Le fantôme de Sarah Williams

Fielding Pierce (Billy Crudup) has one ambition: to be President of the United States. His entire life is planned out to reach that goal. Only he didn't plan on Sarah (Jennifer Connelly). Sarah is a free spirited, radical human rights advocate. We meet them on the day she dies and then flash back to the inception of their relationship in 1972. He is The Establishment personified. She is an iconoclast. Two philosophies more incompatible could not possibly exist, but despite everything, they fall in love.

The story then fast-forwards to Fielding's campaign for the House of Representatives ten years after Sarah's death. It is at this time that Fielding becomes obsessed with Sarah's ghost. He believes he is seeing her everywhere and that he is surely losing his mind. He begins to question his own philosophies and begins to lose his will to win the election.

The film is an engrossing character study of two very fascinating people cut of completely different cloth. The non-linear approach used by Director Keith Gordon was both a blessing and a curse. Sometimes it provided important character development and motivation and at others, it jumped back and forth for no good reason. This often made the film seem disjointed and hard to follow. Gordon's direction was only fair, though he delivered accurate period renderings especially of the 1970's. There were too many instances of unnecessary stylizing. For instance, there was excessive use of monologue jump cuts, where he cut from the speaker saying one thing to the same speaker in the same spot saying something else. He used it so often that it looked like bad editing.

In addition, Gordon tended to focus on the schmaltzy romantic angle and downplayed the far more interesting philosophical tension. He did give us some dialectic, but generally cut away when the philosophical fireworks were just getting started. He also kept treading over the same ground in different ways. This made the story drag.

The acting by both leads was terrific. This film brings Billy Crudup and Jennifer Connelly together again, both having appeared in `Inventing the Abbotts'. Crudup was extremely impressive as the tormented politician. This was an exquisitely complex character and Crudup flexed the role to the max. Connelly was a bit more uneven in her role, sometimes playing the role with great force, but at others with a mousy self-consciousness that was inconsistent with the character. Still, she gave Sarah great depth as both a lover and a crusader, and a convincing passion for her beliefs.

This is an absorbing but slow moving romance that is a bit heavy handed, but nonetheless interesting. I rated it a 7/10. It showcases good performances by two young actors we will surely hear from again. Not recommended for impatient viewers.

I cannot recommend this film strongly enough. This story celebrates the timelessness of love without cynicism or irony. It portrays a relationship in all its many forms: moments of joy, frustration, passion, tenderness, tragedy, and even a bit of insanity. Fielding Pierce and Sarah Williams are the two politically-minded lovers. While they share very similar political goals, their means of achieving those goals are vastly different. Fielding is the ambitious golden boy, campaigning through the political machine in an effort to affect change by working within the established system. Sarah is the rebel outsider, who believes real change will never be accomplished within a corrupt system, leaving political revolution as the only alternative. The film never passes judgement on which is the nobler or the more effective method. Rather, it chooses to portray Fielding and Sarah as two people whose love for what they believe in is second only to the love they have for each other.

Fielding Pierce is perhaps one of the greatest fictional characters ever created. I have read the novel on which this movie is based and can safely say that I would name my kid Fielding if the name wasn't so pretentious sounding. Fielding Pierce is passionate, intelligent, and honest. He possesses a sense of integrity that, unfortunately, is not very common in a world that becomes more apathetic with each day that passes. I relate to Fielding because, like him, I stand poised and ready to enter a career that I love, but at the same time resent and hate for much of what it represents. Billy Crudup proves himself to be in the same category as Edward Norton, Joaquin Phoenix and Leonardo Dicaprio as one of the greatest actors of his generation. Every time I watch "Waking the Dead", I find myself more moved by Crudup's passionate performance. I didn't think anyone could honestly portray Scott Spencer's amazing character, but Crudup embodies Fielding, heart and soul.

The ability of 'Waking The Dead' to polarize critical opinion is the best indication of how powerful this film really is. In short, you either love it or hate it. I LOVED IT!

Yes, the story of an up and coming politician falling in love with a beautiful, left-wing activist is a bit trite but no more so than the 70's in which they shared their life together were naive, idealistic and a necessary part of the evolution of American social conscience.

I thought the performance by Jennifer Connelly as 'Sara' was astounding. Her ability to convey the sentiment of her beliefs in anger and love is nothing short of inspiring. If you're not in love with Sara by the end of this movie, you should check into the Emergency ward of your local hospital because there's no heart in your chest or warm blood flowing in your veins.

Billy Crudup's performance as 'Fielding' could be interpreted as "flat" only to those who would say that life imitates art and not the other way around. I found Crudup's acting highly believable for the character he was portraying. I know lots of extremely intense people who hide behind a facade of calm out of necessity. Where he needed to be good, he was exceptional. Case in point, during his celebration dinner with family after winning the election, his declaration of his burgeoning insanity is extremely convincing and frightful.

Aside of great individual performances, the overall chemistry between Sara and Fielding was tangible, necessary and believable, as this is a story about love and why true love is endless. The editing, jumping between the present and the past, helped to make the point that we all have the power to change the world through the people we come into contact with and in this way we're all eternal, all powerful. To top it off, the haunting presence that was Sara after she was presumably killed, lends an element of mystery and hope in a metaphysical and real way, to a movie that could have been just another, too sweet love story in the hands of lesser director.

Though Waking The Dead has its flaws, they're too few to dwell on. I've watched it now three times and every time I appreciate it more than the last. I suggest its detractors do the same before making hasty negative assessments.

Currently showing on cable this movie is sensational. A young want to be politician apparently loses the love of his life, and the film centres on that love and his grief. Rarely can such emotions have been more compellingly and brilliantly portrayed on film.It is thought provoking and often scary too. There is a superb screenplay and all the performers are excellent. Anyone who has every loved another will know that you see that love wherever you go; and the lead actor's portrayal of that emotion is at genius level.The most emotionally charged scene is at the restaurant of the election results are known, and I for one cannot recall any movie where a particular scene is so intensely sensitive or almost uncomfortably realistic.For quiet and justifiably restrained but wonderful adult entertainment, this is the best film I have seen in years. 10 out of 10.