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Rawle Austin presents...

The White Countess - A review

A stunning period piece!

I attended a screening of this film back in February and missed the opening credits due to arriving a little late. Trying to find an empty seat in the pitch black was not fun but anyway, here's my take on it. It was Shanghai of 1936. Filled with refugees escaping the turmoil of the beginning of the second war. Teetering on the brink of Japanese invasion. Enter a blind American former diplomat, shattered by the loss of his family in political violence and thoroughly disillusioned by the world’s inability to make peace. Also taking centre stage is a beautiful Russian countess, exiled from her home country and reduced to serving her family as a bar girl and dancer. The diplomat and the countess forge a bond in this uneasy maelstrom and she becomes the star attraction in his dream vision, The White Countess.

Click here to check out The White Countess [DVD]

This is an elegant nightclub, which he creates to shut out the chaos and tragedy around him.

Ok, so that’s the brief outline. Director James Ivory has put together a fine tapestry of life enduring through chaotic, troubled times. The White Countess was shot entirely on location in Shanghai.

Of the film’s main venue he states “The nightclub couldn’t be just a hole in the wall; we had big themes, and for that we needed room.” This involved juxtaposing the broad canvas of geopolitical conflict and intimate drama between the characters.

I felt he pulled it off well with the end result being a quite a charming piece of work. The casting was excellent and all actors produced a sterling effort. The film revolves around two central characters. The diplomat, Jackson, is played by Ralph Fiennes. His immense talents are on show for the entire world to see and he makes it all look so easy. Jackson’s passion for life and his dreams are plain for all to see as is his vulnerable, considerate side. Ralph Fiennes has an illustrious film career that goes from strength to strength.

Initially trained in theatrical productions he went on to star in such screen gems as Schindler’s List, The English Patient and, most recently, The Constant Gardner. He also starred as Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

In the White Countess, Fiennes character, Jackson, hides a painful past, which directs his escapist tendancies. This leads into his relationship with the Russian Countess, Sophia.

Natasha Richardson plays Countess Sophia beautifully. The Countess is part of the once-aristocratic Belinsky family whose power and prestige have been greatly reduced since the Bolshevik Revolution displaced Russia’s nobility.

The family now lives in a run down flat in Shanghai and the Countess works nights to support her young daughter, Katya. Always pining for her former privileged lifestyle she keeps a humility, no doubt learned from her reduced status. Richardson is part of the Redgrave acting dynasty. Honing her acting skills on the stage she went on to star in such films as Widow’s Peak, Wakin’ Up In Reno and Asylum. Also in this film are her mother Vanessa Redgrave (who plays her aunt Sara) and her aunt Lynn Redgrave (who plays her mother-in-law, Olga) both formidable talents with a wealth of acting experience behind them. The director James Ivory has had success in a number of previous features including A Room With A View, Howard’s End and The Remains Of The Day.

These films were produced in collaboration with the legendary Ismail Merchant under Merchant Ivory Productions, a company both founded in 1961. The two produced over thirty films since that time.

The White Countess was the last in their collaboration as Ismail Merchant died in May 2005. It’s also the first Merchant Ivory film I’ve seen and on the strength of this I’ll be looking to watch the three mentioned above.

The entire principal crew and cast have to be commended for a truly wonderful period piece that is well worth seeing.

The quality quotient for this film is stratospheric so make a date to see The White Countess.

My verdict, 7 out of 10.

See more about The White Countess at it's website,

http://www.sonyclassics.com/whitecountess/

Running time: 135 mins, Certificate: PG

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