Possession (2002)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Neil LaBute

Writers (WGA):

A.S. Byatt (novel)
David Henry Hwang (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

4 September 2002 (France)

Genre:

Romance | Drama | Mystery

Tagline:

The past will connect them. The passion will possess them.

Plot:

A pair of literary sleuths unearth the amorous secret of two Victorian poets only to find themselves falling under a passionate spell.

Plot Keywords:

Poet | Spell | Love Letter | Rival | Drowning

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Maud Bailey
Aaron Eckhart	...	Roland Michell
Jeremy Northam	...	Randolph Henry Ash
Jennifer Ehle	...	Christabel LaMotte
Lena Headey	...	Blanche Glover
Holly Aird	...	Ellen Ash
Toby Stephens	...	Fergus Wolfe
Trevor Eve	...	Cropper
Tom Hickey	...	Blackadder
Georgia Mackenzie	...	Paola
Tom Hollander	...	Euan
Graham Crowden	...	Sir George
Anna Massey	...	Lady Bailey
Craig Crosbie	...	Hildebrand
Christopher Good	...	Crabb-Robinson

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexuality and some thematic elements.

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English | French

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:PG | Finland:S | Germany:12 | Netherlands:AL | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG (cut) | South Korea:15 | Sweden:Btl | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Athenaeum Club, Pall Mall, St. James's, London, England, UK

Company:

USA Films

Trivia:

A large part of Church Street in Whitby was dressed to give it the appearance of a 18/19th century fishing town. Gwyneth Paltrow insisted that the whole place was screened off so that she was not visible to the small crowd of on-lookers. Jeremy Northam, however, took time to go and talk about the film to the bystanders. Miss Paltrow also turned down an offer from the local dignitaries to meet the mayor and be shown around the town. The Whitby Gazette carried a massive banner headline declaring "PALTROW SNUBS WHITBY".

Goofs:

Continuity: When Maude is in her car waiting for Roland to come out of the museum, her window is down. When he gets in the car and they begin talking, it is rolled up.

Quotes:

Roland Michell: So what are we gonna do now? We gonna try to beat'em to France, or - or are we just gonna stare at each other?
Maude: That is the question, isn't it?
Roland Michell: Mm-hmmm
Maude: I have another one for you.
Roland Michell: What's that?
Maude: What are you really doing here?
Roland Michell: Well, I uh - I needed to see your face. I just wanted to let you know that whatever happened at Whitby, which unfortunately was not much, is not because anything that you did. Not at all. I just didn't want to jump into something. I mean, I did and I do... want to. Badly. I just didn't want to mess this up. And I just want to see -
[clears throat]
Roland Michell: I want to see if there's an us in you and me. Would-Would you like that?
[Maude leans over and kisses Roland]
[...]

Movie Connections:

References The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981)

Soundtrack:

Possesso

Refreshing change

I'm a big fan of Gwyneth Paltrow whom I regard as an actress of rare talent and beauty so, in spite of many reviewers being parsimonious in their praise for this film, I ventured out to London's Leicester Square to make my own judgement and did not regret it. Following her performances in "Emma", "Sliding Doors" and "Shakespeare In Love", for the fourth time Paltrow adopts an impeccable English accent.

This time she plays an academic specialising in the work of an obscure 19th century poet called Christabel LaMotte (Jennifer Ehle, whom I enjoyed in "This Year's Love"). She is approached by an American researcher, Roland Michell, played by a permanently unshaven Aaron Eckhart, who has discovered a possible romantic connection between LaMotte and fellow poet Randolph Henry Ash (Jeremy Northam, last seen in that other costume drama "Gosford Park"). It turns out that Ash's marriage has no physical side (for reasons which are not explained), while LaMotte's lesbian relationship may not be as exclusive as was thought.

All this sounds more raunchy that it is. There is in fact little sex and no nudity at all on show; yet director Neil LaBute ensures that sensuality imbues scene after scene. Set against the unusual locations of Lincoln and Whiteby, the modern-day academics retrace the steps of the two poets both physically and romantically in cross-cutting scenes that reminded me of the structure of "The French Lieutenant's Woman". If you're a pubescent popcorn-guzzler, you'll hate this movie and find it terribly slow and literary (it is based on the Booker Prize-winning novel by A S Byatt); on the other hand, if you'd like something different from the usual mindless, blockbuster fare, you'll probably find this a refreshing change.