Year of Release: 1992
Director: Curtis Hanson
Starring: Annabella Sciorra, Rebecca De Mornay, Matt McCoy, Ernie Hudson, Julianne Moore, Madeline Zima, John de Lancie, Kevin Skousen
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon
Synopsis and Review:
Director Curtis Hanson who had a somewhat discreet career in the 70s and 80s, finally started to ascend to bigger projects and features in the 90s, thanks in part to this film, which turned out to be a surprise success in 1992. Written by Amanda Silver (who is now well known for having restarted the "Planet of the Apes" franchise and is currently on the "Avatar" films writing team, alongside her husband, Rick Jaffa), the film follows the story of Claire Bartel and her family. Claire who is pregnant with her second child, is sexually molested by her obstetrician. After reporting the incident, more women follow suit, and the doctor wanting to avoid dealing with the charges, commits suicide. His suicide in turn, leaves his pregnant wife's life in disarray: she loses the child alongside all their belongings. Wanting to impact revenge upon the Bartel family, Peyton Flanders as she now calls herself, starts a series of plans to undermine Claire, both as a mother and as a wife. The people in her life however, suspect of Peyton's intentions, and while she manages to sabotage these people's presence and even in some cases, their lives, she eventually is discovered by Claire and the family. What follows is a game of survival for all parties involved.
"The Hand that Rocks the Cradle" belongs to the first part of Curtis Hanson's career, where his films were heavily influenced by Hitchcock's presence. Unlike Brian de Palma, who always went for a more unique approach in his films (and who has always tackled Hitchcock's legacy in a more feverishly and eroticized manner), Hanson was always more interested in the relationships that characters with different backgrounds and expectations can develop, and how clashes eventually surface and what outcomes come from these seemingly disparate paths crashing into one. "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle" feels a bit indebted to Adrian Lynne's "Fatal Attraction", in the sense that it makes one of its central characters, the villainous Peyton, a threat towards the central family unit (much like the wonderful Glenn Close was in Lynne's film). However, and unlike "Fatal Attraction", Peyton doesn't want the family for herself, she wants some sense of retribution, which is where the script isn't as nuanced as the one from James Dearden's for Adrian Lynne's film. It's still a polished and well executed film, one that established the trio of actresses that inhabited it, particularly the always wonderful Julianne Moore. The cinematography from Robert Elswit is effective as is the score from the always underrated Graeme Revell. Entertaining.
"The Hand that Rocks the Cradle" belongs to the first part of Curtis Hanson's career, where his films were heavily influenced by Hitchcock's presence. Unlike Brian de Palma, who always went for a more unique approach in his films (and who has always tackled Hitchcock's legacy in a more feverishly and eroticized manner), Hanson was always more interested in the relationships that characters with different backgrounds and expectations can develop, and how clashes eventually surface and what outcomes come from these seemingly disparate paths crashing into one. "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle" feels a bit indebted to Adrian Lynne's "Fatal Attraction", in the sense that it makes one of its central characters, the villainous Peyton, a threat towards the central family unit (much like the wonderful Glenn Close was in Lynne's film). However, and unlike "Fatal Attraction", Peyton doesn't want the family for herself, she wants some sense of retribution, which is where the script isn't as nuanced as the one from James Dearden's for Adrian Lynne's film. It's still a polished and well executed film, one that established the trio of actresses that inhabited it, particularly the always wonderful Julianne Moore. The cinematography from Robert Elswit is effective as is the score from the always underrated Graeme Revell. Entertaining.
0 comments:
Post a Comment