 |  | Any Number of Things Could Be the "Burning Secret" |  |
Subtly but assuredly, this film replicates the bisexual love triangle of Shakespeare's sonnets. A man (stocky, middle-aged, urbane, sophisticated) befriends and romances both a well-to-do lady and her asthmatic son. The setting is a sparwling pretty Alpine health spa. Opening the door of a long gleaming beautiful car, the man captures the sick and lonely boy's interest immediately. His mother is glad her son has a friend in that depressing place and is charmed by the man as well. It's possible our war vet hero is using the boy to get to his mother's wealth and company (shades of Hugh Grant's turn in "About a Boy") but his amazing rapport with the 12yo, featuring a draped arm and tender affection and an erotic charge in their swimming pool scene, come to the edge of ephebophilia. This is further affirmed by the tower the two of them climb on the grounds of the spa, a visual reference to the man-boy seduction scene in either "Turn of the Screw" or "The Innocents." There is also the poem (Goethe's Erl-King) that the man reads the boy in a scene of riveting emotion.
The reading of the poem (whose subject is illusion) ushers in the movie's turning point. After the poem is read, with its macabre pronouncement ("The child is dead"), the warm water tap is turned off, and the man begins actly coldly toward the boy and, eventually, his mother as well. It is as if, during his charged recitation of Goethe, the man spends all his love for the boy in one pyrotechnic finale; he then reveals himself as unctuous, damaged, and unpredictable, a snake in the disguise of a fine storyteller, sophisticated reader, and loyal friend.
A well-acted story of love and longing, featuring an omnisexual charlatan who plays two needy people like a fiddle. December 15, 2003
I found this a surprisingly lovely period piece. Dunaway looks exquisite, Brandauer (might as well spell it correctly...) is compelling, as always, and the boy is breathtakingly beautiful. I enjoyed the beauty of each scene.
March 6, 2002I found this a surprisingly lovely period piece. Dunaway looks exquisite, Brandauer (might as well spell it correctly...) is compelling, as always, and the boy is breathtakingly beautiful. I enjoyed the beauty of each scene.
March 6, 2002This movie deals with a wealthy European woman (Faye Dunaway) who goes to a clinic or spa with her sickly son for his treatment. It's a 1930's period piece. Ok, so far, so good, and Dunaway looks pretty good. Klaus Maria Brandeur plays this guy staying there who wants to have a romance with Dunaway and may be after her money. He befriends the son to get to her. Ok, so far, so good. Dunaway is the lonely and neglected wife, so she is vulnerable and looking for romance. Dunaway falls for him, and he with her, and the son gets huffy because of the romance. The HUGE problem here is that there is no, I mean absolutely NO, chemistry between Dunaway and Brandeur. She might as well have fallen in love with an ice sculpture. The script is a little weak, though not awful, but it's just a total bore in these "love" scenes where the actors appear to be emoting to a wall. Trust me, the movie has no "Burning Secret" to reveal. The movie is just very, very boring, and you don't care at all what happens to the characters. Dunaway made a lot of ill-conceived flops in this time frame. Sadly, despite high hopes based on the other casting and a seemingly plausible script, this movie is no exception. And I'm a huge fan of hers, but I would not watch this again unless a gun was to my head.
February 15, 2002More reviews at Amazon.com ...
Daily Birthdays
(4 reviews)