Mightier than the sword? (Quills (DVD))

Member Name: Rumblefish

Product:	Quills (DVD)
Date:	27/01/01 (67 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Superb performances, emotive, provocative screenplay

Disadvantages: Ending not totally convincing

The Marquis De Sade and his writings have not always taken kindly to cinematic translation, but this reconstruction of the latter part of De Sade’s controversial life is, though problematic, clever, well crafted, and ultimately rewarding. It also marks the return – and return to form – of director Philip Kaufman, whose last film was the solid but unspectacular thriller RISING SUN, but is better remembered for THE WANDERERS and his excellent remake of INVASION OF THE BODYSNATCHERS.

Taking place soon after the French revolution, QUILLS is set in a lunatic asylum, whose most famous and celebrated inmate is the Marquis De Sade (Geoffrey Rush). Living in luxury, the Marquis writes his shockingly violent and erotic prose with the full consent of kindly priest Coulmier (Joaquin Phoenix), who believes this will cleanse De Sade’s soul. However, unbeknownst to Coulmier, A young laundry maid (Kate Winslet) is sneaking De Sade’s stories out of the asylum, and their publication is the talk of all France. Appalled, the Emperor Napoleon sends in the malevolent Dr Royer-Collard (Michael Caine), who will stop at nothing to deprive De Sade of his art. But the Marquis has all manner of ways of writing (hence the title) …

What makes QUILLS utterly compelling from the very start is the brilliant, flamboyant performance of Geoffrey Rush. His portrayal of De Sade manages to elicit a level of disgust at the man’s callousness yet also admiration for his defiance and sympathy for his predicament. Indeed much of the film is light and comic in tone, and Rush gets to utter some hilarious one-liners. Phoenix, in a less showy but perhaps more challenging role, is equally excellent as the warm-hearted but repressed priest. Winslet and Caine are also good, and young Amelia Warner is impressive as a young nun turned femme fatale.

Aside from the clever and inventive course of its storyline, QUILLS addresses the issue of censorship
in a manner articulate enough to be very relevant to the censorship debate of today. Some are revolted and frightened by the public consumption of De Sade’s work, and fear its influence (“It’s nothing but an encyclopaedia of perversions” says Coulmier; “It’s a fiction, not a moral treatise!” retorts De Sade). Yet he himself is quick to expose the hypocrisy of his detractors, and will spare no sacrifice in defending his freedom of expression, pointing out that “I didn’t create this world of ours! I merely recorded it!” The film is also daring enough to suggest that redemption comes not from rejecting mankind’s flaws and perversions but by embracing them.

QUILLS is less effective in its second half, when the tone becomes bleaker, verging on horrific (the true ‘Sadist’ here in the modern sense of the word is Caine’s doctor, not the Marquis), and the focus shifts away from De Sade himself. The denouement is in fact rather contrived, although it at least allows the film to take a moral stance that it looks at one point to be shying away from taking.

It is by no means a perfect film, but QUILLS is at least willing to confront the themes and dilemmas raised by its characters rather than keep them at an historical arm’s length. Added to this the bravura performances, smooth direction, and witty screenplay, and you have a very fine film indeed. But in this case, these words can only say so much…

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