WIDE SARGASSO SEA
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1993 James Berardinelli
Rating: 7.4 out of 10 (B-, **1/2 out of ****)
Date Released: 5/7/93 Running Length: 1:40 Rated: NC-17 (Sex, nudity)
Starring: Karina Lombard, Nathaniel Parker, Claudia Robinson,
Rachel Ward, Michael York
Director: John Duigan
Producer: Sara Risher
Screenplay: Jan Sharp, Carole Angier, and John Duigan from the book
by Jean Rhys
Music: Stewart Copeland
Released by Fine Line Features
The story of WIDE SARGASSO SEA is a prequel to Charlotte Bronte's classic JANE EYRE. It tells what happened before the events of that novel, explaining in some detail the history behind the mad West Indian wife that Rochester (Nathaniel Parker) keeps locked away in the attic. When Rochester is first introduced, he is a fortune hunter, and Antoinette Cosway (Karina Lombard) is the object of his attention. She has a sizeable land holding in Jamaica that he wants to make his own, so he entices her into marrying him. For a while, the couple seems genuinely happy, but eventually an ugly secret from Antoinette's past--one that may also foretell her future doom--comes to light.
WIDE SARGASSO SEA, faithful to the novel from which its story is taken, is a beautifully photographed, wonderfully sensual, and poorly-paced motion picture. The first half-hour moves along nicely, but then the film bogs down and by the last fifteen minutes (which go by in blur), WIDE SARGASSO SEA has become virtually stagnant.
Director John Duigan knows what he's doing when it comes to using a setting to convey feelings. WIDE SARGASSO SEA is a vibrant movie, one of images and passions. His sweltering 1840s Jamaica is perfectly rendered as the backdrop for the tumultuous relationship between Antoinette and Rochester. Duigan manages something difficult--getting an audience sitting in a cool movie theater to feel like they're in the tropics. Equal credit must go to cinematographer Geoff Burton, who displays talent for the visuals of this film.
Even with its uneven tone, WIDE SARGASSO SEA might have been a success had stronger performers been hired in the leading roles. While both Karina Lombard and Nathaniel Parker are pleasing to look at, neither is capable of delivering dialogue with any consistent degree of realism. With the characters not being realized with full power, the storyline becomes plodding, and the movie threatens to grind to a halt.
As a romance, this movie is mildly successful. As a tragedy, it isn't nearly as good. The fatal wedge in the marriage (the likelihood that Antoinette will eventually become as insane as her mother) seems overplayed. One must remember that this is not a a contemporary society and insanity was thought of much differently, but the film has trouble presenting solid character motivation during its second half. The relationship between Antoinette and Rochester, which was developed with great skill, is torn down with far less concern for detail.
There are a lot of sex scenes in this film, but nothing to earn it an NC-17. BASIC INSTINCT was as explicit, and perhaps THE LOVER even more so--with one caveat. There is a shot of full-frontal male nudity in WIDE SARGASSO SEA. That apparently is a no-no for a movie wanting an R. As a result, this film gets the dreaded NC-17.
WIDE SARGASSO SEA is has a strong beginning. By the time the pacing becomes a problem, the viewer is engrossed enough that he or she is unwilling to let go just because the story is moving slowly. It isn't that this is a bad movie, because it's not. Rather, it's a question of how powerful it could have been with lead performers who could bolster--rather than mute--the strength of the main characters, because the interest in Antoinette and Rochester is exclusively what pulls the audience through the flatter parts of the story.
- James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)
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