The White Countess (2005)

Director:

James Ivory

Writer:

Kazuo Ishiguro (written by)

Release Date:

10 February 2006 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama | History | Romance

Plot:

Set in 1930s Shanghai, where a blind American diplomat develops a curious relationship with a young Russian refugee who works odd -- and sometimes illicit -- jobs to support members of her dead husband's aristocratic family.

Plot Keywords:

Pandemonium | Japanese | Jazz Music | Ballet | French

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Natasha Richardson	...	Countess Sofia Belinskya
Lynn Redgrave	...	Olga Belinskya
Madeleine Potter	...	Grushenka
Madeleine Daly	...	Katya
John Wood	...	Prince Peter Belinsky
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Princess Vera Belinskya
Allan Corduner	...	Samuel Feinstein
Timur Engalychev	...	Feinstein Child
Lucy Sutton	...	Feinstein Child
Amir Maimon	...	Feinstein Child
Itay Eltahan	...	Feinstein Child
Dan Herzberg	...	Frenchman
Aislín McGuckin	...	Maria (as Aislin Mcguckin)
Dong Fu Lin	...	Taxi Dance Hall Manager (as Lin Dong Fu)
Ralph Fiennes	...	Todd Jackson

Runtime:

135 min

Country:

UK | USA | Germany | China

Language:

English | French | Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:PG | Sweden:11 | Australia:M | Argentina:Atp | USA:PG-13 (MPAA rating: #42172) | Ireland:PG | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) | Singapore:PG | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-11

Filming Locations:

Shanghai, China

Company:

Merchant Ivory Productions

Trivia:

The Countess' (Natasha Richardson) family included her real-life mother Vanessa Redgrave and aunt Lynn Redgrave.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The Japanese flag should have the chrysanthemum design instead of the rising sun design.

Quotes:

Sofia: If you have any objections, kindly go to hell.
Todd Jackson: You tell 'em!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2005-12-24)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

It's Not Too Late (Xian jian bu hen wan)

Blindness

If there ever was a film with the right elements in it, this was it. After all, James Ivory was directing and the screen play by Kenzo Ishiguro, who had worked with the director before, to much better results in "The Remains of the Day". Alas, this film has a flat feeling, in sharp contrast with the other films by Mr. Ivory.

We are taken to the Shanghai of the thirties which was a city with a large international community. Among them, the story finds the impoverished Russian aristocrats that are living in need. Horror of horrors, Countess Sofia is forced to work in a dive, often frequented by low life characters. Although it's left to our imagination, could this poor aristocrat be also one of "those women"?

It is there where Todd Jackson, a blind American with a lot of influence in the right circles, meets Sofia and decides to ask her to be the hostess for the new night club he wants to start. Into this picture walks a Japanese business man, Mr. Matsuda, who befriends Jackson. Matsuda has a hidden agenda, as he wants to mix different groups of opposing sides at night spot.

Alas, the Japanese invasion puts an end to Jackson's dreams. At the same time, Sofia is able to get the needed amount of money for she and the family to go to Hong Kong. The only problem is that Olga, the family matriarch has another idea in mind: Sofia must stay behind! The problem with the film is that there is not enough tension, or passion, in these people on the screen. In a way, this movie doesn't convince us these characters are real.

The mostly English cast does what it can, but they have done much better before. The magnificent Vanessa Redgrave has nothing to do, which is the ultimate sin of the movie. Ralph Fiennes' Jackson is not one of the best roles he's ever played. For that matter, Natasha Richardson, with the phony Russian accent, doesn't add anything to the story.

In a way, the movie feels empty. We can't even imagine an Ivory-Merchant production this shabby before. Maybe the problem lies with the untimely death of Mr. Merchant. The film needed some editing and trimming because with a running time of 138 minutes, is just too long.