I
once read a novel by Linda Chaiken about a silk plantation,
and ever since have been fascinated with the exotic art of
making silk. Naturally, the movie's name caught my attention
as well as the overall plot, and while the protagonists'
lives do center around silk, it was a much different kind of
film than I anticipated.
Just
out of the military and looking forward to starting a life
with the beautiful Hélène (Keira Knightley), Hervé
Joncour (Michael Pitt) never anticipates the adventures he
will set out on. Recruited into working for a local entrepreneur
(Alfred Molina), he is sent on a mission to Japan to obtain
the precious and rare eggs of silkworms and import them back
to France. This private trade is outlawed by the Japanese
government, and he risks his life in the journey, finding
the people of Japan strange and beautiful, but distant and
suspicious of newcomers. The one person who captivates him
with her quiet presence is a geisha. He does not know her
name or where she lives, only that she belongs to the
tradesman who provides him with the eggs.
Miraculously,
the eggs survive the many months it takes him to return to
France, and the profit of the silk mills makes all of them
wealthy. He is able to purchase Hélène the house and
garden she so desires, but still his thoughts are with the
geisha. Returning to Japan time and time again, Joncour is
transfixed with her beauty and devastated when civil war
tears the country apart. If there is one thing to be said
about the film, it is that it is so beautifully photographed
that it often looks like a painting. Shots of Hélène in
the wood as she plans her garden are contrasted with the
rugged beauty of Japan, and the stark, cold winters of
Russia.
Unfortunately,
that is where my praise of the film must end for although
Jancour does come to realize that his infatuation with this
woman is inappropriate, it is long after he has already
harmed his relationship with his wife. I could forgive that,
as Hélène is amazingly understanding and forgiving, except
that the film chooses to employ female nudity in ways that
were unnecessary. Some of it is discreet, such as Hélène
and Joncour embracing after his long awaited return, but
most of it is graphic and blatant. I do not mind seeing a
married couple kiss and caress lovingly in bed, but she does
not have to be topless while doing it. A scene where the
geisha brings another woman to Jancour for sex is completely
out of place and inappropriate. It literally leaves no part
of her body to the imagination, and it made me angry with
him that he did not even resist. There is also a brief but
graphic sex scene between him and his wife that implies she
is in pain. We also get to see the geisha topless as she
bathes in a hot stream.
Even
with the distracting content there was something haunting
about the film, mainly due to a twist in the second half
that reveals something very poignant about Hélène. I
cannot recommend it because of its faults, and also the fact
that it is ultimately forgettable in its own obscurity -- I
never quite knew what the filmmakers were attempting to tell
us, and it moves at a measured but ultimately slow pace. I
did like what a wonderful woman Hélène turned out to be,
although it pained me to see him treat her with so much
disrespect. In many ways, the film feels like a torn piece
of silk -- smooth and beautiful, but damaged by sheer
carelessness.
SILK
Miraculously,
the eggs survive the many months it takes him to return to
France, and the profit of the silk mills makes all of them
wealthy. He is able to purchase Hélène the house and
garden she so desires, but still his thoughts are with the
geisha. Returning to Japan time and time again, Joncour is
transfixed with her beauty and devastated when civil war
tears the country apart. If there is one thing to be said
about the film, it is that it is so beautifully photographed
that it often looks like a painting. Shots of Hélène in
the wood as she plans her garden are contrasted with the
rugged beauty of Japan, and the stark, cold winters of
Russia.
Even
with the distracting content there was something haunting
about the film, mainly due to a twist in the second half
that reveals something very poignant about Hélène. I
cannot recommend it because of its faults, and also the fact
that it is ultimately forgettable in its own obscurity -- I
never quite knew what the filmmakers were attempting to tell
us, and it moves at a measured but ultimately slow pace. I
did like what a wonderful woman Hélène turned out to be,
although it pained me to see him treat her with so much
disrespect. In many ways, the film feels like a torn piece
of silk -- smooth and beautiful, but damaged by sheer
carelessness.