FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: Angels And Insects (DVD) (Wide Screen) [1995]

Angels And Insects (DVD) (Wide Screen) [1995]
enlarge	Director: Philip Haas Actors: Mark Rylance, Kristin Scott Thomas, Patsy Kensit, Jeremy Kemp, Douglas Henshall Studio: Cinema Club Category: DVD This item is no longer available Rating: 10 reviews Sales Rank: 182814 Format: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen Language: English (Original Language) Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over Region: 2 Discs: 1 Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 112 Minutes EAN: 5014138294281 ASIN: B00007L3S5 Theatrical Release Date: January 26, 1996 Release Date: February 3, 2003


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Editorial Reviews: Amazon.co.uk Review IAngels and Insects/I--an ambitious costume drama--tells the tale of William Adamson (Mark Rylance), a buttoned-down Victorian explorer who returns to England penniless and dependent on the kindness of his sponsor, Sir Harald Alabaster (Jeremy Kemp). Adamson's intelligence and lower social standing endear him to the old man, but Sir Harald's son, Edgar, seems annoyed by his presence. Nevertheless, Adamson falls in love with Sir Harald's daughter, a shy sex kitten (Patsy Kensit), and offers to marry her.p As the web of sexual politics, true love, and class struggles develop; the explorer begins an intriguing study of a nearby ant colony. With encouragement from a dirt-poor Alabaster cousin (Kristin Scott Thomas), Adamson begins to write about the insects, never realising the parallels with his own life. The film, too, is a puzzle for the audience to solve while savouring the beauty of flesh and outlandish, vibrant costumes. Rylance is a perfect hero to root for, with his impeccable manners and soothing Scottish tones. All in all it's another curious winner from filmmakers Philip and Belinda Haas (IThe Music of Chance/I). --IDoug Thomas, Amazon.com/I

Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 10 1 2 Next » A VISUAL AND THESPIAN MASTERPIECE... November 5, 2002 Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) 18 out of 18 found this review helpful This is a stunning period piece, awash with lush scenery and extravagantly beautiful costumes. It is also marvelously acted by all with virtuoso performances by Mark Rylance and Kristin Scott Thomas. The cinematography is breathtaking, and the movie could be characterized as a masterpiece. It is a gem.pThe storyline revolves about an impoverished naturalist (Mark Rylance) who returns from the far reaches of the Amazon to England. Having lost his life's work in a shipwreck which he survived, he is taken in by the patriarch of a wealthy, upper class family. In return, he helps his benefactor catalog his eclectic nature collection. pThe naturalist, a sensitive, intelligent, and kind individual, falls in love with one of his benefactor's daughters, the mysterious Eugenia, played to perfection by the beautiful and talented Patsy Kensit. He is, however, despised and mistreated by her boorish brother, ostensibly because of his low birth.pAfter the marriage, he begins an intense study of an ant colony, with the assistance of a poor relation of his benefactor. This poor relation is an intelligent, articulate, and well educated woman (Kristin Scott Thomas). It is plain to the viewer that she, and not her wealthy and beautiful cousin Eugenia, is the one whom the naturalist should have married. pMeanwhile, there is clearly a deep, dark secret within the household. It becomes apparent early on what the secret must be. It is revealed several years into the marriage in a shockingly dramatic fashion, causing the forebearing naturalist to have the veil lifted from his eyes. This in turn acts as the catalyst for the poor relation to reveal her own secret passion. pThis is a magnificent film that should not be missed by those who love period pieces and award calibre performances. A STUNNING AND LUSH PERIOD MASTERPIECE... January 1, 2003 Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) 21 out of 22 found this review helpful This is a stunning period piece, awash with lush scenery and extravagantly beautiful costumes. It is also marvelously acted by all with virtuoso performances by Mark Rylance and Kristin Scott Thomas. The cinematography is breathtaking, and the movie could be characterized as a masterpiece. It is simply a cinematic gem.pThe storyline revolves about an impoverished naturalist (Mark Rylance) who returns from the far reaches of the Amazon to England. Having lost his life's work in a shipwreck which he survived, he is taken in by the patriarch of a wealthy, upper class family. In return, he helps his benefactor catalog his eclectic nature collection. pThe naturalist, a sensitive, intelligent, and kind individual, falls in love with one of his benefactor's daughters, the mysterious Eugenia, played to perfection by the beautiful and talented Patsy Kensit. He is, however, despised and mistreated by her boorish brother, ostensibly because of his low birth.pAfter the marriage, he begins an intense study of an ant colony, with the assistance of a poor relation of his benefactor. This poor relation is an intelligent, articulate, and well educated woman (Kristin Scott Thomas). It is plain to the viewer that she, and not her wealthy and beautiful cousin Eugenia, is the one whom the naturalist should have married. pMeanwhile, there is clearly a deep, dark secret within the household. It becomes apparent early on what the secret must be. It is revealed several years into the marriage in a shockingly dramatic fashion, causing the forebearing naturalist to have the veil lifted from his eyes. This in turn acts as the catalyst for the poor relation to reveal her own secret passion. pThis is a magnificent film that should not be missed by those who love period pieces and award calibre performances. Excellent-Mark Rylance at his best. September 4, 2001 12 out of 12 found this review helpful This film was a masterful piece of work. Mark Rylance's performance as William Adamson showed him to have reached the height of his acting career, but let's hope it still goes a bit higher! The film, although starting off a little odd, progressed into, some very sexy and erotic scenes. N.B. this film is not for the faint-hearted! A cleverly psychological thriller. I rented this from the local video shop because my surname is also Rylance! Kristin Scott Thomas' perfomance was equally good. Although some historians may have some objections to this look at sex in the Victorian era, I felt this, if better known could have been a blockbuster hit. A fascinating hot house of a movie July 27, 2007 C. O. DeRiemer (San Antonio, Texas, USA) 3 out of 3 found this review helpful What a teriffic film. Angels Insects takes place in Victorian England at the country home of Sir Harald Alabaster (Jeremy Kemp), an aging, wealthy aristocrat who is fascinated by insects and the new theories of Charles Darwin. The estate has lots of insects. He has a pale, plump wife, a silly, beautiful daughter, Eugenia Alabaster (Patsy Kensit) and a supercilious, arrogant son, Edgar Alabaster (Douglas Henshall). Into this hothouse arrives William Anderson (Mark Rylance), a penniless explorer and entymologist, who is hired to catalogue Sir Harald's insect collection. Eventuallly Sir Harald dies, Anderson marries Eugenia, children are born, a nanny (Kristin Scott Thomas), as determined as an ant, takes care of the children, and...natural and unnatural selection becomes evident. br / br /The actors are all first-rate. The movie has a stunning look, especially the costumes. The referencing to insects -- beautiful butterflies, single-minded ants, breeding queen bees -- isn't by accident. The movie actually has a satisfying ending, especially considering the secret Eugenia Alabaster shares with...well, no spoilers here. br / br /One person said that the movie was like a cross between Merchant/Ivory and Tennessee Williams. Another wrote that it was like picking up a beautiful stone and finding nasty, squirming things underneath. True. It's a fascinating movie. br / br /The DVD transfer is first-rate. Victorian society as a world of butterflies and ants August 7, 2004 Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) 11 out of 14 found this review helpful A young naturalist, William Adamson (Mark Rylance), returns from ten years in the Amazon collecting rare specimens, only to see all but one butterfly lost in a shipwreck. You would think that things could not get worse for the young Scotsman, but when he presents that one butterfly to Sir Harald Alabaster (Jeremy Kemp), he becomes ensnared in an even more uncivilized world than that of the jungles of South America.pAdapted from A.S. Byatt's novella "Morpho Eugenia," this 1995 film is a visually stunning period piece, set in Victorian England just as the ideas of Charles Darwin are providing a new way of looking at the social strata of British society. The fact that Adamson studies insects will be of great help in understanding the Alabaster family. Adamson comes to their country home at the invitation of Sir Harald and to organize his insect collection. At a ball Adamson dances with Eugenia Alabaster (Patsy Kensit), who is recovering from the tragedy of having her fiancé kill himself shortly before their wedding. She is beautiful but cold and when she responds to Adamson's kindness her over-protective brother, Edgar (Douglas Henshall) warns him off making stupid comments about keeping the bloodline pure. As a scientist Adamson dismisses such beliefs as nonsense, as does Sir Harald, but he should have paid more attention because Edgar is more than a loose cannon in this household.pWilliam and Eugenia are married, but after enjoying a night of carnal rapture, the new husband finds that his wife's bedroom door is locked to him. A pattern is established as Eugenia produces children, brings William back to her bed, and then endures another languorous pregnancy. Meanwhile, Adamson assists the family tutor, Matty Crompton (Kristin Scott Thomas) in educating the family's youngest daughters in the ways of nature, and eventually their is a grand plan to study a colony of red ants. Adamson will write a scholarly treatise and Matty will provide the illustrations. It will give Adamson something to do between his yearly nights with his wife.pDirector Philip Haas provides an apt metaphor for "Angels and Insects" when Adamson shows the young ladies, their tutor, and governess a piece of wood on the forest floor. He turns it over and reveals the teeming insect life that lives beneath it. There is enough about the ways and means of ants to make it clear that this metaphor is a full-blown conceit in the film (Eugenia is a fragile butterfly, while Matty is a worker ant). But it is also foreshadowing since there is something quite not right in the Alabaster family home. This is a place where the servants turn their faces to the wall when the members of the family pass on the stairs or in the hall. Yet we know that seeing is not always necessary to knowing deep dark secrets.pThere is a point in "Angels and Insects" where you have a notion of what would constitute a happy ending, but how and why it comes to pass ends up being a surprise. This is a film where you cannot say too much because that would give away the game. The pace is rather slow, but before our interest can lag there our exquisite little moments in the film, such as when an elaborate program of charades down with tableaus and costumes is enacted for the family. The point this film has to make about the congestive rot of Victorian society has been made before, but this film has the advantage of its stylish conceit as in the end the angels prove to be an illusion and the insects the only reality. Showing reviews 1-5 of 10 1 2 Next »

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