Close My Eyes.
Alex O'Donnell
campaign for it back when it was a new release. The trailers made
this look like a 1930's/40's Brideshead wannabe. Watching the film
itself we are given a classic love triangle in London and the home
counties of the early 90's. The side story involving Canary Wharf is
interesing,as is the early UK AIDS incidental story. The main focus
is in a love triangle, Alan Rickman as the boring, rich husband and
Clive Owen as the good looking, younger brother who brings relief to
Saskia Reeves sex life.
Typical of Film Four we are treated to rich backgrounds, and few
studio scenes. We are treated to a challenging romance, incest not
being popular in film. We do get to see a few bums too.
The story was well written, though the accelerated chronology at the
beginning was a bit befuddling. The characters are novel, Rickmans
role is the patient husband holding it all together, though we all see
a veiled menace in him, as is often his way.
Clive Owen, in his youthful prime managed to play a credible gad about
town, and his sudden fidelity to his forbidden lover actually suited
well. For those who are curious, he had no full frontal nude scenes.
About the architecture, we spend an even amount of time between Canary
Wharf and other modern London locations, CO's office is in a converted
warehouse, and he seems to have a mews flat. We spend time in an
opulent Victorian Gothic house in the home counties, and a rich
apartment house in London, the room looking out onto a tiled light
well which has almost Venetian architecture, adding a European
sentiment to the bitter love scenes.
While our eyes are treated well our ears also encounter a good
script. I cannot remember the music, the opening tune had great
merit, the rest was lost in the total image.