"Where is the sin?"
Added 5/18/2009
Ralph Fiennes was good in this movie. It is amazing to me that he was able to so transform himself into this character. In my opinion his performance was better than Blanchett's though she was good also. The story is kind of deep with lots of different angles, the religious angle is both mystical and traditional/conventional. Story takes place in the late 1800s in Australia, New South Wales - not surprisingly, the scenery is lush and beautiful. But beyond scenery, there are some real sublime moments in the human drama as well. Fiennes character is deeply religious and bases his communication with God almost on I Ching style divination tactics. That is, heads or tails will help him determine what he beleives God wants him to do.
To come up with money to meet the basic necessities of living, he takes to betting on horse racing after a friend introduces him to the pastime. He keeps what he needs and gives the rest to the poor. His faith seems to keep him winning. It starts to become a real issue for him though when he realizes he is no longer using the gambling simply as a means to an end, but that in fact he is enjoying the thrill of it as well. There is a hilarious scene where, somehow by mistake Blanchett's character has come to him for confession and when she confesses that she loves to gamble, Fiennes character comes to the conclusion that gambling cannot really be a sin since to beleive in God already is the greatest gamble - those who beleive weigh the odds and are finally betting that He does exist. Since this belief itself is the ultimate wager - how could God fault a person for wagers much smaller and of much less importance - dice or cards for example?
"Where is the sin? We bet. It is all in Pascal. We bet that there is a God. We bet our lives on it. We calculate the odds and the return.. Our anxiety about our bet wakes us before dawn in a cold sweat. And God sees us suffer. I cannot beleive that such a God, whose fundamental requirement of us is that we gamble our souls - it's true, we stake everything on the fact of His existence -- I cannot beleive that such a God can look unkindly on a chap wagering a few quid on the likelihood of a dumb animal crossing the line first..... unless... unless it might be considered a blasphemy to apply to common pleasure that which is divine."
Oscar is not without his personal demons, mostly in the form of ideals that he is constantly trying to live up to. The ending of the movie was something of a shock, loaded with symbolic possibilities and plain poetry, in a word (see 'a glass church').
I saw an Australian version of this DVD. The cover shows Oscar holding a 5 of diamonds, not a 5 of hearts. I think I prefer the 5 of diamonds and the clear-eyed expression of the actors rather than the 'romantic' look of the Stateside version. The movie is more than a romance - although it is a love story as tragic as any by Shakespeare. This movie is not a high speed ride, but it is watchable all the same.
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I Hate This Movie
Added 12/21/2008
Look, if you really want to see an amazing piece of Fiennes work from this period of his career, go English Patient, yes I know it's cliché and maybe you've already scene it but it's so damned good. See it again.
0 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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Six Rivers to Cross.
Added 9/25/2008
What started as a religious tale rapidly disintegrated into sin of commission. Filmed in the English countryside where the weather is infinitely damp and dreary. Oscar Hopkins grows up into a tainted Anglican priest who met his fate on a floating church. The rivers there are so narrow a healthy boy could jump from one bank to another.
Grown and in higher education, he became involved in gambling as an off-shoot of his wild influencial friends who enjoyed corrupting him, like Justin. He became a pathological gambler. Some of the tale was hard to understand as those Australians talk funnier than the British. Cate Blanchett, an American, portrayed the grown Lucinda as an innocent manueverer who met Oscar on the boat and confessed to him as a priest, about her fascination to play dice and cards. He understood her fascination as he too bet on the horses, like Mark. Her love, another priest, does not believe in the virgin birth, nor do I. It takes a man not a spirit. He married someone else.
Lucinda's orange cat matched her hair color -- and Oscar's. Fate and gambling brought them together in an uncouth and wild gambling hall. Oscar was as mannerly and cautious as Mark. "She is my guest, Mrs. Journey." He even laughs like Mark. "You may leave the way you came." She follows after him and unashamedly pursues him with no let=up, even as he prays in church. "I gambled for a purpose -- there was no sin. We have a history." She is heartless but playful, good for him as they laugh together.
He is fascinated and envisions a church made of glass. "I shall be here until the end; I have much to do." He is an extraordinary chap. Back-biting by unscrupulous managers left him with Mark's tossled hair. The floating church was a glory to behold. And it ended up as a submerged tomb.
1 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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The only boy who could ever reach me, was the son of a preacher man
Added 2/21/2008
I watched this again recently having last seen in on VHS some years ago. What was an excellent film then is even better now, particularly the sound which is a revelation where the tinking glass is concerned.
The technique of using a narrator does not always work but is it is most apt, and in particular at the end. One leaves after watching this film much as one does after a gourmet meal...extremely satisfied with what you have consumed but not wishing to eat another morsel and yet this continues over time so that you do not feel the need to return.
I was transfixed throughout by the "action" within the film. There is certainly much to think about or to delve into afterwards to get the entire picture. The story seems to be without any obvious flaws and the casting is superb with the main players clearly complemetary to each other and the cinematography is superb.
One thing that I had not paid too much attention to during my first viewing was the appalling and barbaric treatment of the indigenous population. Clearly the scene of the massacre is a solitary tale of man's inhumanity to man but the subsequent scene of the abuse of the aboriginal woman in the inn is a more subtle but nevertheless graphic reminder of the way in which settlers have behaved throughout the world. This point carries with it greater poignancy given the recent apology without compensation by the new Australian Prime Minister to the indigenous people for past abuses such as described above.
