"The Libertine"---What's the Point?

Cafe Society
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I just saw “The Libertine,” which stars Johnny Depp as John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, and John Malkovich as Charles II. Rochester was a notoriously bawdy poet in Charles’s court who was widely acclaimed for his verse. Pick up “The Oxford Book of 17th Century Verse” or similar collections today and you’ll find a number of his poems, surprising (to the modern reader) in their earthiness.

I was expecting (well, dreading) that this film would be a silly, bawdy romp through Restoration England—a kind of “Pirates of the Caribbean” in longer wigs. Instead, the movie has a much more serious tone. Lots of nudity and drinking and debauchery, as one would expect, but rarely played for laughs.

I thought the acting was good (when I wasn’t being distracted by Malkovich’s Cyrano-esque prosthetic nose), and the costuming looked fairly accurate. But I kept wondering as I was watching, “what’s the point of this movie?” The director must surely have one, else why would he go to the time and trouble of making a film?

Some possibilities:

–To introduce modern audiences to a colorful historical figure? The movie seemed too disjointed and the story too thin to succeed as biography.

–Meditations on the art and artifice of acting (a topic bound to appeal to Hollywood types)? The plot with the actress seemed to point to that, but in the end, it didn’t seem to carry the film. (“Stage Beauty” with Billy Crudup, set in the same era, did a far better job of that.)

–Celebration of the misunderstood artistic debauchee through history? The nods in the credits to Marlon Brando and Hunter S. Thompson suggested that. But surely for the movie to succeed on that front, it would need to generate some liking of, fascination with, or sympathy for the main character. It didn’t manage to elicit any of those emotions in me (and I’m a fan of both historical dramas and poetry). Wilmot just came across as an annoying, self-centered nihilist without much artistic vision.

And what, oh what, was the point of the business with the monkey?

I feel as though I’m missing something here. What’s your take on The Libertine?

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Haven’t seen it (theatre here hasn’t gotten it in), but for most people, its an excuse to watch Johnny Depp engage in said acts of debauchery. I don’t know, why did they make Quills? Not a particularly sympathetic set of characters there either.

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It got made because the producer, the director, and everyone else associated with the film thought it was interesting and worth a try. Filmmakers, like any other businessmen, take risks. The risks just didn’t pay off in this particular film.

Of course there are some movies that are pre-ordained for greatness with no risk of failure whatsoever. I’m thinking of one in particular that rhymes with “Rakes on a Train”. :smiley:

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I think the OP was wondering what they were thinking would be interesting about it.

I remember that one. There were those single guys trying pick up girls, and the train was an express. I think Claudette Colbert was in it.

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I’ll answer your question if you’ll tell me what movie rhymes with “Rakes on a Train” :dubious:

I can’t really speak about what they were thinking, though I think the bankability of Johnny (that’s Mr. Depp to you :)) is about the only thing that gave it even a snowball’s chance in Hell of being seen by the few who have seen it. Don’t get me wrong; I’m one of those few and I enjoyed it very much. But I didn’t even bother asking anyone to see it with me because it’s really not everyone’s cup of tea. Of course, I’d watch a movie featuring JD doing his taxes.

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saoirse’s tongue-in-cheek answer aside, this obviously refers to “Lakes on a Plain”, an exciting and highly anticipated documentary about Minnesota, expected to be released some time this summer.

:cool:

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Are you sure about that? I thought they were talking about Drakes in the Lane, the story about ducks that is the follow up to the hit March of the Penguins.

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No, the documentary is called Cakes on the Brain. It’s about some people’s obsession with tasty desserts.

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I thought it was that documentary about MacArthur Park, “Cakes in the Rain”.

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Are we sure it’s not Breaks on a Crane, the heart-breaking story of a runaway piece of construction equipment.

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:smack: Brakes :smack:

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Okay, yours is better.

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I’m a huge Johnny Depp fan, and I even wondered why they made this movie. After the soliloquy, I thought, “Oh man, no PotC, but at least there would be ample amounts of nudity.” Not really, there wasn’t. It was fairly amusing, but overall, I didn’t appreciate it. I don’t have a lot of sympathy for characters who are so recklessly brazen with their life, especially, if it’s not that entertaining.

Oh, and it’s “Makes in the Lane” a fictionalized docudrama about life on the basketball playground (sorry, that’s the best I could do on short notice).

To the other thread (too lazy to look post it – the Fark thread), this movie should be re-titled: “Smartass’s lascivious lifestyle catches up to him.”

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I’d watch any of those to avoid The Libertine again. I like obscure movies, but did not get that one. I thought the nudity was gratuitous. I will make my wife sit through Fakes Down the Drain, the story of an art forger who flushes his work when the cops knock on the door, to extract my vengence for the two hours I lost.

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I think WOOKINPANUB was referring to what is considered AVN’s 2006 favored nominee of best DP:

Jakes in a Jane

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I’m still trying to decide whether you’re referring to the movie about Gretzky’s battles with dandruff or the film about funeral customs in Kiev.

Flakes on a Wayne, or Wakes in Ukraine?

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Does not compute. :wink:

Oh, and WOOKINPANUB, the movie being discussed is actually the soon-to-be-released Steaks on Sinn Fein, which is the inspiring tale of how a backyard barbeque leads to the end of the Troubles.

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Not enough, however, to keep me awake. Did I miss anything good?

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Oh sweet, uh… snakes on a plane, I just got it :smack:

I’m Wookinpanub, and I’m stooooopid :stuck_out_tongue:

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Cakes in teh Rain sounds much more interesting than the Libertine. Can Johnny Depp stop having the same haircut (well I guess there was Charlie and the Chocoloate Factory)