THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1994 James Berardinelli
Rating (0 to 10): 7.9
Date Released: 4/1/94 Running Length: 2:12 Rated: R (Violence, nudity, sexual situations, language)
Starring: Jeremy Irons, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Winona Ryder, Antonio Banderas, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Vanessa Redgrave, Vincent Gallo, Maria Conchita Alonso Director: Bille August Producer: Bernd Eichinger Screenplay: Bille August based on the novel LA CASA DE LOS ESPIRITUS by Isabel Allende Music: Hans Zimmer Released by Miramax Films
Sometimes, it's impossible not to contemplate what a motion picture could have been, had a few things about it been different. Often, especially for very good or very bad movies, the changes will make little difference. However, in the case of THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS, which is a worthy effort as it stands, certain alterations (not all of which would have been simple to execute) might have transformed this into a devastating film. Alas, deficiencies rob the picture of a share of its impact, limiting the ultimate emotional appeal and power of Bille August's adaptation of Isabel Allende's novel.
THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS is a story that spans six decades, beginning in South America in 1926 and ending in the same country in the early 1970s. The primary focus is on Esteban Trueba (Jeremy Irons) who, as a young man, comes courting the beautiful and gentle Rosa Del Valle (Teri Polo). The two are set to be married when Rosa accidentally drinks from a poisoned glass of wine meant for her father Severo (Armin Mueller-Stahl). Following the death of his fiancee, Esteban travels to the countryside to claim the plantation of Tres Marias, which he moulds into a thriving estate using the labor of those living on the land. In 1944, he returns to the village of his birth to ask the other Del Valle daughter, the clairvoyant Clara (Meryl Streep), to be his wife. The pair marry and, along with Esteban's sister Ferula (Glenn Close), move to Tres Marias where a stormy life, filled with deceptions and brutality, unfolds in the shadow of revolution.
THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS is driven by its complex and many-faceted plot, not by the characters that populate the film. The story moves along at a rapid pace, sometimes glossing over the more trivial events that might have bolstered the substance of the protagonists. Events fly by as fast as the decades, with political activities gaining importance as the movie races towards its conclusion. What starts out as a relatively simple love story ends as a clash between cultures and classes, between the old ways and the new ones.
Many of the characters, both major and minor, are little more than ciphers for a certain point-of-view or belief. This includes Pedro (Antonio Banderas), the lower-class revolutionary; Esteban Garcia (Vincent Gallo), the unprincipled army officer; and even Ferula, the maligned and misunderstood sister who wants only to be shown love and affection.
Even Jeremy Irons' Esteban remains relatively undeveloped until well into the second half, when events conspire to re-mould his previously intransigent personality, lending it depth and dimension. Meryl Streep's Clara is one of the few characters to be well-rounded from the start, although even in her case, there is unplumbed territory--her odd psychic powers are only occasionally brought into use, and then as minor plot devices, when so much more could have been formed from that raw material.
Winona Ryder is given perhaps her most difficult role to date, and carries it off with aplomb. As Blanca, the daughter of Esteban and Clara, she plays an integral part in all the develops during the second half of the motion picture, including the events that finally open her father's eyes to those basic truths which he had been hiding from.
In addition to that of Ms. Ryder, the best performances are given by Ms. Close, Ms. Streep, and Mr. Irons (although it becomes something of an annoyance trying to pin down what Esteban's accent is supposed to be). Each member of this well-respected trio does the kind of job expected of them. It's surely a bit of a stretch for Ms. Streep to appear as a young woman in her early twenties, but with the help of the makeup artist, she succeeds in suspending our disbelief.
Perhaps director August was constrained by running time, but his latest project shows little of the careful examination of character that his two most celebrated films--PELLE THE CONQUEROR and THE BEST INTENTIONS--exhibit. In fact, THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS is in many ways the antithesis of THE BEST INTENTIONS. While the latter was a slow-moving piece that allowed its participants time to grow and breathe, this new film seems at times constrained and cramped.
Regardless of its flaws, however, THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS is an engrossing motion picture. It doesn't capitulate with the "Hollywood mentality" that demands a complete ending, willing instead to risk something open-ended. The story attains a momentum of its own that sweeps the viewer along until the end. This movie is one-hundred forty- two minutes long, but could easily have been double that, had the screenplay demanded it.
At its best, THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS interweaves the very personal story of its main characters with the turbulent political backdrop which frames their actions. Bille August has done a fine job with Isabel Allende's tale, crafting a captivating motion picture, but it's hard not to recognize the flaws, and wonder about the lost potential.
- James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)
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