Quills

View Date: February 17th, 2001

Cast :

Writers: Doug Wright

Director: Philip Kaufman 

Phillip Kaufman’s Quills asks and answers many questions.  Is it possible to tell a story of one of the most deviant souls in history, without displaying excessive violence or sexual images?  Is it possible to tell this tale in the same manner that De Sade wrote, using words to replace and describe said activities and still elicit the desired emotions?  Is it possible to create a powerful historical period piece without boring the viewers into a lull with flowery images and language?  The answer to all these questions is an unequivocal yes.  Kaufman has used his power of words and storytelling to preach a tale of indulgence, without turning it into an orgy of writhing bodies and graphic depictions.  Instead, he creates a powerful tale of not being afraid to be yourself, being honest about it  and not being afraid to admit it.   He generates and maintains interest with words rather than images and in the end 

Our twisted little tale of love, lust, religion and the power of words begins with de Sade’s institutional imprisonment.  His caretaker is Abbe (Phoenix), an outwardly moral, but inwardly conflicted religious man.  Abbe has provided the Marquis with luxuries thanks to the donations of de Sade’s societally tormented wife.  When word gets to Napoleon that de Sade’s therapeutic writings are getting out into the public, he orders Caine to reform the Marquis in his special way.  Caine takes his young wife and takes over care of De Sade, thusly beginning the moral and religious battles between the 3 of them, and the source of de Sade’s words leaking out, a curiously tempted laundry girl (Winslet).  Together, they all dance in unison to the tune of De Sade’s wicked melody, without even realizing it.  Wrights words become their symphony. The  movie also becomes a direct reflection of its subject matter.  Both the movie, and the main character show the true power of words, and how they can set you free, without ever having to act upon them.  De Sade showed that even while imprisoned, he could free the beast inside him by simply being honest and true to himself.  . The battle of religion versus morality is reflected in the main characters.  Morality is portrayed as a strength of faith while the religious aspects are shown as masks of denial hiding true wants and desires.  Writer  Doug Wright (who wrote the screenplay this is based upon) and director Phillip Kaufman use touches of humor which is never tasteless but always flirting and skirting the edges or moral acceptability without ever really crossing them

In order to pull off this story successfully, the right mix and combination of actors and performers is required.  Each one cast here rises to the occasion.  Rush, shows why he is one of the greatest, most versatile actors working.  It’s hard to imagine anyone else in this role.  Rush has always reveled in playing those characters who were either cerebral madmen (Shine, Elizabeth) gleefully insane and loving every second of it (Mystery Men, Shakespeare in Love), rather than physically intimidating ones.  His madness is based in intellect or talent, but he can play it with delicious glee, but is almost always justified, bringing a human aspect to each of his characters.  Winslet, regains her dark edge from Heavenly Creatures (which she subsequently drowned amidst the muck of Titanic), by toning it down and playing on the curiousity of youth, and the energy of bridled desire.  Phoenix, whose Oscar nomination is more a combination of this performance and Gladiator takes a one dimensional character and makes it his own.  Obviously, noone plays morally conflicted characters quite like Phoenix (Gladiator, 8mm, and his best role, Return to Paradise).  Someday, he will get his due recognition.  Caine is cunning in his silent, hypocritical wickedness.  He has always had a playfully energetic nature which teeters towards an uncertainty of his motives.  Here, he revels deliciously in it all, as Rush’s adversary, definitely worth the price of admission just to see these two classically trained geniuses, along with Phoenix’s up and coming talent interact with each other.