The Line of Beauty
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DVD details
Actor: Alice Krige, Dan Steven, Hayley Atwell, Oliver Coleman, Tim McinnernyBrand: WHV
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: Unknown
Running Time: 180 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-10-17
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Model: E2673
Studio: BBC Worldwide
Product features:
- Adapted by award-winning writer Andrew Davies from Alan Hollinghurst's Booker Prize-winning novel, this three-part saga is set during the Thatcherite 1980s. A story of love,, sex and money, The Line of Beauty crawls deep under the skin of Thatcher's Britain, seen through the eyes and experiences of a young, gay man, from the euphoria of falling in love to the tragedy of AIDS. Framed by the two gen
DVD Reviews of The Line of Beauty
DVD Review: A Life Perpetual Wandering
Summary: 5 Stars
June 24, 2008 (original review, with minor edit)
There is much to learn from UK's treatment of homosexuality in films. The subtle detail of realism is often absent in American version of the gay cinema. The story does not insult viewer's intelligence with some self-pity fest or wrap things up in an unbelievable Hollywood ending.
The undertone of the story is rather grim, much like Breakfast on Pluto. The future is viewed as bleak and hopeless. The way it unfolds is like Maurice, so it's not really for people with short attention span. Fortunately, the story is divided into three episodes, and can be viewed more or less independently. The story can sink one's heart rather deep, so be forewarned.
The main character is called Nick Guest. Like his surname suggests, he could not find a place where he belonged. The way I see it, he is this paradigm figure that represents every gay man. He had fun, had made a career, while it lasted.... He thought he had love and friendship, but everything was but a grand illusion. After that, he moved on again, with uncertainty.
The very last spoken line wrapped up everything.... When Nick decided to move on and move out of the house he had made it home for the last four years, he had a little chat with Elena,. He amusingly recalled he had mistaken the maid as the mistress of the house. Elena, with a smiling indifference, said something like, "You know when you first came..., I thought to myself, you were no good." To me, that is the line that hurts the most; an in-your-face denial of the familial connection.
The film captures the essence of what is like to be gay very well (from a soul-searching perspective). It's not without flaw, however. I was quite baffled at how Nick could flip from sexually-inexperienced to someone who engaged public sex with a stranger. He also seemed to know how to do it (from behind) at his first try....
In any case, it's a good gay film that deserves to be called a drama (and not to be mistaken as a "drama" ;-)). Whole-heartily recommended, but please watch it when you're not already too depressed.
* * *
August 14, 2009 (update)
It's been a year since I first watched "The Line of Beauty." The story haunted me in a heart-sinking but beautiful way. A romantic notion, I guess. I noticed the screen writer this time. What a surprise, my favorite, Mr. Andrew Davies! No wonder the treatment is so sublime and simply beautiful. For those who aren't veterans of BBC dramas, Andrew Davies is responsible for many successes of classics novel adaptions such as 1995 version of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (with Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle), and 2005 version of Charles Dickens's Bleak House (with Gillian Anderson). He seems to have a great touch to turn everything into gold (except for one, but that's only my opinion).
Anyways, here is what I think after the second screening. The story remained more or less the same of how I remembered. However, I found out there are more sex scenes than I first awared. Don't know how that happened. Maybe I was so focused on the story, my mind skipped them, despite they were rather daring acts. Some people who reviewed the original novel mentioned they were offended by the number of sexual elements. The original novel, The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst, is 2004's Booker Prize winner, by the way.
If you think my original review is a little muddy, well, I am not going to change that. However, I do want to explain what I think about Nick's character, which many people neither understand nor could relate to (I don't remember who said it's okay for the reader not able to relate to his character, because that means the character is refreshing). He did not suck up the family for his own benefit. He was accused of doing so by Gerald, when his political career went kaboom. Imagine yourself in Nick's shoes. His position in society was grossly under that of the rest of the family. He had to be tactful and be diplomatic.
That brings up an interesting observation. For those who have watched The Talented Mr. Ripley, you might remember Tom Ripley did a gig as a classical pianist, but Dickie liked jazz. Nick Guest also played a Mozart to Catherine, probably that's what he thought a grand family like hers would do, but Catherine thought it was like a funeral or something so she played some punk rock on the radio. Subconsciously, people do that sort of things. But some reviewers of the novel or DVD did get frustrated and called it sucking up to the high society. If that's the case, then they are just as bad as Gerald, and totally missed the point why it was such a tragic event for Nick.
I'm going to use another example, this time with Mansfield Park. I'm not entirely sure if it's in the novel (I'm not that far into it yet, but I am reading it), but in the movie version Fanny was caught between two worlds. She was born in an under-privileged household, but brought up in a high-society. She was constantly reminded that she was below everyone else in the rich household. When she decided to retreat to her blood family, figured she would be treated as equal, but ironically everyone thought she was too grand a lady. That's Nick. He is a guy, obviously, but I mean it doesn't matter where he goes, he is not received properly.
So... to my fellow Americans, yes, you DO understand class system. I had strangers decided to talk to me in big words when they were obviously not comfortable using it. Perhaps I should be flattered that they thought of me as a grand lady (though I am neither). The effect of education, I suppose. ;-D (yes, that's from Rozema's version of Mansfield Park featuring Frances O'Connor) (*ponders a bit then laughs at his own remark*)
In the last of the three-part mini-series, you can tell Nick was genuinely absorbed into the way of this strangely dysfunctional family, which had a value very different from his own. People do get comfortable in a place, especially when one treats it like their home already. What did he get at the end? These people who he spent four years, lived, laughed, endured crisis(eseseses) with, just HAD to hurt him, only because he was gay. Mr. Nick Guest, where do you beautifully belong?
Description of The Line of Beauty
Synopsis:Item Type: DVD Movie
Item Rating: NR
Street Date: 10/17/06
Wide Screen: no
Director Cut: no
Special Edition: no
LanguageENGLISH
Foreign Film: no
Subtitlesno
Dubbed: no
Full Frame: no
Re-Release: no
Packaging: Sleeve Please note: This supplier will be closed on 11/24, 11/25, 12/26, 1/2 for the holidays. The shipping cut off is 12/10 to try and have the products delivered by Christmas.
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