Year of Release: 1990
Director: Philip Kaufman
Starring: Maria de Medeiros, Uma Thurman, Fred Ward, Richard E. Grant, Kevin Spacey, Jean-Philippe Ecoffey, Feodor Atkine, Bruce Myers, Sylvie Huguel
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
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Synopsis and Review:
A film that generated a lot of noise in 1990, was Philip Kaufman's "Henry & June". The film produced by Universal Studios, featured enough erotic content, that warranted the creation of new rating, to this day still in effect, which came under the title of NC-17. Director Philip Kaufman of course made a name for himself as one of the creators of the character "Indiana Jones", but his career veered in very different directions, as "Henry & June" can attest. The film focuses on a particular interval of time in the lives of writers Henry Miller and Anais Nin. The narrative takes place in 1931, in Paris, when Henry Miller is writing "Tropic of Cancer", during which time he meets Anais Nin and her husband Hugo, both of whom are doing quite well for themselves and who eventually become patrons of him. Both Hugo and Anais start exploring sexual adventures outside of their marriage, which for Anais includes Henry, and also his beautiful actress wife June, who lives between New York and Paris. June longs to be a muse to Henry, but dislikes the way he portrays her in the book he's writing, which generates enormous tension between them both, something that Anais tries to mend.
"Henry and June" is based on the book by Anais Nin, and depicts the bohemian and artistic life of Paris in the 1930s, where a lot of contemporary artists were living and expanding their canvases, but also where sexual experimentation was being brought forth. It's a film that captures that time period impeccably, but which focuses its attention on the central characters, particularly the narrator Anais, a beautiful and delicate woman, who had a voice of her own and who pursued her desires and ambitions. Philip Kaufman is more successful in capturing the allure and mystery of the two central female characters, while Henry Miller sadly comes across more pedestrian, and almost like a caricature of what a writer, and an American writer at that, actually was in that particular time. It's a film possessed of an elegance and rhythm very much its own, allowing for the situations to unfold, though ultimately we never gain much insight into the universe of these interesting authors. The carnality the film got some traction for, becomes in a way it's achilles heel, since it doesn't necessarily add much to the depth of the relationships on screen. Maria de Medeiros creates a character filled with warmth and intelligence, while the very young Uma Thurman is filled with a raw sense of anger and urgency, which made them perfect for the characters. Fred Ward is somewhat miscast, but the supporting cast is fantastic, as is the cinematography from the always great Philippe Rousselot. A good film from an interesting director, who hasn't been very prolific throughout his career.
"Henry and June" is based on the book by Anais Nin, and depicts the bohemian and artistic life of Paris in the 1930s, where a lot of contemporary artists were living and expanding their canvases, but also where sexual experimentation was being brought forth. It's a film that captures that time period impeccably, but which focuses its attention on the central characters, particularly the narrator Anais, a beautiful and delicate woman, who had a voice of her own and who pursued her desires and ambitions. Philip Kaufman is more successful in capturing the allure and mystery of the two central female characters, while Henry Miller sadly comes across more pedestrian, and almost like a caricature of what a writer, and an American writer at that, actually was in that particular time. It's a film possessed of an elegance and rhythm very much its own, allowing for the situations to unfold, though ultimately we never gain much insight into the universe of these interesting authors. The carnality the film got some traction for, becomes in a way it's achilles heel, since it doesn't necessarily add much to the depth of the relationships on screen. Maria de Medeiros creates a character filled with warmth and intelligence, while the very young Uma Thurman is filled with a raw sense of anger and urgency, which made them perfect for the characters. Fred Ward is somewhat miscast, but the supporting cast is fantastic, as is the cinematography from the always great Philippe Rousselot. A good film from an interesting director, who hasn't been very prolific throughout his career.
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