Theron and Cruz Sizzle...
It
only happens three or four times a year and it
is great fun when it does. And just in case you
are married... No, I am not talking about sex!
Occasionally, I stumble across a movie that
slipped right under my radar from the previous
year.
There are some films that I skip intentionally,
preferring to give them a chance on DVD...
sometimes I even skip critically acclaimed films
because they don't seem like my cup of tea.
The vast majority of films that I leave for home
viewing are greeted with warm acclaim or none at
all. And a few are films that I've barely heard
of whatsoever.
"Head in the Clouds" briefly caught my eye
during the busy release schedule last fall
because of the two female leads. Charlize Theron
and Penelope Cruz are both incredibly talented
and beautiful... they have become bankable movie
stars. I trust that, when I see their films, I
am usually in for something good.
However, this little gem just didn't seem like
it was worth seeking out. It barely got a wide
release. The response from critics was lukewarm.
And the subject matter wasn't correctly marketed
to me as a romantic war-time epic. To be honest,
I don't think the studio marketed the film much
at all... they gave up on it.
With all that being said, it is a great
unexpected pleasure to say that "Head in the
Clouds" may well end up as one of the ten best
films from 2004. (I still have a few left to see
on DVD).
Theron plays Gilda Bessé, daughter of a rich
socialite and a German Army officer. Bounced all
over the world during her childhood, she appears
nationless and directionless. A fortune teller's
prediction that her 34th year will be notably
difficult prompts her to live her life with
abandon. She uses men for personal gain... she
uses women for personal pleasure. She leaves
herself no ties to anyone else, seemingly unable
to feel real love.
A college encounter at Cambridge crosses her
path with that of Guy (Stuart Townsend), an
idealistic Irish school-teacher who always wants
to do good in the world, regardless of his own
safety. It is the first real connection in
Gilda's life and she maintains a correspondence
with him in the years after she leaves college.
A number of years later, Guy meets up with Gilda
once again, this time in pre-WWII Paris. She is
heavily into her chosen profession as a
photographer and is in the midst of an affair
with a beautiful dancer named Mia (Cruz). She
still has the same traits of using men and
living life selfishly... but now that Guy has
come to visit, maybe things can change.
The film plays out like an old fashioned
war-time melodrama, reminiscent of "Casablanca".
The sets and costumes are almost as beautiful as
the stars themselves. The acting never stretches
itself beyond the melodrama. And the pacing of
the film is perfect... I never felt like
checking my watch.
This film is a really pleasant surprise and I
recommend to all those who passed it over like I
did.
©
Written by TC Candler
Richard
Propes' Comment
n/a
Jacob
Hall's Comment
n/a
