Unfortunately, about 20 minutes into this movie, the audio went totally out of sync. In other words, the sound wasn't matching the image. This was VERY distracting. This lasted for about 15 minutes. For 15 minutes, I was pissed off, not able to get into the movie because of this problem. During that time, I got up a couple of times to tell the people in the theater, but for whatever reason, it took a while to fix it. When it was finally taken care of, I had a hard time getting into the movie again, but eventually, I did. I'd like to see "Quills" at least one more time, just so I can watch it without the distractions, but I can tell you right now that this is a great movie. A dark, twisted, fascinating movie. Also, it musta just BARELY gotten an R-rating. It looked pretty NC-17 to me.
Supposedly, this movie is about The Marquis de Sade, but really, it isn't. Sure, he's featured prominently, but the movie seems to be more about how his writings affected other people. Some reacted quite negatively, but others, well, they loved it. I'm not sure, but I guess it could be considered pornography. Really poetic pornography, though. Then again, maybe what seems poetic during this era was complete raunch during THAT era.
I'm curious as to how accurate this movie is with it's historical facts. I know that much of it was based on truth, but obviously, there was a lotta embellishing, and stuff was added for dramatic purposes. I gotta read up on The Marquis de Sade. He seems like an interesting fella. Disturbed, not to mention insane, but definitely interesting.
The Marquis de Sade is played by Geoffrey Rush, and it's an outstanding performance. He already won a Best Actor Oscar for his amazing performance in "Shine," but he may have to clear his mantle for another. He's awesome in "Quills." What an incredible actor he is. Along with Rush is Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio's love interest in "Titanic." She was good, but she seemed miscast. Also, there's Michael Caine in a chilling performance, as well as Joaquin Phoenix (a great actor... he was most recently seen in "Gladiator"), who's really making a name for himself in Hollywood. He may get a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for this movie, but he may also get it for "Gladiator." Finally, there's an actress in this movie who I've never seen before. Her name is Amelia Warner, and she's stunning. Her acting is good, but she's a beautiful girl who's got an allure I haven't seen in anyone since Natalie Portman.
"Quills" was directed by Philip Kaufman, a guy who knows a thing or two about teetering on the R-rating. He directed "Henry & June," a movie that has the distinction of being the first to earn an NC-17. He also directed "The Unbearable Lightness of Being," and "The Right Stuff." He's a great director. The writer is Doug Wright, who based the screenplay on his play. This must be a great one to watch on a stage.
This isn't
a movie for everybody, and it has a few slow parts. Also, it didn't help
at all that the screening I saw had problems with the audio. But despite
all that, "Quills" is a great movie that I really wanna see again.
And Geoffrey Rush better get an Oscar nomination.
Scale of 1-10: 9