"The Libertine" is one of the worst great movies I've ever seen. Allow me to explain more throughly. At first, I was expecting some sort of rotten, more evil "Casanova" to come skirting about the screen, ending with the man acting exactly as he did before the film started. Instead, we got an almost profound look at theatre and leaders in the 17th century.
This is Laurence Dunmore's (the director) first film, and it shows. He is increasingly creative in his camera shots and keeps the movie in a slightly surreal state as you go through. The camera placements, etc. are by no means new ideas, but they are still interesting.
John Wilmot (Johnny Depp) is the Earl of Rochester, and is also the "Libertine". His actions appear to be no worse than those around him, it is his words that set him apart from his fellow man. He is very blunt, if he does not like someone he says so, thus making him cruel. "I don't mean to upset people, but I must speak my mind. For what's in my mind is far more interesting than whats outside my mind." No one really likes him as a result. His wife leaves him, the only ones who mange to stay at his side are servants. One would begin to wonder what the point of the whole movie is. He dies in his thirties and the world seems no better and no worse a place.
However, onward to why such a film should warrant an astonishing three stars. Because the character of Wilcot is so straightforward, he manages to impart some very deep wisdom. For the life of me, I cannot now put that wisdom into words of my own. At one point he does speak of consequences. How life is boring because not everything you do has a consequence, but in the theatre, everything matters. . . "drop a handkerchief, and it comes back to smother you later," referring to "Hamlet". It is also ironic he would say this as such because his lifestyle comes back to kill him.
One more thing. At the beginning of the movie, Wilcot wears a terrible wig. I did no think it possible for anyone or anything to make Johnny Depp look unattractive, but there you have it.
This is Laurence Dunmore's (the director) first film, and it shows. He is increasingly creative in his camera shots and keeps the movie in a slightly surreal state as you go through. The camera placements, etc. are by no means new ideas, but they are still interesting.
John Wilmot (Johnny Depp) is the Earl of Rochester, and is also the "Libertine". His actions appear to be no worse than those around him, it is his words that set him apart from his fellow man. He is very blunt, if he does not like someone he says so, thus making him cruel. "I don't mean to upset people, but I must speak my mind. For what's in my mind is far more interesting than whats outside my mind." No one really likes him as a result. His wife leaves him, the only ones who mange to stay at his side are servants. One would begin to wonder what the point of the whole movie is. He dies in his thirties and the world seems no better and no worse a place.
However, onward to why such a film should warrant an astonishing three stars. Because the character of Wilcot is so straightforward, he manages to impart some very deep wisdom. For the life of me, I cannot now put that wisdom into words of my own. At one point he does speak of consequences. How life is boring because not everything you do has a consequence, but in the theatre, everything matters. . . "drop a handkerchief, and it comes back to smother you later," referring to "Hamlet". It is also ironic he would say this as such because his lifestyle comes back to kill him.
One more thing. At the beginning of the movie, Wilcot wears a terrible wig. I did no think it possible for anyone or anything to make Johnny Depp look unattractive, but there you have it.