(Rated R, 124 mins)
“I’ve a nasty little tale to tell” Geoffrey Rush’s narrated words put it mildly. Rush portrays Marquis de Sade (notorious author of “The 120 Days of Sodom” and the man who put the letters into S & M), confined to an asylum because of his pornographic writings. This story combines the vices of “Lolita” and “The Thorn Bird” rolled into “One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest”. Set in Paris in 1807 the story centers on the infamous author (portrayed by Rush who is Oscar bound again since “Shine”), who engages in a battle of wills with a hunky young priest (Joaquin Phoenix) and a doctor (Michael Caine) hired by his estranged wife to destroy him. The story’s catalyst is Kate Winslet who plays the chamber maid dropping off fresh bed linens then smuggling out his writings because his “publicist says I’m not allowed to leave without a manuscript.” His material ideas are often fed to him by Winslet through the iron dungeon gates, who keeps him abreast of the town gossip feeding his “erection” of writing. One story is that of the doctor (Caine), who takes a poor spinster girl from a convent, young enough to be his granddaughter. Through his riches and fine wine he attempts to compensate for his lack of size and performance. Obviously these were pre-viagra days. The Marquis practices on paper the very crimes he preaches utilizing bizarre techniques for make-shift pens. I know a writer must write, but this is ridiculous! Geoffrey Rush bares it all (including a pasty, white, naked, body) to indulge his obsessions. The town hungers for the Marquis’s sexual and promiscuous words so much, that when problems arise, and one of his tales go too far, he employs the group of asylum looney-tunes to assist his need to put quill to paper. Borders Books was obviously non-existent then. Too bad. Would have saved a lot of insanity and a lot of lives. This movie has all the “write” stuff.
