Angels and Insects [DVD] [1995] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC] by Philip Haas see more by Philip Haas Starring Mark Rylance, Kristin Scott Thomas, Patsy Kensit, Jeremy Kemp, Douglas Henshall Studio MGMLabel MGM

Closer Look From: MGM From: MGM Salesrank: 120521 Released: 2002-03-19 Running Time: 116 Minutes Lowest New Price: Click Here  Format: DVD Customer Rating: Also Shop International: (Not all items available internationally)          Angels and Insects [DVD] [1995] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC] Editorial Review: Angels and Insects--an ambitious costume drama--tells the tale of William Adamson (Mark Rylance), a buttoned-down Victorian explorer who returns to England penniless and dependent on the kindness of his sponsor, Sir Harald Alabaster (Jeremy Kemp). Adamson's intelligence and lower social standing endear him to the old man, but Sir Harald's son, Edgar, seems annoyed by his presence. Nevertheless, Adamson falls in love with Sir Harald's daughter, a shy sex kitten (Patsy Kensit), and offers to marry her. As the web of sexual politics, true love, and class struggles develop; the explorer begins an intriguing study of a nearby ant colony. With encouragement from a dirt-poor Alabaster cousin (Kristin Scott Thomas), Adamson begins to write about the insects, never realising the parallels with his own life. The film, too, is a puzzle for the audience to solve while savouring the beauty of flesh and outlandish, vibrant costumes. Rylance is a perfect hero to root for, with his impeccable manners and soothing Scottish tones. All in all it's another curious winner from filmmakers Philip and Belinda Haas (The Music of Chance). --Doug Thomas, Amazon.com Customer Reviews: It was ok Yes, his performance is very wooden, but his character needs to be that of someone very naive. It is a slow storyline, but it sucks you in and has a happy ending. Yes, I too saw it coming, the affair and the ending, Les. Elegant and unusual film An intelligent and unusual drama, based on A.S. Byatt's short story Eugenia Morpho. In mid 19th century England, a penniless naturalist who has lost his prized specimens from the Amazon in a shipwreck (I think the movie meant him to be a young Charles Darwin, though an incident where his field work possessions were lost in a shipwreck happened to his colleague Alfred Russell Wallace) gets a job cataloging specimens held by the Alabaster family in their country estate. He will eventually marry their daughter Eugenia (Patsy Kensit), despite the fierce opposition of her brother Edgar. Not long after having children with her, he will discover a terrible secret haunting the family. A cousin of the Alabasters, the bookish Matty (Kristin Scott Thomas) will turn out to be his only friend and ally. At times the movie looks like a strange cross between a film by James Ivory and a film by Peter Greenaway, with the Alabaster women carrying bright colored clothes that suggests different sort of insects. Even if you don't take very seriously the entomology references throughout that compare insects with humans, they are nonetheless fun. And the denouement is terrific. 2 stars for its value as a sedative! Someone mentions Mark Rylance(playing William Adamson) being at his best-I'd hate to see him at his worst in that case because I've seen more life in a Tailors Dummy!An entomologist of repute he may have been but I can see why Patsy Kensit locked her bedroom door and found more interest in her brother Edgar who couldn't be trusted with anything that stood still.Adamson who had been on a scientific journey up the Amazon lost virtually all his exhibits on the return trip during which he was shipwrecked. He is supported by Kensits father,a man of the cloth (Jeremy Kemp) an extremely wealthy benefactor and in return catalogues his collection.Adamson becomes fond of and eventually marries Kensit not realising the dark secret she shares with Edgar.Kristin Scott Thomas,Douglas Henshall co-star. Boring story, lots of sex. Nominee for a golden turkey Mark Rylance acting. A. S. Byatt story. Sounds like a sure-fire hit. Unfortunately this was not the case in my opinion. Whereas I realize that the Adamson character (Rylance) was meant to be rather straight laced, I do think it was overdone. Unlike the characters in the story that project humanity onto insects, I felt I was merely observing the characters actions with no intuition of their feelings. The revelations that I assume were meant to shock, did not seem shocking at all as I did not particularly care what happened to the observed characters. There were a number of elements such as bright colours on the dresses that were obvious comparisons between the human and the insect world, but these seemed too obvious and overplayed. Starting from the story, I would imagine the director would have to choose between a realistic interpretation or more of a fantasy approach. I have the impression the director never made his mind up which path to take. This film is rated 18. I guess that is due to the story rather than the presentation - although there is some nudity and sexual activity I would not class the images as particularly shocking these days. I wonder if the film would still have received an 18 certificate if there was no nudity. I rate this film as 2 stars. I watched it to the end - otherwise I might only have only have given it one star. A fascinating hot house of a movie What a teriffic film. Angels & Insects takes place in Victorian England at the country home of Sir Harald Alabaster (Jeremy Kemp), an aging, wealthy aristocrat who is fascinated by insects and the new theories of Charles Darwin. The estate has lots of insects. He has a pale, plump wife, a silly, beautiful daughter, Eugenia Alabaster (Patsy Kensit) and a supercilious, arrogant son, Edgar Alabaster (Douglas Henshall). Into this hothouse arrives William Anderson (Mark Rylance), a penniless explorer and entymologist, who is hired to catalogue Sir Harald's insect collection. Eventuallly Sir Harald dies, Anderson marries Eugenia, children are born, a nanny (Kristin Scott Thomas), as determined as an ant, takes care of the children, and...natural and unnatural selection becomes evident. The actors are all first-rate. The movie has a stunning look, especially the costumes. The referencing to insects -- beautiful butterflies, single-minded ants, breeding queen bees -- isn't by accident. The movie actually has a satisfying ending, especially considering the secret Eugenia Alabaster shares with...well, no spoilers here. One person said that the movie was like a cross between Merchant/Ivory and Tennessee Williams. Another wrote that it was like picking up a beautiful stone and finding nasty, squirming things underneath. True. It's a fascinating movie. The DVD transfer is first-rate. Related Categories: >> >>Video >>DVD & Blu-ray >>Categories >>Drama >>Period