When an African dictator jails her husband, Shandurai goes into exile in Italy, studying medicine and keeping house for Mr. Kinsky, an eccentric English pianist and composer. She lives in one room of his Roman palazzo. He besieges her with flowers, gifts, and music, declaring passionately that he loves her, would go to Africa with her, would do anything for her. "What do you know of Africa?," she asks, then, in anguish, shouts, "Get my husband out of jail!" The rest of the film plays out the implications of this scene and leaves Shandurai with a choice.
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Reviews
This film showed the power of true love, and the realization of someones love for you. If you ever have a pianist who falls in love with you so much that he will help free your husban from political prison be happy you are that loved. I loved David Thewlis in this movie. He had a sensative side in which I fell in love with. The moment I saw this movie I had another English man to add on to my short list of Sensual Englishmen. A fine gentleman, a changing woman, and a love deeper and kinder than any one could dream for this movie is a keeper.
I fail to understand where all these 8, 9 & 10 votes come from... the film is more concerned with cinematography than telling a story. OK it was beautifully done, but there was nothing in the story that couldn't have been told in half the time - and then used the other half to fill us in on the background and the results (did he pay for it?, did she go back to him?).As it stands, the most memorable thing about the film is the introductory sequence featuring that wonderful music, from-the-bones singing and later on the wonderful facial contortions from John C. Ojwang.5/10
Besieged(1998) is a disappointing love story that fails to gain any momentum. The director did much impressive films in the 1970s with The Conformist(1970), Last Tango in Paris(1972), and 1900(1976). The direction is very stale. I wished that the director had done this movie with the same daring apporach he used on Last Tango in Paris(1972). Thandie Newton does alright in the lead role. David Thewis comes close to matching the emotional performance of Marlon Brando in LTIP. The love scenes are tame and without any physical or emotional involvement. Besieged(1998) is indictative of the decade of the 1990s when the style of daring filmmaking is out and the style of making films to please people is in.
Bertolucci's lush photography is mirrored by the velvety performances of the two co-stars. There's nothing fancy here. The lighting, camera angles, and other directorial touches support and do not supplant a simple story of two people whose generosity prompts them to take important actions independently. It is Thandie Newton's movie all the way (for that matter, so was "Flirting" almost ten years ago, and she is grown up now, yet with still that wistful, girlish smile). But David Thewlis is quirky enouhg to be believable. The fairy tale works. Bravo, Bernardo!
