The works of English author Joseph Conrad (1857-1924), while certainly not happy, uplifting pieces of literature, have often been favorites among film makers. From the recent (and barely seen) "The Secret Agent" to "Apocalypse Now," the best-known adaption of any of his works that was based on "Heart of Darkness," his flair for the darker, dramatic side of life has usually been easily transferable to the big screen. "Swept From the Sea," the latest cinematic adaption of a Conrad story, is no different. For those who like their movies profoundly dark, tragic, and filled with despair, this film is for them.
Based on Conrad's thirty-page novella, "Amy Foster," this is a rare type of adaption. Quite often fans of certain novelist's works are disappointed with the results of bringing a given title to the silver screen. Characters are usually never as richly developed, scenes are truncated, and the filmed version usually pales in comparison simply because it's difficult to condense long novels into an hour and a half to two hour running time. Not so with this adaption that obviously had to be lengthened to fill the necessary time.
That credit must obviously go to screenwriter Tim Willocks who makes his sophomore scribe outing with this feature. While I must admit that I haven't read the original short story, it is amazing that the film never feels like it's been padded or artificially beefed up to fill the time. Indeed, the film truly has an epic feel to it -- not so much in that it sweeps across locations, but instead passes through time and delivers a tragic drama. Granted, the film often teeters on the brink of being a Harlequin romance-type story, but it definitely has that epic feel.
Much of that can also be attributed to director Beeban Kidron, who helmed 1995's surprise hit, "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar," and cinematographer Dick Pope ("Secrets & Lies"). Using the bleak and rugged coastal English landscape to the fullest extent, the film is always intriguing to watch and never allows the sea -- an integral and symbolic element -- to be far from sight. Although set nearly a century ago, the film certainly isn't your standard costume drama and is anything but an indoor, stuffy experience. This is more of what one would call a "dirty costume drama" due to the copious amounts of mud and rain that leave the stars looking quite dingy and disheveled with muddy clothing and matted hair.
The story is told in flashback by Kennedy, the town's doctor (itself something of a strange device since he's telling it to someone who already knows the story, but that's a minor objection). He's upset by something in Yanko and Amy's relationship, and it's the mystery of what that may be that propels our interest in the film. While it's moderately compelling, to me it was not emotionally captivating. Perhaps it was John Barry's heavy handed score (that desperately wants to make this feature sound tragically dramatic) or Weisz's (the lead actress) emotionally flat performance, but the film never hit me in the gut or brought a tear to my eye. Granted, I can see why some people might be affected that way, but the puppeteer's strings seemed too blatantly obvious for the film to really affect me on an emotion level.
Vincent Pérez, best known for his role in "The Crow: City of Angels" (replacing the late Brandon Lee in that sequel), is competent as the wayward immigrant. Certainly looking the part and doing a decent job with the accent, he manages to create an "outsider" character with whom we easily sympathize. Rachel Weisz (1997's "Going All the Way"), on the other hand, creates an icy cold woman who keeps both the other characters in the film and the audience at a constant arm's length. While she's perfectly playing the part as written and does a good job portraying such a character, that aloof quality prevents us from really feeling for her. The only saving grace is that everyone else in the town hates her, so by default we do feel some sympathy for her. Some viewers may wish that Yanko can break through her deeply entrenched emotional "iceberg," but I suspect many others will hope that he jumps on the next ship bound for America and has better luck there.
While there certainly is such a thing as "love at first sight," its application here doesn't perfectly work. Granted, the "pickings" for a mate in a small coastal town in mid 19th century England were probably slim, but Yanko's immediate need to win Amy's heart and marry her feels a bit forced. After all, she's the town outcast -- and while Yanko identifies with her social standing (he's essentially in the same situation) -- her emotional aloofness would surely frustrate any, and all, would-be suitors. Although that makes for good drama as he tries to be the catalyst to warm up her icy heart, it still feels forcibly constructed and not quite natural.
With that relationship never really getting off the ground, that leaves the friendship between Yanko and Dr. Kennedy to fill the void. Fortunately, the scenes with them together are the moments when the film does take off, and Ian McKellen (a Golden Globe nominee for 1995's "Richard III"), creates the film's most interesting and likable character. Exuding wisdom and intelligence in a time when the townspeople still worry about curses and such, McKellen finds himself inhabiting the best developed character the film has to offer and certainly stands out amongst the performances.
The rest of the actors deliver decent turns in their smaller roles, but aren't given much with which to work. For example, the normally flamboyant Kathy Bates (an Oscar winner for "Misery") feels underwritten and confined, while character actor Joss Ackland isn't given a great deal to do either. The rest of the performers have even smaller roles but certainly do fit in and look the part.
I imagine this film will polarize moviegoers. Some, looking for a heartfelt romantic drama, might fall in love with the characters and hope for the best, knowing full well that tragedy lurks around the corner. Conversely, other viewers will find that the film is too manipulative in trying to force those very qualities onto them. They'll groan and/or snicker when Amy, who habitually collects sea debris, looks at Yanko and tells him that he himself came from the sea. We fall somewhere in the middle of those two reactions. The film looks wonderful, is easy to watch, and competently works in the dramatic sense of telling a story, yet it failed to connect with me emotionally. For that reason, we give "Swept From The Sea" just a 5 out of 10.