Written and directed by Hollywood's greatest feminist, Jane Campion. The Portrait of a Lady arguably lives up to its title. I didn't like it, but then again, I'm not its target audience. One of the most memorable scenes is when the women are out in nature and one of them has to urinate. They all trot into the woods and form a circle around the one who has to pee to protect her privacy. The one in the middle squats, and everyone giggles. I understand Campion wanted to show a truly feminine moment when all women literally gather around each other and share a uniquely girly activity. While I'm glad the girl-time wasn't some other bodily function, I still found the famous scene overrated.
The rest of the story hasn't anything to do with female hygiene - thank goodness! Nicole Kidman plays a woman of independent means who becomes prey to the cold, calculating Barbara Hershey and her male companion, John Malkovich. If you liked John in 1988's Dangerous Liasons, you'll like his extremely similar character in this. In fact, The Portrait of a Lady reminded me very much of Dangerous Liasons. This type of plot isn't my favorite, and I'm very surprised that a noted feminist would choose to glorify one woman deliberately turning against another. Shouldn't stories be made about women sticking together and rising above unnecessary cruelties to get ahead (or at least equal) in a man's world? The good points to the movie are the costumes and art direction, but besides the background eye candy, I really can't recommend this one.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. There are sudden tilts of the camera that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"
The rest of the story hasn't anything to do with female hygiene - thank goodness! Nicole Kidman plays a woman of independent means who becomes prey to the cold, calculating Barbara Hershey and her male companion, John Malkovich. If you liked John in 1988's Dangerous Liasons, you'll like his extremely similar character in this. In fact, The Portrait of a Lady reminded me very much of Dangerous Liasons. This type of plot isn't my favorite, and I'm very surprised that a noted feminist would choose to glorify one woman deliberately turning against another. Shouldn't stories be made about women sticking together and rising above unnecessary cruelties to get ahead (or at least equal) in a man's world? The good points to the movie are the costumes and art direction, but besides the background eye candy, I really can't recommend this one.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. There are sudden tilts of the camera that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"