Quills – Macht der Besessenheit (2000)

Quills – Macht der Besessenheit: Directed by Philip Kaufman. With Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix, Michael Caine. In a Napoleonic era insane asylum, an inmate, the irrepressible Marquis De Sade, fights a battle of wills against a tyrannically prudish doctor.

“I originally went to see this one in a movie theater on a whim – I was feeling spontaneous, so I bought a ticket for a movie I knew nothing about, and went in free of preconceptions or expectations.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe cleverness of the very first scenes brought a smile to my face, and I knew I was in for a rare treat; off the top of my head, I canu0026#39;t think of a movie with a better conceived, audience grabbing opening sequence.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnd the impression lasted throughout this great film. Quills is a passionate (and entertaining!) cry in defense of artistic freedom, and the fundamental freedoms of speech and religion; and it is a deliciously clever movie, both in dialog and in plot. It is actually a movie that has something to say, and does it in an entertaining, engaging way that doesnu0026#39;t leave the audience feeling that they are being lectured to or talked down to. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eA few scenes are gruesome and unpleasant, but they, I think, are a necessary evil for the telling of the story, not a gratuitous shock-tactic.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe performances are excellent throughout, and the storyline is will firmly claim and keep your attention. Quills is the sort of movie that you donu0026#39;t forget, and thatu0026#39;ll linger on in your mind long after youu0026#39;ve seen it.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI would heartily recommend this movie to anyone – even if it doesnu0026#39;t sound like the type of movie youu0026#39;d normally go for. I for one am very glad that I happened to be feeling spontaneous the day I went to see it, because otherwise I would most likely have missed it. So give your spontaneity a chance if you happen upon Quills in your local movie rental place.”