Dead Man Stalking
Sasha Stone
corpse. And it certainly ain't Sharon Stone's nudity -- Isabelle Adjani
is plenty nude (that woman does not age). It's something that bobs in and
out at various times but never quite emerges completely: depth of
character. You wouldn't need it if the acting weren't first rate. You
could hide behind style. But here, the actors fill up the screen with so
much potential you end up longing for something deeper.
Isabelle Adjani steals the show in this campy thriller surrounding an
asshole husband (Chazz Palmintieri), his bitchy, heartless mistress
(Stone) and his scared, frigid ex-nun of a wife (Adjani). I can't
possibly spoil the fun by revealing any aspect of the plot but I will just
say what you already know from the trailer - two women plot to kill the
man that has been tormenting them for so long.
I admire the filmmakers for throwing us into a world sans exposition - we
are expected to draw our own conclusions, many things fly by unexplained.
I suspect that a second viewing might be far more enjoyable than the
first. Hitchock once said that he liked to give away the ending at the
beginning so the audience wasn't distracted by trying to guess what's
going to happen.
The thing most people will be talking about is Sharon Stone's brilliant
dialogue. She gets all the good lines and delivers them in typical Stone
fashion. But she misses a few now that her confidence level is off the
charts. Where most people would say Stone steals the show I would say she
is the weak link. Adjani's character is far more interesting. Had they
spent more time with Adjani and less time making it campy and funny,
DIABOLIQUE would have been great as opposed to just okay. Though lots and
lots of people will disagree with me on this, believe me.
Sharon Stone tries hard to (as James Woods would say about her) win every
scene she's in. And she would have had they not cast someone as talented
and compelling a Adjani. Adjani is, therefore, slightly out of place in
this film. But, in my opinion, the other players and the director ought
to have risen to her level instead of attempting to bring her down. It's
the difference between wanting to make a campy cult fave and a really
good, deeply involving drama.
Still, there are plenty of great lines, delivered by Stone. And Kathy
Bates brings to the film an earthy realism - kind of like Whoopie Goldberg
in THE PLAYER. There is some interesting filmmaking going on, some clever
shots that are, at times, breathtaking in their originality. Aside from
that, there isn't much to take home after the lights come up.
The lovely and talented Isabelle Adjani was already a legend on the French
stage before earning an Oscar nomination for her work in Truffaut's THE
STORY OF ADELE H. Since then she's acted in many films including
Polanski's THE TENANT, ISHTAR (!), CAMILLE CLAUDEL (another Oscar nom, I
think) and most recently in QUEEN MARGOT. She is easily one of the most
beautiful women in the world. And still looks the same as she did twenty
years ago. She's been linked to Warren Beatty and Daniel Day-Lewis (who
supposedly ran off with Julia Roberts while Adjani was giving birth).
Sasha
RRECOME
> Something is definitely missing from DIABOLIQUE and it ain't just the
> corpse. And it certainly ain't Sharon Stone's nudity -- Isabelle Adjani
> is plenty nude (that woman does not age). It's something that bobs in and
> out at various times but never quite emerges completely: depth of
> character. You wouldn't need it if the acting weren't first rate. You
> could hide behind style. But here, the actors fill up the screen with so
> much potential you end up longing for something deeper.
>
What's definitely missing are flashbacks of Adjani as a nun. You would
not believe how wildly my heart beat when the movie revealed that she
was an ex-nun. I usually hate flashbacks, but I was waiting and waiting
and waiting.
> Isabelle Adjani steals the show in this campy thriller surrounding an
> asshole husband (Chazz Palmintieri), his bitchy, heartless mistress
> (Stone) and his scared, frigid ex-nun of a wife (Adjani). I can't
> possibly spoil the fun by revealing any aspect of the plot but I will just
> say what you already know from the trailer - two women plot to kill the
> man that has been tormenting them for so long.
>
I didn't buy an ex-nun being frigid. Didn't buy it at all. Anyone who
spends a lot of time kneeling down can't be that frigid.
> I admire the filmmakers for throwing us into a world sans exposition - we
> are expected to draw our own conclusions, many things fly by unexplained.
> I suspect that a second viewing might be far more enjoyable than the
> first. Hitchock once said that he liked to give away the ending at the
> beginning so the audience wasn't distracted by trying to guess what's
> going to happen.
>
The slow *unveiling* of mystery could be just as much fun.
> The thing most people will be talking about is Sharon Stone's brilliant
> dialogue. She gets all the good lines and delivers them in typical Stone
> fashion. But she misses a few now that her confidence level is off the
> charts. Where most people would say Stone steals the show I would say she
> is the weak link. Adjani's character is far more interesting. Had they
> spent more time with Adjani and less time making it campy and funny,
> DIABOLIQUE would have been great as opposed to just okay. Though lots and
> lots of people will disagree with me on this, believe me.
>
Without the flashbacks, the movie's nun-interesting.
> Sharon Stone tries hard to (as James Woods would say about her) win every
> scene she's in. And she would have had they not cast someone as talented
> and compelling a Adjani. Adjani is, therefore, slightly out of place in
> this film. But, in my opinion, the other players and the director ought
> to have risen to her level instead of attempting to bring her down. It's
> the difference between wanting to make a campy cult fave and a really
> good, deeply involving drama.
>
Some habits are hard to break in Hollywood.
> Still, there are plenty of great lines, delivered by Stone. And Kathy
> Bates brings to the film an earthy realism - kind of like Whoopie Goldberg
> in THE PLAYER. There is some interesting filmmaking going on, some clever
> shots that are, at times, breathtaking in their originality. Aside from
> that, there isn't much to take home after the lights come up.
>
Well, I'm hoping they'll release the director's cut which might
include the flashbacks.
> The lovely and talented Isabelle Adjani was already a legend on the French
> stage before earning an Oscar nomination for her work in Truffaut's THE
> STORY OF ADELE H. Since then she's acted in many films including
> Polanski's THE TENANT, ISHTAR (!), CAMILLE CLAUDEL (another Oscar nom, I
> think) and most recently in QUEEN MARGOT. She is easily one of the most
> beautiful women in the world. And still looks the same as she did twenty
> years ago. She's been linked to Warren Beatty and Daniel Day-Lewis (who
> supposedly ran off with Julia Roberts while Adjani was giving birth).
>
> Sasha
>
>
Loved ADELE. Don't really remember THE TENANT. Didn't see CAMILLE.
Hated ISHTAR. QUEEN MARGOT stunk (literally).
Rolando