SYNOPSIS:
Adapted from the bewitching play by renowned writer David Hare,
My Zinc Bed is a searing examination of passion, obsession,
and the search for redemption. This intimate film centers on
young poet Paul, a recovering alcoholic committed to AA; billionaire
businessman Victor who befriends and employs him and Victor's
young wife Elsa who has adopted a mind-over-matter approach
to overcoming her own struggles with addiction. The story builds
in intensity over the course of a single summer as Victor offers
up a series of temptations that alter Paul's chosen course of
treatment and Paul and Elsa begin a romantic entanglement that
exposes their inner demons and challenges their beliefs. With
wit, drama and pathos, My Zinc Bed explores themes of faith,
friendship abd fidelity with deep emotional resonance that heightens
the story from beginning to end.
MOVIE REVIEW:
We do not claim to be experts in the area
of stage productions, but we do realise there is a difference
in big budget Broadway performances and small scale intimate
plays. Hollywood has adapted both types into feature length
movies to cater to the mass audience. To see the distinction
between them isn’t that difficult. At one end there’s
the flamboyant Hairspray and Chicago, while at the other there’s
the quieter Doubt and Frost/Nixon. This Anthony Page directed
film clearly belongs to the latter category.
Based on the stage play of the same name
by David Hare, it is a 75 minute journey into the minds of
three individuals – a recovering alcoholic, a wealthy
businessman and a mysteriously beautiful woman. Paul Peplow’s
(Paddy Considine) latest assignment is to interview the filthy
rich Victor Quinn (Jonathan Pryce). Along the way, Paul gets
to meet Victor’s wife Elsa (Uma Thurman), and revelations
about addiction begin surfacing.
We already know how credible Considine (Hot
Fuzz, The Bourne Ultimatum), Pryce (Bedtime Stories, GI Joe:
The Rise of Cobra) and Thurman (Motherhood, Percy Jackson
& the Olympians: The Lightning Thief) are as actors individually,
so the attraction here is really to see three of them come
together for this searing drama of obsession, addiction and
deceit. The chemistry between the three of them is spot on,
with no one being particularly showy. The three roles are
written with apt character developments, and rightly so, considering
they are the creations of Hare (the writer for The Hours),
an acclaimed English playwright.
The minimalist approach to making this film
is also commendable, allowing audiences to focus on the cast’s
engaging performances. Shot in locations across London, the
cold and unfeeling colours complement the script’s sharp
writing. It is poignant how words can be used to hurt and
damage a person’s ego so painfully. Cinematography by
Brian Tufano is straightforward, music by Simon Boswell is
unobtrusive, and set decoration by Joanne Woollard is low
key.
This may lead the less patient viewer to
find this film adaptation unappealing, also because of the
large amount of dialogue and the little bits of action. To
some, the almost anti climax ending may be a downer too. While
it is acknowledged that a story like this works better on
stage to exploit the close proximity and intimacy between
the actors and the audience, one must know overlook the efforts
put in by the three high profile stars to take on this TV
movie project.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
NIL
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The
visual transfer of the movie is good enough for the casual
viewer, and is presented in its original English audio track.
MOVIE RATING:
 
DVD
RATING :
Review
by John Li
Posted
on 7 October 2010
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