It's interesting how much it takes to shock people nowadays. While there are always those, especially in today's society and its politically correct trappings, who will be offended by what many others would consider mundane or inoffensive, it's surprising - and somewhat sad and/or disturbing - how much is tolerated today that only decades ago was considered outrageous and even scandalous.
All of which makes one wonder that if all of that was at one time scandalous but now commonly accepted, what will offend tomorrow's society once today's material becomes commonplace and no big deal. Just how far will people have to go to shock audiences, and will we ever hit the ceiling for that, where such provocateurs either stop trying to one-up their predecessors or where nothing will seem shocking anymore?
Those questions certainly would have been fascinating to the Marquis de Sade, who's best known to today's culture as the guy who inspired the word "sadism." A French novelist, playwright and author of philosophical treatises who simultaneously shocked and secretly delighted those in the 18th century with works such as "Justine," the Marquis preceded and obviously inspired the likes of Larry Flynt and Marilyn Manson by more than two centuries.
Now, his life - or at least the aura of it - is explored in "Quills," a mostly fictionalized tale that will likely offend those with low tolerance levels for such material as well as historians with the same regarding the acknowledged artistic liberties taken with the source subject. For those who enjoy well-made and fascinating films, however, you probably won't go wrong with this picture that's good enough that it earned a handful of Oscar nominations.
That said, the storytelling approach by director Phillip Kaufman ("The Right Stuff," "The Unbearable Lightness of Being") and screenwriter Doug Wright (who adapts his stage play of the same name) - namely making up some of this story and combining or creating completely fictitious characters and events - will likely disappoint those looking for an in-depth, biographical examination of the real man.
While we do get to know the Marquis somewhat from a psychological and sociological standpoint - or at least we think we do as the "facts" are presented here -- we never really do from a historical one. While that may disappoint some viewers looking for a thorough examination of the man's life and what really made him tick, the filmmakers' fictionalized and time-compressed approach does alleviate an overriding and nagging problem that usually besets such biopics.
Namely, that's coming off as episodic, a momentum killing side effect that comes from attempting to cram too many years of history into too little actual screen time. Here, the resultant picture might not be absolutely true to history, and certainly won't be confused for being a cheery and uplifting picture. Yet, it's undeniably an often mesmerizing experience filled with some captivating performances.
Speaking of the aforementioned Mr. Flynt, this film does bear a striking thematic resemblance to Milos Forman's "The People vs. Larry Flynt." Both deal with pornographic provocateurs and the attempts - especially at the hands of the government - to shut them down and essentially put them out of business.
As such, both deal with creative freedom of speech issues, although the Marquis certainly didn't have a constitutional first amendment to back him up. As a result, he spent a great deal of his adult years in prison or asylums (in both real life and this film), and that's where Wright's story takes place. While the trappings of his stage play are still present to some degree, they aren't overly obvious and certainly don't distract the viewer or impede the narrative flow.
While some of that obviously stems from the way the filmmakers handle the material, much of it is due to the fine and often captivating performances. Not surprisingly, the most obvious, flamboyant and completely captivating one comes from Geoffrey Rush ("House on Haunted Hill," "Shine") who embodies the Marquis. Perfectly playing him with just the right combination of lunacy, smarts and decadence, Rush creates a compelling, if certainly less than likeable character that earned him an Oscar nomination.
Michael Caine ("Miss Congeniality," "The Cider House Rules") similarly creates a mesmerizing and despicable character as the man who becomes the Marquis' archenemy, while Joaquin Phoenix ("Gladiator," "The Yards") continues to add to his recent, impressive array of performances playing the priest who's torn between religion and lust as well as his unique friendship with the Marquis and his duty to keep him under control.
Kate Winslet ("Holy Smoke," Titanic") is good as the virginal laundress who uses the Marquis' fictional work to allow her to remain chaste in the real world even if not in her imagination, while Amelia Warner ("Mansfield Park") is also good as the young bride whose passions are awakened by the same. Meanwhile, various performers, including Stephen Marcus ("My Beautiful Laundrette"), are believable as other patients/inmates in the asylum.
While the film clearly won't be for everyone's tastes and will likely offend some of today's viewers as much as the Marquis' original work did way back when, for those looking for a well-made and mostly captivating experience, this might be the film for you.
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