Basils Liebe (1998)

Basils Liebe: Directed by Radha Bharadwaj. With Christian Slater, Jared Leto, Claire Forlani, Derek Jacobi. A lonely young aristocrat in turn-of the century England stuggles to meet the approval of his over-bearing, class-conscious father while trying to please the selfish woman he loves.

“u0026quot;Basilu0026quot; is a curiously compelling film. I rented it purely because it u0026quot;looked Victorianu0026quot; and I was in the mood for something different. It turned out to be very Victorian, a family saga set somewhere in the 19th Century. Wealthy, but not titled, father has two sons. His pompous and hypocritical Victorian u0026quot;family valuesu0026quot; provide the dramatic force for the story — otherwise, itu0026#39;s just a bland Harlequin-type romance. The fatheru0026#39;s confrontations with sons over women end each time with decisions totally alien to our modern sensibilities. Very jarring. Jared Leto as Basil is a little strained in his acting, but always nice to look at. C. Slater is surprisingly (and obviously) good in this u0026quot;historicalu0026quot; role, and he has a secret which provides a twist near the end. The end itself provides a strange turn that may make you wonder if Basil wouldnu0026#39;t have been happier in a new-age commune in modern New Mexico. Of course, it is basically a chick-flick….”