St. Ives

This is a lighthearted, colorful romp set in an interesting historical time period....the final years of Napoleon's reign. Lively performances by all the principals, in particular Miranda Richardson's naughty but nice, "liberated" bon vivant and the wonderful comic touches of Richard Grant's character (cracked me up several times, especially the wedding scene) which contribute significantly to its overall success. Stunning, vibrant color...those British redcoats never looked so red, Flora's buttercup yellow dress, a vision. Next, I read the book and meet Robert Louis Stevenson's characters all over again.

straightforward adventure that doesn't veer too far into comedy (though it is funny) or action (though it is exciting). actors are appealing, pace is well-set, and the picture looks gorgeous. you'll be entertained, but the movie does not make a very deep impression.

the atmosphere is the first motif to see it. and the performances. and the story. and, not the last, the flavor, well known, of a sweet - bitter old fashion comedy. a film about war, friendship and love. and the best actors for translate on the screen a story of R.L. Stevenson who becomes special. at the first sigh, an easy film. mix of history, adventure and a great job of Robert Grant. in fact, an oasis. one of the most necessary. for redefine the small, significant small things.

ST. IVES

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Sound format: Dolby Stereo

Loosely based on an unfinished work by Robert Louis Stevenson, this light-hearted romp through 19th century Europe attends the fortunes of a dashing French hussar (Jean-Marc Barr, the ineffably beautiful star of THE BIG BLUE, and a regular in the films of Lars von Trier) as he wines and wenches his way through the Napoleonic wars before being captured by the enemy and interned in a Scottish prison camp. There, he's befriended by a sympathetic warder (Richard E. Grant) who recognizes his status as a 'gentleman', and is helped to escape by a romantic young noblewoman (Anna Friel) and her idiosyncratic aunt (Miranda Richardson). Eventually, Barr stumbles on the scattered remnants of his long-lost family (Michael Gough is the benevolent grandfather, while Jason Isaacs plays the younger brother who would rather see Barr dead than share his inheritance), and is pursued across the English Channel by those who would either worship or destroy him.

Director Harry Hook (LORD OF THE FLIES) plays things low-key for the most part, which means this swashbuckling comic adventure isn't nearly as swashbuckling, comic or adventurous as Allan Cubitt's witty script suggests, but the period settings are a treat and the characters are nicely underplayed by a game cast (Barr is proud and genial, while Grant and Richardson steal the show as, respectively, an incompetent fop and a worldly woman who cultivate a boiling passion for one another, despite their strict adherence to the rules of etiquette, leading to some of the film's most hilarious sequences). Perhaps too restrained for its own good, the movie strikes a diplomatic balance between humor and drama, but there's enough of both to satisfy casual viewers and hard-boiled movie fans alike. Also known as ALL FOR LOVE.

I found this film to be quite an oddity. From the very get go I found it extremely hard to like this movie, and now after a little thinking about it I can pretty much pinpoint the reason why. Jean-Marc Barr, although I love him to bits (I think Zentropa is one of the best movies ever made) is quite miscast here, and although I can't figure for the life of me who would be better, I am sure someone could have taken his place quite easily and make this film work. Everything else is fine, except for the stabs at weak comedy (A Meet The Parents Joke is not really needed, filmmakers!) and I really like Richard E. Grant as the British Major. It just suffers from one thing.. Jean-Marc.