My husband and I watched Angels and Insects when it first hit the movie theaters and thought it was an excellent movie. We wanted to see it again and bought the DVD. We have not changed our view of the movie. Two thumbs up, it was worth watching again.
September 8, 2008This is not a review of the movie, per se, since I did not get past the first 10 minutes. The DVD is lousy. First off, it is not a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. It is letterboxed, and the figures on screen come off as being somewhat distorted/stretched, as though one stretched a 4:3 aspect ratio movie into widescreen. The biggest problem, though, is that the video is somewhat out of focus and blurry, and it is so distracting that I could not watch anymore than a few minutes before turning it off. I am sending it back for a refund.
July 4, 2008 |  | Period piece yes, but too predictable |  |
Mark Rylance is very good in his role, Kristin Scott Thomas too. But the movie in general is only good (there is the book). A lot of the story suffers because of Patsy Kensit. I remember that she was "HOT" at the time so she probably was given this role for that reason. An extremely unattractive woman and even more so here. You learn to dislike her character but never as much as disliking her in the role. Too much commentary from me could spoil the movie, but you will figure it out yourself at least by the time they are at the ball.
May 23, 2008Angels and Insects [Region 2] This extraordinarily fine film is artistically significant in its use of color and its use of symbols to evoke mood and meaning. It is historically and socially significant in its use of self-indulgence and incest to portray the decadence of the English Victorian upper class in contrast to the intellectual and moral honesty of the middle class scientist and governess.
May 11, 2008 | | Fluttering among angels and insects | |
"Angels and Insects" was an artistic breakthrough for director Philip Haas. Based on AS Byatt's novella "Morpho Eugenia","Angels" is a lush,sensual movie. Set in repressed Victorian England, it's a period piece that's at once campy and tasteful,elegant and melodramatic. It gained notoriety for its fleeting male nudity-but stands on its own.
"Angels" opens in the Amazon rainforest. The naturalist William Adamson (Mark Rylance) is dancing with the naked,painted natives. Like "Forbidden Dance",the natives are dancing sensually in their forest idyll. The action moves to a refined waltz. There, William meets the hysterical Eugenia Alabaster (Patsy Kensit) Her father,Sir Harold,is a vicar struggling with the concept of evolution while his wife is constantly eating or pregnant. William romances Eugenia. There's also Maddie Crompton (Kristin Scott Thomas,made to look plain&drab),with whom he studies local insects. Maddie is independently minded;she's also into socialism.
William marries Eugenia. They have a passionate wedding night. One moment,she's repressed,the next moment,she can't wait to get her husband into bed. During her pregnancies,she secludes herself,leaving William suspicious. In the meantime, William and Maddie are studying an anthill in the forest. Their attraction is intellectual. William also has to deal with his obnoxious brother in-law Edgar,who's obsessed with "pure bloods." Edgar is a nasty character. He believes in hereditary aristocracy,using it as an excuse to take advantage of servant girls,and impregnating his sister to "keep the blood line pure." When Edgar is caught in bed with Eugenia,his nakedness isn't erotic. It isn't even sexy. It reveals his ugliness. A traumatized Eugenia reveals everything to the shocked William.
In the end,William leaves with Maddie for a better life. "Angels" tackles big issues,such as creation and evolution (it's set during Charles Darwin's time),family,science,and the role of women. When it was first released,it was controversial. Now,it's a work of art. Let "Angels and Insects" entrap you in its web!
May 2, 2008More reviews at Amazon.com ...
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