Passion in the Desert
A movie review by "Average Joe" Barlow
(c) Copyright 1998
STARRING: Ben Daniels, Michel Piccoli DIRECTOR: Lavina Currier WRITERS: Lavina Currier and Martin Edmunds RATED/YEAR: PG-13/1998
This is a strange one, kids. Even though independent films frequently tackle subjects which Hollywood considers taboo or unmarketable, "Passion in the Desert" raises the bar to new heights. Interracial love stories are uncommon enough on the silver screen... but interspecies? Such is Lavina Currier's vision. The tale, adapted from a short story by Honore' de Balzac, opens in the Egyptian desert circa 1798 A.D. A small group of soldiers have been assigned to escort Napolean's favorite artist (played by Michel Piccoli) on a cross-country march as he draws and paints pictures of the landscape. The land is staggeringly hostile, and the group has its hands full coping with the crippling heat, scorpions, sandstorms, and frequent attacks by rogue nomads. During a particularly fierce sandstorm, the artist and a solider named Augustin Robert (Ben Daniels) get separated from the rest of their group. They find themselves lost, hundreds of miles from civilization, with no supplies to speak of. They realise the severity of their predicament at once ("The desert is totally unpredictable, like living in the tempest of a woman's heart," observes the artist in one of the film's most memorable lines) and immediately begin the search for the rest of their group. The heat claims their horses fairly quickly, and the two men manage to survive only by drinking the artist's paint. Even so, the elderly artist is quickly overcome by the sweltering temperatures, and Augustin (who is the spitting image of Kenneth Branagh) is forced to leave his friend beneath a small tree, promising to return with help as soon as he can. Little more than a zombie at this point, Augustin chances upon a nomad camp which appears to be deserted. In a wonderfully tense scene, he sneaks inside, searching for food and water. I won't reveal what he discovers there (it's one of the film's best scenes), but soon after, our hero finds himself trapped in a cave with a leopard who won't allow him to leave. No matter how he attempts to flee, the leopard always outsmarts him. Augustin realises that he must earn the creature's respect, and thus begins a fascinating game of wits. It's "The English Patient" meets "Dr. Dolittle." Yes, he succeeds, and the two become friends. It's at this point that the film switches gears, changing from an exciting drama into something else completely. Augustin and the leopard become very close indeed as they learn to trust and respect each other. They share food and water. They cuddle and play. They hunt together. They kiss. They lick each other's skin. God help us, they even slow dance. In short, they... they... fall in love, basically. No, I'm not making this up. Now it's "Dr. Dolittle" meets "Lolita." From this point on, I had no idea who I was supposed to root for. Do we hope Augustin makes it back to civilization safely? That he and the leopard live happily ever after? That the SPCA shows up and shoots them both? I'm not sure, and that may be the film's biggest flaw: we have no idea what the ultimate goal of the movie is, nor why Augustin forsakes the artist after he befriends the leopard. Surely he could've brought some water to the old man. But no... from the moment he enters the nomad camp, he never seems to think about his companion again. Why? I have no idea. However, you will not see a single movie this year that's better photographed than "Passion." One could literally take a random freeze- frame from any moment of the film and have a "National Geographic" cover photo. From the innovative use of camera angles and shadows, down to the color of the costumes and the sky itself, this is a movie whose images have been meticulously planned, down to the smallest detail. Visually, it makes "Titanic" look like a home movie (and considering I saw "Titanic" five times because of its visuals, that should tell you something). Particularly impressive is the scene in which we see the leopard for the first time: darkness. Then, a pair of glowing green eyes pierce the gloom. Gradually, the leopard comes into view... but it looks as though the director is not so much lighting the set as removing the darkness. Finally, we get our first look at the entire creature. We won't soon forget it. The music is also wonderful. Composed by Jose' Nieto (whose name I'd never heard before), it features some lovely orchestral work highlighted by Egyptian instruments. Best of all, Celine Dion is noticeably absent. I'll be buying this soundtrack. The climax of the film is disturbing, but not unexpected. Still, it appears with a suddenness that's a little disorienting. The movie just ends, as though the production suddenly realised they didn't have enough money to buy more film and had to wrap everything up quickly. The performance of Ben Daniels in the role of Augustin is admirable. He conveys all the emotions we'd expect his character to be feeling, and never seems to be uncomfortable with the material. We always believe his sincerity, even as we question his sanity. (Yes, that's a complement.) I'd like to see more of his work in the future. Truth be told, I found the audience's response just as interesting as the film itself. Startled gasps and muffled giggles floated around the surprisingly crowded theater for much of the screening. The woman sitting in front of me stormed out after only an hour and didn't return, but a lady sitting towards the back wept loudly during the end credits. And as the audience filed out, I noticed at least a dozen people wearing expressions similar to my own-- expressions that said, quite simply, "Did I really see that? Is this a joke?" This comparison will probably raise a few eyebrows, but "Passion in the Desert" reminded me of "Dances with Wolves" in many ways. Both films are set in the past, and follow the story of a military officer separated from the rest of his group. Both characters befriend an animal, are forever changed by what happens to them, and are reluctant to return to their former way of life when the time comes. In all honesty, I think I liked "Passion" better. This film isn't a must-see, but it's not the worst film out there, either. The potentially disturbing story is countered by excellent acting, music, and cinematography. But be warned: there's quite a lot of violence, blood, and some full-frontal male nudity. Leave the kids at home.
RATING: 3.0 stars (out of a possible five)
This review was written: July 19, 1998 Copyright (c) 1998 by Joe Barlow. This review may be freely distributed as long as ABSOLUTELY NO CHANGES are made and this disclaimer remains attached. It may not be reproduced for profit without the written consent of the author. If you have comments or questions, please send them to: jbarlow at earthling dot net (substituting the appropriate symbols, to discourage spam).
----- "Average Joe" Barlow * MiSTie #73097 * Writer/musician/aspiring filmmaker jbarlow@YOURearthling.PANTSnet http://www.ipass.net/~jbarlow {Remove YOUR PANTS to e-mail me.}
"More Reba! More Garth! And... Wynona!"
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