By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.5 cats
Director: James Ivory
Starring: Hiroyuki Sanada | Natasha Richardson | Ralph Fiennes
Country: china, germany, united_kingdom, united_states
Year: 2006
Running time: 138
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0384686/
Bruce says: “From the time they first formed Merchant Ivory Productions in 1961 producer Ishmael Merchant and director James Ivory worked together on twenty seven films, the most lauded of which are THE REMAINS OF THE DAY, MAURICE, A ROOM WITH A VIEW and HOWARDS END. THE WHITE COUNTESS is their final collaboration as Merchant died in May, 2005.
“THE WHITE COUNTESS, from a screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro who also wrote THE REMAINS OF THE DAY, is a historical melodrama. The screenplay is not an example of Ishiguro’s best writing. Although the historical period is of great interest, the basic plotline and many subplots do not flow along smoothly. They seem wedged in. Set in Shanghai in 1936 on the eve of the Japanese invasion of that part of China, the film chronicles the lives of displaced Russian aristocrats, Chinese communists, a blind American diplomat, a displaced German Jewish family, French expats, and a mysterious Japanese businessman whose presence anywhere in China foretells impeding Japanese takeover. The film’s title refers to the nightclub/bar that Fienne’s character opens to fulfill a dream that seems out of place for a man who has won international respect for his diplomatic skills. Richardson’s character is a Russian countess who is supporting an extended family by being a classy dancehall girl, paid to dance with customers and presumably to sleep with a few of them. Her family members happily snatch her money as they call her names to her face because of the way the money was earned.
“The film’s biggest problems are the two leads; Ralph Fiennes and Natasha Richardson are miscast. Fiennes sounds like Jimmy Stewart with his bizarre American accent which strains to lose the hint of British roots. Richardson, in my opinion a better stage actress than a film presence, does not have the allure to lend much credibility to their romance which is the central theme of the story. Granted she is a blind man’s object of affection but the audience has to feel the ‘je ne sais quois’ aspect of her character, too.
“The cinematography of Christopher Doyle is what piqued my interest in THE WHITE COUNTESS. This is his tenth film set in Shanghai. Visually, the film is stunning. Doyle, Merchant and Ivory do a beautiful job of focusing on the sparse remnants of early 20th century European flavor in a city that now is firmly planted the 21st century. Considering the density of the plot and the great attention to detail that is a hallmark of any Merchant Ivory product, it is amazing that it all fits into 138 minutes. It is too bad Merchant and Ivory could not end their illustrious partnership on a shorter and higher note. 2.5 cats”