The Portrait of a Lady: Despite Flaws, the Best Movie of the Year

[Randall A. Byrn]

It's pretty unusual for the two leading roles in a film to be so
miscast and yet not ruin the movie in the process. One can imagine a
much better Portrait with replacements for Nicole Kidman and John
Malkovich...but in a rather spotty year, the audacious emotionalism
and the visual beauty of Jane Campion's film make it by far my
favorite of 1996. And this is coming from someone who was
underwhelmed by The Piano.

[Michael Barry]

Randall A. Byrn <rab...@haven.ios.com> wrote in article
<32dab54a...@news.idt.net>...

I just saw "The Piano" again - unintentionally - I was the projectionist -
and I really think that it's a bad joke of a film. I thought so when it was
released, too. Seeing it again just shows how it has already dated badly
and will most certianly be forgotten.

Michael Barry