Sadly Over-hyped

One of my all time favorites.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

This disc contains both the R and NC-17 rated versions and checking the running times, that latter is only about 15 seconds longer, hardly a justification for putting both on the same disc, especially since it's all fairly tame nowadays as a sex film. Anyway, this movie is a filming of a novel that sought rather ambitiously to serve as a prequel to Jane Eyre, telling its story from the viewpoint of Mr. Rochester's mad first wife and filling in how she wound up as she did. A large part of the blame falls to Rochester himself, who is revealed as the story plays out, to be arrogant, cold and philandering, a poor match for the sensual, emotionally needy wife. She is not helped by England's laws of inheritance and property ownership, which put all of her inherited wealth into his name after marriage. He marries her for her wealth and yet she becomes first his economic then literal prisoner as her latent emotional instability manifests. The cinematography is pretty decent, accurately evoking the dangers Europeans faced in tropical climates a few centuries back, and contrasting that with the bleakness of life in drafty old English houses on the snowy moors of the Brontes. However, the film works best as an autopsy of a doomed relationship; as a tropical hothouse erotic thriller it barely works and then only on a level with Red Shoe Diaries or something like that.

I couldn't quite bring myself to give this film a "watch" recommendation. It fell just short, in my opinion, of a good film. Oh, it had promise. There could have been a lot more done to make this film interesting. As it was, it seemed to always be missing something.Now, I understand Jane Eyre fans know all about Edward Rochester (Nathaniel Parker) and the "mad women who lives in the attic" (Karina Lombard as Antoinette Cosway). But, not having read the books, I have to rely on the movie to tell the story. In that it fails.There are just too many unanswered questions and the ending was most unsatisfying. Maybe I could go read Jane Eye and come back, but I doubt I will.

Well, ok, it's the sequel to "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte. We watched it in school, my English teacher had no idea why it would be rated R so we just watched it. It was funny because there was so much nudity and sex and stuff. It was great. It got to the point where she had to run up and cover the screen grade school style and I got a kick out of it. Sex is funny. Basically, this movie feels very "Nineties" if that means anything. The style, the feel, all of the needless sex scenes and nudity. I have nothing against nudity if it's done right, this is just there for lonely boys...well, anyway. We watched the movie and it's slow and I really hated "Jane Eyre" so I didn't like this one much either. If you're a fan of nudity (all kinds featured here) check it out.

Be prepared for some heat, sexual and otherwise, with "Wide Sargasso Sea." But nothing can prepare you for the pulsing, haunting, hypnotic main-theme of the soundtrack. "Mt. Underwater" is the official title of this piece, composed by Stewart Copeland, which runs while the Sargasso seaweed-fronds writhe in the waves, seen from underwater, right from the opening credits. Only the beginning; so much more follows: an incredible history. There's the ending of slavery and its aftermath on the island. Themes of loyalty, betrayal, madness, and even love, especially love, are interwoven masterfully. The majestic presence of the island of Jamaica remains in the mind's eye long after the end, too. The heart of the tale runs quite close to such films as the triple Oscar-winning "The Piano" (1993) or "Sirens" (1994). And, yes, there are many moments, even sustained ones, where characters are nude. But beautifully so! The spirit of each main character appears nude as well, by the film's end. The lovers, Edward and Antoinette -- what fiery and troubled spirits they are -- or become. Karina Lombard's beauty (as Antoinette) runs all through here, but women will get quite a few opportunities to view Edward (played by Nathaniel Parker). Ultimately, Lombard's ability to show Antoinette's abiding spirit wins out; the strength and truth of her love -- but more than that -- of her life-spirit, her connectedness to the culture she was born into -- these qualities remain unforgettable. Initially, I wanted to describe this film as the most sensuous, most passionate, I'd ever seen. Then I remembered Italian director Lina Wertmuller's "Swept Away" -- one of the greatest films ever; and most films suffer by comparison. But "Wide Sargasso Sea," in Lombard's portrayal of Antoinette, overmatches "Swept Away" for the strength of its lead female character. Without this sort of beauty, the appeal of even the most perfectly-formed naked flesh means nothing. I'm not saying "Wide Sargasso Sea" is the better film. No. Because the richness of actor Giancarlo Giannini's performance in the lead role of "Swept Away" secures its place as an international classic. Both stories originated with women writers: Jean Rhys, in the novel of the same title for "Sargasso" (many years before the film was made). "Swept Away" has the unmatched genius of Wertmuller as both director and writer. I've read Rhys' novel, by the way -- you can't blame the director or the film's scriptwriters for the passion and sensuality portrayed onscreen in "Wide Sargasso Sea." It amazed me how closely the screenplay matched the original text in terms of the dialog. Yes, the passion and nudity aren't so explicitly described in the novel -- but that doesn't mean they aren't felt and imagined all the more powerfully by the reader. It's a yin/yang thing. Women may prefer the sensuality of words to images, as a rule; men generally respond most immediately to images. Make a novel into a film and -- voila, the visual will come to the fore, in fact, must do so.