Not bad, but seems longer than it should
Added 7/16/2009
Silk is about... well silk. More specifically, it is a love story involving a silk trader, his wife, and his concubine in Japan. While the silk trader (Herve) still loves his wife, he seems haunted by his experiences and the concubine in Japan. However, the movie isn't like James Clavell's Shogun and doesn't spend much time in Japan. Rather, it focuses on Herve's attempts to reckon with his emotions.
This movie isn't a half-bad love story. It just seems long, much longer than its 109 minutes. Part of the problem is that the fielm doesn't ever stick to one scene or event for too long. Herve's trips to Japan last only a matter of minutes. At one point, the focus is on the village, the next on the ailing wife. The viewer never gets the chance to become absorbed in the film. Thus, we never fully understand why he fell in love and the depth of his emotions. Perhaps the film should have been longer, with more character development.
Not bad, but it falls short of great.
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Hate it or Love it
Added 7/4/2009
Wow... I saw this last night not knowing a thing about it, and what can I say, I really liked it.
I've read the other reviews and can see that people feel strongly in either hating this picture, or loving it. I guess drawing out strong emotional responses like this is a good thing.
The film worked for me. It was visually stunning, and accompanied with an equally beautiful score that complimented the cinematography perfectly.
I found the story compelling. Love and desire, and how they weigh on the psyche, and the torment and anguish they can cause.
The actors provided the framework and the story was told in a more visual and musical sense. When put all together they seemed to click with me.
What drove the story home was the last letter and the twist behind it. That said a lot about the power of love, and appreciating what we have.
Sorry to all those who hated this, but I enjoyed this film and the story it tried to convey.
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I'd rather watch my toenails grow
Added 6/8/2009
I have never been an admirer of Keira Knightly - She is always aware of the camera focusing on herself and cannot act naturally.
I have become amazed to find that others seem mesmerized by her so called beauty and somehow become hoodwinked into believing that she has some kind of talent.
Well, this movie should dispel all myths!
Ms Knightly here tries to portray an American, but can't even hold up the accent for long.
If I were the husband that she has in this movie I would scarper to the far east and shack up with an Asian beauty and never return to the pale faced wanna be actress!
The story, by the way, is possibly the worse that I have encountered within the last decade.
I would recommend that you avoid this movie at all costs - even though Keira bares her tiny breasts! If you must see this then fast forward to where the Asian lady bares hers - not only are they much better but she can act better also!
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wonderful
Added 2/21/2009
im not a romantic movie lover, but this is good!
im a michael pitt fan, if you dont like this or dont "get it"
then, dont review
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Two Big Thumbs Down
Added 2/11/2009
"Silk" was a film that I'd been eyeballing for quite some time, lured by its romantic cover of Keira Knightley in period dress and embracing actor Michael Pitt, their noses touching and suggestive of an imminent kiss. I realized after watching it that I got the most enjoyment out of just looking at the DVD cover. "Silk" is an incredible bore that has the misfortune of two very good actors (Molina, Knightley) trying to propel limp material.
The story takes place in 19th century France - Hervé Joncour (Pitt) is a former military officer who happily abandons his career for another: trading silkworm eggs. Due to a disease that begins affecting and killing off the local population, he is bid by his associate Baldabiou (Molina) to travel abroad for healthy eggs. He travels first to Africa, then to Japan, attempting to smuggle back eggs that will hatch healthy silkworms and produce massive amounts of silk, thereby bringing substantial profit.
His journeys to these strange countries are long and arduous and keep him away from his young beautiful wife Hélène (Knightley), who desperately wants a child. While in Japan, Hervé inexplicably becomes obsessed with a local man's concubine and when given a note from her, he finds a high-end Japanese prostitute back in France who translates it. The note reads: Come back or I shall die.
Despite a revolt in Japan, Hervé insists on returning there due to his urge to find the concubine and encounters hostility beyond what he thought possible. The trip is a lost cause - there is no sign of the woman he sought and all of the eggs he procures hatch prematurely and are therefore worthless. Returning home once again, Hélène finds him a changed man (not for the better) and he finds her a melancholy woman, one who unbeknownst to him is wise to the reason for his return to Japan.
The film ends on a sad note and with not much of a resolution - Hervé never found what he was looking for and in his ignorant obsession, loses what's most important to him. In short, it was a waste of film on several accounts: story, screenplay and acting combined.
Fans of Keira Knightley won't get even half of what they expect from her in this film, the onscreen time largely belonging to Michael Pitt as Hervé Joncour. Pitt is flat, dispassionate and utterly uninteresting - his voice rarely projects above the volume of a private conversation and is sorely lacking in inflection. With a monotone delivery to match his vacant face, the man may as well be an android and it makes me wonder whether this is the kind of performance that director François Girard (The Red Violin) wanted all along (that, or he did nothing to coax Pitt into giving more). If so, it deeply discourages me from reading the novel on which this film was based, as it's high unlikely I'll put up with a dry and lethargic character like Hervé for very long before giving up on the story entirely.
Alfred Molina is the saving grace of the film's many performance issues, managing to take what little he has and still make a good impression. The rest of the cast are largely unknown and blend in with the background, a scene-stealer in its own right; the film's luscious cinematography comes courtesy of Alain Dostie with location shoots divided between Japan and Italy. There are plenty of resplendent and artsy shots of the wintry landscapes in the Japanese town of Sakata as well as a verdant and fairytale-like milieu for the Joncour estate in the medieval village of Sermoneta, Italy.
Sound on this particular DVD is horrid - I found myself cranking the volume WAY up and still had trouble hearing certain people (Pitt in particular, what with his maddening mumbling).
Bottom line: Fans of Alessandro Barrico's novella would do well to avoid this somnolent adaptation - it is a useless companion to the book and does nothing to elevate the Italian author's prose or illuminate the story. If you're in a deep dark pit of boredom, the ennui of "Silk" will keep you trapped there.
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