Der menschliche Makel (2003)
53KDer menschliche Makel: Directed by Robert Benton. With Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman, Ed Harris, Gary Sinise. When a disgraced former college dean has a romance with a mysterious younger woman haunted by her dark, twisted past, he is forced to confront a shocking fact about his own life that he has kept secret for fifty years.
“This just opened in Lawrence, KS, a university town, at the theater that shows indies and foreign films. Maybe Miramax is hoping for a u0026quot;Big Fat Greek Weddingu0026quot; type of reaction? u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIu0026#39;ve not read the book but, to me, this was a very satisfying film, with some examination of a number of issues: the costs to a black person of crossing over and becoming white — and/or the price to anyone of becoming disconnected from their families. Although disconnection may give greater freedom in some ways, in others it forms an uncomfortable prison. Another issue might be described as a variant on, u0026quot;Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.u0026quot; And yet another is that the u0026quot;stainu0026quot; that all of us carry also stains others with whom we come in contact. And maybe thereu0026#39;s a dear price (and reward?) that may be paid for following heart too much rather than head? u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eReally solid performances by some great actors — Hopkins, Kidman, Harris — and the others. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSome gratuitous nudity was injected, maybe to help ticket sales?, but it was not too far-fetched from the story line. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAll the backgrounds fit (I grew up in Vermont and lived in academia many years elsewhere); the landscape and the Volvos plus the professoru0026#39;s house had a very authentic feel.”
