It was a major publishing event when "The Garden of Eden," a lost work of Ernest Hemingway, appeared and was shrouded in controversy. The troubling matter was not the prurient content of the work, but the fact that the text was drastically edited into a short version.
Now, an even briefer version has been adapted to the screen. The highly autobiographical work focuses on the love triangle of the author David Bourne (the fictionalized Hemingway, played by Jack Huston), his wife Catherine Hill (Mena Suvari), and the heiress Marita (Caterina Murino). All three actors are excellent in their roles.
The film values were superb with spectacular ocean vistas in Southern France, as well a stunning array of period costumes for the interwar years. The selection of scenic locations was remarkable, as was the recreation of an old car that carried the affluent couple around the French Riviera.
While the film spends too much time on the unconventional eroticism of the three main characters, the most important dramatic moment occurs when the troubled Catherine chooses to burn one of the manuscripts of her husband. It is at that moment when we realize that the "games" being played by the characters have exceeded the bounds of propriety.
The opening scene of the film is extremely revealing in introducing the first meeting of Catherine and David. At a party, the two characters meet, David lights Catherine' cigarette, and they formally introduce themselves. But in the following scene, we learn that they have already known each other for three weeks, started their love affair, and are engaged to be married. The shallow and affected pretense at the party underscores the superficial nature of the relationship of David and Catherine and how they are doomed as a couple from the outset.
Now, an even briefer version has been adapted to the screen. The highly autobiographical work focuses on the love triangle of the author David Bourne (the fictionalized Hemingway, played by Jack Huston), his wife Catherine Hill (Mena Suvari), and the heiress Marita (Caterina Murino). All three actors are excellent in their roles.
The film values were superb with spectacular ocean vistas in Southern France, as well a stunning array of period costumes for the interwar years. The selection of scenic locations was remarkable, as was the recreation of an old car that carried the affluent couple around the French Riviera.
While the film spends too much time on the unconventional eroticism of the three main characters, the most important dramatic moment occurs when the troubled Catherine chooses to burn one of the manuscripts of her husband. It is at that moment when we realize that the "games" being played by the characters have exceeded the bounds of propriety.
The opening scene of the film is extremely revealing in introducing the first meeting of Catherine and David. At a party, the two characters meet, David lights Catherine' cigarette, and they formally introduce themselves. But in the following scene, we learn that they have already known each other for three weeks, started their love affair, and are engaged to be married. The shallow and affected pretense at the party underscores the superficial nature of the relationship of David and Catherine and how they are doomed as a couple from the outset.