All in all a feat for the eyes despite the sad and tragic ending clearly reminiscent of the conclusion of Breaking the Waves.
1 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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Stimulating and Satisfying
Added 1/9/2008
While it's true what other reviewers said about it being "slow moving at times" and "not for everyone", if you like a good story - happy and tragic - and beautiful (and sensous) cinematography, costuming, sets and an excellent soundtrack - this may be for you!
The product description says their lives are forever changed by their meeting - but this is far too simple and not true. The story of the changes in each of their lives (before they even meet) already has you gripped in fascination by the time they finally meet together. Throughout, the story takes many turns.
Even though it is not completely a happy ending, it is ultimately sweet and satisfying.
I don't see any special features listed on the DVD (I own an old videotape). I would love to hear what the makers of the movie have to say about the making of this film.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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"Where is the sin?"
Added 5/18/2009
Ralph Fiennes was good in this movie. It is amazing to me that he was able to so transform himself into this character. In my opinion his performance was better than Blanchett's though she was good also. The story is kind of deep with lots of different angles, the religious angle is both mystical and traditional/conventional. Story takes place in the late 1800s in Australia, New South Wales - not surprisingly, the scenery is lush and beautiful. But beyond scenery, there are some real sublime moments in the human drama as well. Fiennes character is deeply religious and bases his communication with God almost on I Ching style divination tactics. That is, heads or tails will help him determine what he beleives God wants him to do.
To come up with money to meet the basic necessities of living, he takes to betting on horse racing after a friend introduces him to the pastime. He keeps what he needs and gives the rest to the poor. His faith seems to keep him winning. It starts to become a real issue for him though when he realizes he is no longer using the gambling simply as a means to an end, but that in fact he is enjoying the thrill of it as well. There is a hilarious scene where, somehow by mistake Blanchett's character has come to him for confession and when she confesses that she loves to gamble, Fiennes character comes to the conclusion that gambling cannot really be a sin since to beleive in God already is the greatest gamble - those who beleive weigh the odds and are finally betting that He does exist. Since this belief itself is the ultimate wager - how could God fault a person for wagers much smaller and of much less importance - dice or cards for example?
"Where is the sin? We bet. It is all in Pascal. We bet that there is a God. We bet our lives on it. We calculate the odds and the return.. Our anxiety about our bet wakes us before dawn in a cold sweat. And God sees us suffer. I cannot beleive that such a God, whose fundamental requirement of us is that we gamble our souls - it's true, we stake everything on the fact of His existence -- I cannot beleive that such a God can look unkindly on a chap wagering a few quid on the likelihood of a dumb animal crossing the line first..... unless... unless it might be considered a blasphemy to apply to common pleasure that which is divine."
Oscar is not without his personal demons, mostly in the form of ideals that he is constantly trying to live up to. The ending of the movie was something of a shock, loaded with symbolic possibilities and plain poetry, in a word (see 'a glass church').
I saw an Australian version of this DVD. The cover shows Oscar holding a 5 of diamonds, not a 5 of hearts. I think I prefer the 5 of diamonds and the clear-eyed expression of the actors rather than the 'romantic' look of the Stateside version. The movie is more than a romance - although it is a love story as tragic as any by Shakespeare. This movie is not a high speed ride, but it is watchable all the same.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
I Hate This Movie
Added 12/21/2008
Look, if you really want to see an amazing piece of Fiennes work from this period of his career, go English Patient, yes I know it's cliché and maybe you've already scene it but it's so damned good. See it again.
0 out of 3 people found this helpful.
|
Six Rivers to Cross.
Added 9/25/2008
What started as a religious tale rapidly disintegrated into sin of commission. Filmed in the English countryside where the weather is infinitely damp and dreary. Oscar Hopkins grows up into a tainted Anglican priest who met his fate on a floating church. The rivers there are so narrow a healthy boy could jump from one bank to another.
Grown and in higher education, he became involved in gambling as an off-shoot of his wild influencial friends who enjoyed corrupting him, like Justin. He became a pathological gambler. Some of the tale was hard to understand as those Australians talk funnier than the British. Cate Blanchett, an American, portrayed the grown Lucinda as an innocent manueverer who met Oscar on the boat and confessed to him as a priest, about her fascination to play dice and cards. He understood her fascination as he too bet on the horses, like Mark. Her love, another priest, does not believe in the virgin birth, nor do I. It takes a man not a spirit. He married someone else.
Lucinda's orange cat matched her hair color -- and Oscar's. Fate and gambling brought them together in an uncouth and wild gambling hall. Oscar was as mannerly and cautious as Mark. "She is my guest, Mrs. Journey." He even laughs like Mark. "You may leave the way you came." She follows after him and unashamedly pursues him with no let=up, even as he prays in church. "I gambled for a purpose -- there was no sin. We have a history." She is heartless but playful, good for him as they laugh together.
He is fascinated and envisions a church made of glass. "I shall be here until the end; I have much to do." He is an extraordinary chap. Back-biting by unscrupulous managers left him with Mark's tossled hair. The floating church was a glory to behold. And it ended up as a submerged tomb.
1 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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