Villa des Roses
by Frank Van Passel
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Harriet Walter, Julie Delpy, Shaun Dingwall, Shirley Henderson, Timothy WestDirector: Frank Van Passel
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); French (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 115 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-09-06
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Allumination
Movie Reviews of Villa des Roses
Movie Review: A Pleasant Surprise
Summary: 4 Stars
Some of us rely too much on movie critics for guidance. Villa de Roses is a case in point for me. Luckily, I hadn't read the early reviews in advance. I tried this movie for no other reason than Julie Delpy. I had enjoyed her performances in the two "Before" movies with Ethan Hawke and wanted to sample her work in a different role.
On the surface, Villa was a variation on old themes. A needful, romantically vulnerable woman is left in the lurch by a free spirit who opts for status and largesse. When there is no going back and the man is facing oblivion, this former lover is left with profound feelings of loss. Another man, decent and needful in the same way as the woman, is on the sidelines barely noticed. We are left reflecting on what might have been if the right connection had been made. Each member of the larger cast of characters in the Villa is facing his or her own interwoven existential challenges. Their struggles are evidence that life is hard. One makes a point of this in his suicide note.
I gave this film four instead of five stars because of its unrelenting melancholy. It is a downer in the traditional sense and that is enough usually to put me off. But this movie is so vividly real, so true to life, it has to be appreciated. The "production values," as a Hollywood commentator might say, are outstanding. The script is good, really good, but the directing and acting add the depth and subtlety that make the characters and events intensely recognizable and real. Julie Delpy was splendid in this different kind of role (as opposed to "Before Sunrise). Shirley Henderson was especially skillful in her part as the lead character's caring friend. If there were nothing else to recommend, her performance alone made watching the movie worthwhile. The set, the lightling, the atmosphere --- all were of high quality.
Anyway, sometimes it pays to take a chance on a movie. (A quote from my wife.) I have friends who won't even consider a movie unless their favorite critics give it a good review. Following that strategy, I would have missed Villa de Roses. That would have been a shame. --Of course, it all depends on what one expects from a movie.
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