(2001)
3
Josh Ralske
Clare Peploe's Triumph of Love is an overly broad romantic comedy that grows wearisome, despite a deft performance from Mira Sorvino in the challenging lead role. Sorvino demonstrates tremendous range and comedic skill. She takes hold of this frivolously gender-bending part, and makes the princess a provocative enchantress whose boldness is offset by her genuine warmth and vulnerability in the presence of Agis (Jay Rodan), the young man she loves. As she cunningly overcomes every obstacle thrown in her path, Sorvino reveals the princess' compassion for those whom she manipulates. Her enjoyable interplay with the accomplished Ben Kingsley and Fiona Shaw lends the somewhat silly material a welcome spark of emotional depth. Kingsley and Shaw overplay their roles as her pathetic foils, as is perhaps appropriate for this kind of farce, while fresh-faced Rachael Stirling as the princess' handmaiden, Hermidas, infuses her role with subtle intelligence. Marivaux's play may put audiences in mind of Shakespeare's much earlier oeuvre, and the play's strong central female character, gender disguises, and Italian setting invite this comparison. But this material doesn't have the emotional complexity or depth, not to mention the poetry of Shakespeare. The film is fast-paced and energetic, but the play is so broadly clownish that it frequently feels strained. Peploe's attempts to address the material's theatrical artificiality, using jump cuts, the sporadic and jarring appearance of an audience in modern dress, and an awkward "curtain call" at the end are somewhat heavy-handed. The film's inherent corniness will certainly rub some viewers the wrong way, but it's reasonably bright and cheery, and everyone involved seems to be enjoying what they're doing. In the end, Triumph of Love offers a few fleeting pleasures and one memorable performance.
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The Triumph of Love (2001)
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Title/Studio |
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Triumph of Love
Paramount
More
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October 29, 2002 |
