SWANN
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 7.5 Alternative Scale: *** out of ****
United Kingdom/Canada, 1996 Running Length: 1:36 MPAA Classification: No MPAA Rating (Mature themes, profanity, violence, sex) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Shown at the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema, 5/7/97 & 5/9/97
Cast: Miranda Richardson, Brenda Fricker, Michael Ontkean, John Neville, David Cubitt Director: Anna Benson Gyles Producers: Ann Scott, Christina Jennings Screenplay: David Young from the novel by Carol Shields Cinematography: Gerald Packer Music: Richard Rodney Bennett
Literature is a critical part of our culture. Few would argue with that statement, but, in a world of rapidly declining attention spans, one has the sense that any book not offering instant gratification will not attain proper recognition. SWANN, directed by first time feature film maker (but long time documentarian) Anna Benson Gyles from the novel by Carol Shields, is a cinematic celebration of books, poems, and other aspects of literature. It is about the need to protect and nurture great works of writing, especially when the author is no longer around.
Mary Swann was a little-known but much-beloved poet whose small volume of poetry has touched the lives of her faithful cadre of readers. Before Mary was brutally axed to death by her husband, she committed her entire collection of written work to a friend, Rose Hindmarch (Brenda Fricker). It was Rose who ensured that the poems received exposure beyond the rural Canadian town where Mary lived and died.
Now, best-selling author Sarah Maloney (played by the always- appealing Miranda Richardson), whose latest novel is a huge success, has decided to write a book about Mary. Her research takes her to Mary's town and she makes contact with Rose, who is operating a small museum dedicated to the dead poet. Soon, however, Sarah discovers that there is a secret about Mary that no one is willing (or able) to talk about. Her investigative instincts aroused, Sarah begins to dig, and her hunt unearths some surprising evidence.
Yes, there is a mystery in SWANN, but it's of secondary importance to the meticulously-developed characters and breathtaking cinematography. The film creates two unforgettable individuals. There's brave, reliable Rose, whose salt-of-the-earth qualities make her the kind of woman whom people don't think twice about imposing upon. As portrayed by Brenda Fricker (who won an Academy Award for MY LEFT FOOT), Rose is the most memorable thing in SWANN. Then there's Sarah, a woman who appears to have everything but is really lacking some of the most basic things in life: love and journalistic integrity. SWANN details her quest to find both.
The plot of SWANN moves slowly, occasionally grinding to a complete halt. But that's okay, because this movie is about taking one's time. Poetry is never meant to be hurried through, but to be savored and explored, lovingly and carefully. Aspects of this film are reminiscent of visual poetry -- simple shots of stunning beauty that prove you don't need mountain ranges or other spectacular vistas to capture the viewer's eye. Everyday images presented in a specific manner can be just as effective, such as a sugar cube absorbing coffee (borrowed from Kieslowski's BLUE, but no less impressive here).
SWANN is certainly not for everyone. Its slow pace may drive some to distraction, and its apparent lack of focus (the soluton to the "mystery" isn't surprising or shocking) will turn others off. But anyone who approaches this movie with the proper expectations will find himself or herself engaged. SWANN is a humble motion picture that, thanks in large part to Fricker and Richardson, is capable of reaching out to a part of us that few movies touch.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews