The place lives. Paris. The period. I found myself watching the background most of the time instead of the actors. It would be hard to cast Henry Miller. Under any circumstances. Bruce Myers is such an accomplished actor with a fascinating background. (Such a tragedy to see him succumb to C-19.) He doesn't quite occupy the space - the body - of Henry Miller. And this may sound trite, but I could never take my eyes off his shaved (bald) head. As an American - not waving any flags - I wondered if could be hard for a Brit to play an American. A Brooklyn boy. A lot of people do it. Perfectly. (Matthew Rhys - in the HBO series "The Americans" - comes immediately to mind.)
Uma Thurman has such emotional range. A very strong performance as June. The principal character - it's not Henry Miller - Maria de Medeiros has very convincing look as Anais Nin. And she carries the role quite effectively. So much so, that one might forget that the film is - in theory - supposed to be about June and/or Henry Miller. Maria: Portuguese, but with an impressive French patina.
As someone who is absorbed in and by the genius of Henry Miller - I can remember reading "Tropic" on a bookstand in a drugstore during my lunch hour on Market Street in SF in the 60's - Mr. Myers portrayal is rather low voltage despite the fits of anger and breaking a few dishes.
Rather amazing that it took 30 years for Miller's book to be published in the US, considering that I seem to remember "Deep Throat" playing across the street in a porno house at that time. "Tropic" became a kind of ritual for me: after a quick barbecued rib at the Walgreens takeout counter, I would continue my serialized exploration of the exotic (and erotic) delights of Paris in the 30s.
Uma Thurman has such emotional range. A very strong performance as June. The principal character - it's not Henry Miller - Maria de Medeiros has very convincing look as Anais Nin. And she carries the role quite effectively. So much so, that one might forget that the film is - in theory - supposed to be about June and/or Henry Miller. Maria: Portuguese, but with an impressive French patina.
As someone who is absorbed in and by the genius of Henry Miller - I can remember reading "Tropic" on a bookstand in a drugstore during my lunch hour on Market Street in SF in the 60's - Mr. Myers portrayal is rather low voltage despite the fits of anger and breaking a few dishes.
Rather amazing that it took 30 years for Miller's book to be published in the US, considering that I seem to remember "Deep Throat" playing across the street in a porno house at that time. "Tropic" became a kind of ritual for me: after a quick barbecued rib at the Walgreens takeout counter, I would continue my serialized exploration of the exotic (and erotic) delights of Paris in the 30s.