroism, she aborts the child out of convenience as if she’s having a wart removed. This portrayal does a real disservice to the women out there, who have made this decision out of duress, and then carry it with them all the days of their life. It does a disservice to the women, who wanted to have children, but couldn’t, because doing so would endanger their lives. Within the context of the film, it’s a selfish, loathsome act, from a selfish, loathsome daughter, who was raised by her selfish, loathsome mother.

Needless to say, I hated this film, but not because it was poorly made – or even poorly acted. Keaton is competent enough. Tom Everett Scott, as the token gay best friend – and he really is a token character, in this case – does the best he can with the material and, in fact, elicits more sympathy from viewers than any other character in the film, combined. No, my disdain hinges entirely on the lack of respectability of the characters. Each one – with the exception of Scott and the wife of the adulterous husband – tramples all over the others’ feelings, and uses them to get what they want, until a nice, neat little ending, where we are supposed to believe all is right with the world. It just wasn’t a great idea making a film, which tries to sympathize with the unsympathetic – a film where the only likeable characters are the ones, who take the proverbial back seat. If this is Keaton’s idea of a “good role for female actors of a certain age,” I’d hate to see her idea of a bad one.