COUNTRY LIFE
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1995 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 8.0
Australia, 1994 U.S. Availability: 8/95 (limited) Running Length: 1:43 MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Mature themes) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Sam Neill, Greta Scacchi, John Hargreaves, Kerry Fox, Michael Blakemore Director: Michael Blakemore Producer: Robin Dalton Screenplay: Michael Blakemore based on Chekhov's UNCLE VANYA Cinematography: Stephen Windon Music: Peter Best U.S. Distributor: Miramax Films
What happens when you take Anton Chekhov's classic UNCLE VANYA, change the principles' names, and re-locate the setting to a sheep farm in Australia? The result might be something called UNCLE JACK, but, presumably because that title lacks a certain ring, writer/director Michael Blakemore has chosen to name this newest re-interpretation COUNTRY LIFE. Like-yet-unlike VANYA ON 42ND STREET, this version of the story gives a modern slant to the Russian play.
At its core, COUNTRY LIFE is about lost opportunities and milking the most from one's lot in life. Thrown in for good measure are themes of unrequited love, pacifism, and contrasts of city and country lifestyles. If there was ever any doubt about the ageless quality of Chekhov's story, this transplant, which shifts not only country but time (it's 1919), should dispel such notions. It wouldn't have taken much more imagination to bring it into the modern world.
COUNTRY LIFE opens with the return home of celebrated author Alexander Voysey (Michael Blakemore) from a long sojourn in England, where he amassed a reputation while living off his portion of the proceeds from an Australian sheep farm. That farm is run by his brother-in-law Jack (John Hargreaves) and daughter Sally (Kerry Fox). Alexander arrives down under with his young second wife, Deborah (Greta Scacchi), who is immediately attracted to the local doctor, Dr. Askey (Sam Neill).
It doesn't take long before Jack discovers that Alexander is actually an intellectual fraud -- a self-centered, lecherous old man whose achievements are dubious at best. Jack's response is unallayed bitterness: he has slaved away on the farm to support a parasite. His whole life, sacrificed for someone he thought to be great, has been wasted. He responds to this knowledge by getting drunker than usual and railing against fate and Alexander.
Sally, on the other hand, is quite content. She enjoys working on the farm alongside her uncle, and nurses a secret affection for Dr. Askey. She is plain, and harbors no hope that he might ever reciprocate her feelings, so she takes pains to hide them -- until Deborah offers to bring her case before the doctor. The unfortunate result confirms Sally's opinion that this risk might not the best course. It's odd that Deborah, whose single goal in life is to be cocooned in safety, is the catalyst for such a gamble.
COUNTRY LIFE, like VANYA, ripples with repressed and unleashed emotions. There's also a fair amount of humor, and these breaks of levity keep the film from sinking into lugubriousness. None of the characters or their stories are short-changed and, by the end, there is a satisfying sense of closure, even though no relationship has turned out as it might in a Hollywood script.
The most striking member of the cast is Kerry Fox (THE LAST DAYS OF CHEZ NOUS, SHALLOW GRAVE), who brings pathos, resignation, and good cheer to Sally. Greta Scacchi is adequate as Deborah, but somehow doesn't seem the sort to stir the passions of three men. Sam Neill uses his consummate skill to flesh out Dr. Askey. But John Hargreaves' overwrought Jack suffers greatly in comparison to Wallace Shawn's fresh- to-the-memory portrayal of the same man (in VANYA ON 42ND STREET).
Taken as a whole, COUNTRY LIFE is effective, if not groundbreaking. Like something from Merchant-Ivory, it moves slowly, allowing the characters opportunity to breathe. As either an introduction to UNCLE VANYA or a new take on the story, Michael Blakemore's production works, reaffirming that creativity can raise a phoenix from the ashes of a great classic.
- James Berardinelli (jberardinell@delphi.com)
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