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Review
An antidote to the sunny period pieces adopted from Jane Austen, which feature impeccably coiffed aristocracy engage in the witty banter of drawing room dramas and culminate in a most delightful denouement, THE LIBERTINE highlights the underbelly of the Britocracy of centuries past. Adapted from the play by Stephen Jeffreys, the plot follows the dastardly debauchery of the Earl of Rochester (a mischievous Johnny Depp). A hedonist who makes Oscar Wilde seem moralistic, the Earl spent his days and nights in beds, brothels, and bars, awakening from drunken blackouts only to stumble to the nearest whorehouse. Yet this ravishing rake was also possessed of a predilection for poetry, and turned his escapades into acid-tongued witticisms that pepper this frisky film. Directed by first-timer Laurence Dunmore, the historical film picks up in 1678, when the Earl returns to London at the behest of King Charles II (magnetically played by John Malkovich, who starred in the play when it was staged at Chicago¿s Steppenwolf Theatre). With his young wife in tow, our rake immediately immerses himself into a litany of transgressions. When he meets a prostitute and burgeoning actress named Elizabeth Barry (Samantha Morton), he obsessively takes her under his wing, crafting her into an acclaimed stage starlet and eventually bedding her. What follows is a spiral upward, downward, and sideways through the city¿s pleasure palaces, culminating in a quasi-tragic, quasi-relieving denouement. Melding the naughty energy of his PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN character with the brooding darkness of his wearied detective in FROM HELL, Depp gives a pitch-perfect performance that carries the film, eliciting strange sympathy for such a despicable devil. The score, by the award-winning composer Michael Nyman, adds even further moodiness and dramatic edge to the story.
The Libertine Review
Johnny Depp takes to the screen as yet another real-life historical figure in first time director Laurence Dunmore's adaptation of Stephen Jeffreys' acclaimed stage play. The "Charlie And The Chocolate Factory" star plays John Wilmot, the 2nd Earl Of Rochester and established bon viveur, poet and all round lover of life. We follow a formative period as he indulges his passions, offends the King (John Malkovich) and falls for an aspiring actress (Samantha Morton).
Starting out rather slowly, it takes maybe half an hour or so to acclimatise to the dark ambiance and ye olde language of the film. But when you do, "The Libertine" unfolds into a bit of a treat. Depp is great in the lead, effortlessly embodying Rochester's debauched and lascivious personality but equally bringing an air of misunderstood humanity to the man. And credit to him because, for the last half an hour or so, Johnny is buried beneath some hideous make-up but still manages to wring a certain sympathy for the dying Earl.
Dunmore meanwhile has crafted a fine looking film, creating a dank, dark and dangerous 17th Century world lit mainly by candles and populated by pampered rogues and scoundrels. You get the feeling if the movie was presented in 'Smellyvision', you'd be overcome by the fumes emanating from the screen as 1660's London doesn't exactly look like a pleasant place to live.
"The Libertine" may turn out to be a bit of a refined taste thanks to its period setting and all that entails. But the lure of Depp and a quality British cast - Johnny Vegas, Rosamund Pike, Jack Davenport and Tom Hollander all feature - should ensure it reaches a reasonable audience.
Special Features
Directors Commentary
Product Details
Region 2
Production Year: 1994
Main Language: English
Category: Drama
Certificate: 18 Suitable for 18 years and over. Not for sale to persons under age 18, by placing an order for this product you are declaring that you are 18 years or over.
Directed by: Laurence Dunmore
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