Review: Colin Farrell and Winters Tale unabashedly romantic BY KENNETH TURAN, Los Angeles Times Film Critic February 13, 2014, 6:15 p.m. Winters Tale is so obviously a passion project, so much a labor of love for industry veteran Akiva Goldsman, that youd like to be able to say its a complete success. It isnt, but the parts that do succeed, especially the fervor between stars Colin Farrell and Jessica Brown Findlay, provide such lush, emotional magic that unabashed romantics will be pleased. Co-produced, written and directed by Goldsman, Winters Tale has been drastically pared from Mark Helprins nearly 700-page 1983 literary blockbuster. That novel is so complex and massive the films story of love as a miracle that can save us all feels as much suggested by characters and themes of the original as it does an adaptation. !! Though hes recently done directing on televisions The Fringe, Goldsman is best known as a screenwriter on projects such as The Da Vinci Code, Cinderella Man and his Oscar-winning work on A Beautiful Mind, credits that indicate he has never been shy about taking on emotional situations. !! * !! That tendency was given a terrible wrench when Goldsmans wife died suddenly of a heart attack while he was working on this script. When he was able to return to writing, Goldsman told The Times Glenn Whipp, the book suddenly went from something I loved to the only thing that mattered, and he decided to direct the material as well. !! !! Before the romance fully takes hold, Winters Tale lets us know that its set in a kind of alternate-universe New York, a world much like our own but one where magic and the supernatural are factors and the clash between good and evil is fought out one life at a time. !! Setting up this universes rules is one of Winters Tales weaker points: There is so much to tell us that its hard to take it all in. Suffice it to say that in this world helpful spirit animals magically appear, individuals have a shot at ascending to the heavens and becoming stars when they die, and the devil and his demons take human form, so much the better to stop miracles that are victories for the other side. !! Love, it will come as no surprise, is the biggest wonder of all. The key piece of information Winters Tale insists on is that inside each of us is a miracle, a miracle intended for one person alone. The good forces in the universe try to aid this process, the evil ones to stop it in its tracks. !! * Winters Tale visits this world in three years — 1895, 1916 and 2014 — and thanks to Caleb Deschanels gorgeous cinematography, one of the films strengths, it looks luminous and magical at all times. After a brief prologue, we meet protagonist Peter Lake (Farrell) in 1916. Hes a master thief on the run from former boss Pearly Soames, head of the Short Tails Gang, who is so unhappy with Peter going out on his own he wants to kill him. Seriously overplayed by Russell Crowe (another of the films problems), Pearly is not just a vengeful gangster, hes a full-fledged demon in league with the devil himself, bound and determined to keep those personal miracles from happening. Making things difficult for Pearly is Athansor, an honest-to-god flying horse who happens to be Peters helpful spirit guide. This gorgeous animal, played by an all-white Andalusian named Listo, elevates every scene hes in, both literally and metaphorically. Its Athansor who leads Peter to Beverly Penn (Downton Abbeys Brown Findlay), a wealthy newspaper magnates daughter who just happens to be a) drop-dead gorgeous and b) burning up with an advanced case of consumption that threatens to end her life at any moment. What, Peter says to Athansor, have you gotten me into? * Say what you will about the rest of Winters Tale (and people will), there is real magic between Brown Findlay and Farrell in their scenes together, which the films carefully crafted atmospheric visuals do their best to capture and enhance. This is shamelessly romantic, ultra-sentimental material, so anyone yearning for something reminiscent of Lars von Trier or Quentin Tarantino had best look elsewhere. Once Winters Tales convoluted plot leaves this couple and goes down other paths, much of the magic leaves with it. Though Eva Marie Saint has a lovely cameo, many of the other actors, including Crowe, Jennifer Connelly and William Hurt as Beverlys father, dont seem to have a firm grasp on their parts or where they fit into this winding saga. Because it is fearlessly sincere and not totally successful, Winters Tale is easy to mock. But it is also hard not to admire its willingness to go all out in its quest for the grandest of romantic gestures. Magic like that is hard to come by, both on screen and off.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Feb 2014 14:23:27 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015