Quills (2000)

Touches You

The Worst Film Ever

good back-story, and good acting

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Quills was not the only film about Marquis de Sade in 2000. It was more of a theatrical experiment, though, whereas French movie Sade offered an almost philosophical discourse.The premise here was that Marquis de Sade had been a whimsical old man. Not sure why this was the case, since the historical figure was a mere pervert with homicidal tendencies.The premise, in turn, follows a trend in contemporary art and culture, where Marquis de Sade becomes almost a free speech activist in today's terms.We might argue whether the film should follow historical facts or author's vision, but for me Quills deserves two stars.

Inspired by the life and work of the Marquis de Sade, Quills re-imagines the last years of the Marquis' incarceration in the insane asylum at Charenton. 'Quills' is an efficient film, but at the same time, not great stuff.To begin with, 'Quills' has some terrific moments and performances, and even takes you back in time, but the problem clearly lies in it's writing, which loses pace in the final 40-minutes. The violence goes over-board, the characters are put up selfishly and the nudity touches a new high.Philip Kaufman's direction is excellent. He truly understands the subject, but the final 40-minutes play a spoilsport. Rogier Stoffers's Cinematography is satisfactory. Peter Boyle's editing is razor-sharp at times, and loose at times.In the acting department, Geoffrey Rush as Marquis de Sade, is marvelous. Proving once again that he is amongst the best actors of Modern-Era. Joaquin Phoenix plays a commanding role, with restrain. Kate Winslet is very good, as expected. Surprisingly, Sir Michael Caine is over-the-top this time around, which disappoints you after a point.On the whole, this ain't no path-breaking cinema, but surely, a good effort. Nearly, a Thumbs Up!

Geoffrey Rush stars as the notorious Marquis de Sade, languishing in an asylum, allowed some freedoms, though his appetites for causing a stir by way of his quill lands him in a lot of hot water. Kate Winslet, the laundress who moves his written work to the outside where it can be marketed underground to the people who love the Marquis' sordid tales of the violent and erotic. Joaquin Phoenix, the priest over Charenton mental institution, who treats the patients, including the Marquis, with humanity and kindness. Michael Caine, the medical scientist(more like certified torturer, whose methods include dunking the disturbed in water among other ways)who arrives at Charenton at an advisory capacity. Caine's doctor is ferocious and his way of curing the mentally ill is barbaric, a complete polar opposite to Phoenix who wants to keep his inmates free from vile experiments which do more harm than good.The movie amusingly asks us which one's worse, Caine's scientist or Rush's Marquis. Caine is commissioned by Emperor Napoleon to "cure" Marquis because death to such a quietly revered author might make him a martyr for the lower classes. The film shows how Caine's old man is married to a teenage virgin raised in a convent, and we see him force her into rough sex. Yet, his control over her is brief as she soon gains an advantage, his wanting to please her in ways sex can not used as a tool to get her way. Interesting development shows that Caine's wife is an avid reader of the Marquis..talk about irony.The depraved work thrown into the fire by an angered Napoleon is "Justine"..this is the work which repulsed him into action(a very funny scene shows Napoleon sitting upon his throne, his feet unable to touch the floor as if he were a child in a swing, legs flailing). When the Marquis pens a farce mocking Caine and his marriage to the young bride, set to a play designed to insult and ridicule for fun, he enacts a feud he will live to regret.The movie shows people appalled at the way the Marquis writes about his characters' "inadequacies" and devious pursuits and yet they remain curious and find his work even humorous, fighting off giggles.When the Marquis escapes from his cell, thanks to Winslet unlocking his door against her better judgment, Phoenix is forced into a predicament he'll never be able to recover from, his decency towards the patient rewarded with disregard. Basically, upon Caine's arrival, everything the priest had built falls to ruin. By the end, the lives of many will be shattered, death and anguish to all through Caine's actions. Though, despite all his underhanded tactics, no matter what he was able to accomplish in scoring a revenge against the Marquis for his wife's leaving him for a talented home decorator, influenced by the depravity and vice written by his hand, the author's work lives on no matter what the conniving scientist does to him.The movie shows that no matter what punishments are dealt him(remove his means to write, such as quills and paper, cloth and wine, etc), the Marquis finds ways to get his work to the outside world. Eventually, the evil scientist does get rid of the man, and he even sets up a printing factory using the inmates to distribute the Marquis work at the author's wife's permission, but halting the power of the one he so despises will never be easy as long as Phoenix's defrocked priest keeps his memory afresh. QUILLS includes an erotic scene where Phoenix fantasizes making love to a ravishing Winslet and Rush devours his scenes like a mutt with rabies. It's easy to see that Rush summoned the spirit of Marquis de Sade while portraying the role, I thought he wholly brought him to life in QUILLS. The asylum itself can be presented as both a refuge for the inmates and a bleak place once Caine's presence constrains the freedom they once had, his power attributing to the very Emperor who gave him absolute authority to see that order is kept."My most glorious prose..filtered through the minds of the insane."

This movie was positively fantastic! I loved it, almost adored it for it truly showed the truth as to how people of the eighteenth century felt about sex. Quills also depicts moral issues of society and the lack of freedom of speech (or to write in this case). The Marquis de Sade is the only person in this movie who pushes the boundaries of society with his racy novels, which center around vague characters who enter into sexual interludes. The Marquis' pornographic literature revolts and discourages some of the city people in the film, yet his novels also inspire sexual curiosity. Napoleon Bonaparte is presented with the Marquis' explicit literature and of course he immediately bans the novels and orders all copies to be burnt. While I was watching the film I saw that Napoleon ordering all of Marquis' texts to be obliterated made me think of ignorance and fear. Of course, this movie still kept me intrigued, and watching all the way to the end of the film. Watching the Marquis push the boundaries of societies sexual ignorance with undoubted eloquence was truly entertaining. This movie did have its flaws with actors at times, though the acting flaws were too menial to really destroy this film. I would definitely recommend this film to anyone who has an open mind and an appreciation for film.