This is an unwieldy novel from which to make a film, but the writer manages a worthy adaptation that delivers the rich characterization of the novel in a faster paced and beautiful film.
Sean Bean shines as Lovelace, the prototypical villain of British fiction. Bean captures Lovelace's ability with language and his talent to deceive while appearing sincere. Just as in the book, we want to believe in his repentance, and Sean Bean manages to make us root for him, even though we know that Lovelace is a villain.
That said, Saskia Wickham does a fantastic job with the admittedly less exciting role of Clarissa. The novel needs the two to balance out, and Wickham holds her own, even in scenes where Clarissa is self-loathing and potentially unsympathetic.
I wonder about the two siblings: I never had the sense that they were incestuous in the novel, but the film gives the impression that their unnatural behavior extends beyond simple greed and envy. It worked for me. Similarly, Shirley Henderson steals scenes as the envious, nasty prostitute.
I didn't find the actual rape scene as in-character as in the novel, but, otherwise, this is a wonderful and thought-provoking adaptation.
Sean Bean shines as Lovelace, the prototypical villain of British fiction. Bean captures Lovelace's ability with language and his talent to deceive while appearing sincere. Just as in the book, we want to believe in his repentance, and Sean Bean manages to make us root for him, even though we know that Lovelace is a villain.
That said, Saskia Wickham does a fantastic job with the admittedly less exciting role of Clarissa. The novel needs the two to balance out, and Wickham holds her own, even in scenes where Clarissa is self-loathing and potentially unsympathetic.
I wonder about the two siblings: I never had the sense that they were incestuous in the novel, but the film gives the impression that their unnatural behavior extends beyond simple greed and envy. It worked for me. Similarly, Shirley Henderson steals scenes as the envious, nasty prostitute.
I didn't find the actual rape scene as in-character as in the novel, but, otherwise, this is a wonderful and thought-provoking adaptation.