BY LEAH ROZEN
ROMANTIC COMEDY
CRITIC'S CHOICE
Here's a test: It's the mid-1700s and a Venetian noblewoman, bumping about inside a jouncing horse-drawn carriage, declares, “This is the last time I'm traveling coach.” If that anachronistic punch line has you chuckling—I did—then this gleeful fictional take on the Casanova legend will prove a breezy delight.
Giacomo Casanova (Ledger) was the original Italian playboy. Casanova, nimbly directed by Lasse Hallström (Chocolat), purports to recount the great lover's most significant amorous episode, hitherto unknown. The movie stumbles clumsily out of the gate, but recovers shortly after Casanova meets and sets his sights on Francesca Bruni (Miller), a woman of uncommon beauty and learning who initially fails to return his ardor. From then on, it's an amusing, light-hearted frolic.
Ledger gives a robust performance chockablock with charm and physical derring-do. Miller, certainly lovely to look at in earlier films, here demonstrates notable acting chops as well. The always watchable Olin and Platt add comic zest in supporting roles. In the middle of dreary winter, Casanova proves as fresh as springtime. (R)
Natasha Richardson, Ralph Fiennes, Vanessa Redgrave, Lynn Redgrave
DRAMA
Countess Sofia Belinsky (Richardson), a widowed expatriate Russian, is barely scraping by in Shanghai in the 1930s. Toiling as a dance hall hostess and occasional prostitute, she is the sole provider for an extended family that includes her young daughter, her mother-in-law (Lynn Redgrave, Richardson's real-life aunt), an aunt (Vanessa Redgrave, Richard-son's real-life mom) and a couple of others. The countess's luck finally seems to turn when a blind retired American diplomat (Fiennes) hires her to front a chic nightclub he opens. But war clouds are gathering in China, though neither of the two—who eventually become smitten—pays sufficient attention until it is almost too late.
The White Countess, a romantic drama that marks the final collaboration between director James Ivory (The Golden Bowl) and the late producer Ismail Merchant, offers all that a viewer has come to expect in the duo's films: sumptuous period costumes and settings, a superior cast and genteel characters who suppress their feelings until late in the game. Here, the Shanghai locations are scenic, the performances achingly good and the mood evocative. A flagging middle section is salvaged by a rip-roaring finale. Best moment: when Lynn Redgrave's character does something unspeakably wretched to Richardson's. It will leave you gasping. (PG-13)
Q'Orianka Kilcher
She's just 15, but she's already starred as a Native American princess in the epic The New World (out nationwide Jan. 20)—and got her first kiss from Colin Farrell. Kilcher shares her secrets for navigating the wilds of Hollywood.
Acing the Big Audition
Be prepared for anything. “They would say, ‘Can you do traditional dance?’ [or] ‘Can you sing for us? Can you learn this scene by tomorrow?’” says Kilcher, who learned some Algonquian—Pocahontas's language—and “a perfect British accent” to land the role.
Attending a Movie Premiere
Make your own dress. “I sketch the designs and my mom and I sew them,” says Kilcher, who walked The New World's red carpet in one of her creations. “I always try to keep my heritage in what I'm wearing,” says the part-Peruvian Indian actress.
Handling Love Scenes
Choose a good partner. “Colin was really sweet,” she says. “I was like, ‘Ahh!’ because it was my first kiss [in real life].”
Avoiding a Career Slump
Have a plan B or C. “I'm working on a CD now with all the songs I wrote that were inspired by this movie,” says Kilcher, a distant cousin of the singer Jewel. “And I really want to go to Alaska and go salmon fishing like my mom did. Oh my, what endurance you have to have!”
—NICHOLAS WHITEBe prepared for anything. “They would say, ‘Can you do traditional dance?’ [or] ‘Can you sing for us? Can you learn this scene by tomorrow?’” says Kilcher, who learned some Algonquian—Pocahontas's language—and “a perfect British accent” to land the role.
Make your own dress. “I sketch the designs and my mom and I sew them,” says Kilcher, who walked The New World's red carpet in one of her creations. “I always try to keep my heritage in what I'm wearing,” says the part-Peruvian Indian actress.
Choose a good partner. “Colin was really sweet,” she says. “I was like, ‘Ahh!’ because it was my first kiss [in real life].”
Have a plan B or C. “I'm working on a CD now with all the songs I wrote that were inspired by this movie,” says Kilcher, a distant cousin of the singer Jewel. “And I really want to go to Alaska and go salmon fishing like my mom did. Oh my, what endurance you have to have!”
—NICHOLAS WHITE
The Matador Pierce Brosnan, taking on a role that offers a flip side to his 007, is smashing as a hilariously foul-mouthed, promiscuous, alcoholic hit man who's coming apart at the seams. He meets a nice guy businessman (Greg Kinnear) in a Mexico City hotel bar in this spiffy thriller and the two become unlikely pals. There are deft twists aplenty here, plus the great Hope Davis in a daffy turn as Kinnear's loving, libidinous wife. (R)
King Kong Movie magic. Sure, the special effects are phenomenal, but it's the heartfelt relationship between the big, sensitive ape and Naomi Watts that makes Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson's latest epic so wonderful. (PG-13)
Brokeback Mountain As good as the hype. Two cowboys (Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger) fall in love in Wyoming, but one of them just can't commit. Beautifully acted. (R)
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