Plot: What’s it about?
John Wilmot (Captain Jack Sparrow) is the second Earl of Rochester, who was exiled for a brief while by King Charles II (John Malkovich). He is known as a sex addict and indulges in rather unusual practices, but his friendship with Charles has often protected him. He is also a well known and even celebrated writer, whose work is highly sexual and covers deviant acts. His work shocked a culture used to centuries of puritan attitudes, but now, more tolerance is found in most places. In addition to his love of any woman who has a pulse, Wilmot has a deep love for the theatre. With prudish barriers being hewn down, the doors for creativity have opened and a flood of artistic endeavors is to be explored. At a play, Wilmot meets actress Elizabeth Barry (Samantha Morton) and is quite taken with her from the start. She proves to be a failure on stage, but Wilmot takes her in and mentors her, but while the relationship began as platonic, it wouldn’t remain in that state. Soon Charles II requests a play from Wilmot, who delivers his most controversial work yet. The backlash forces him into hiding and soon, he finds himself in a vicious downward spiral. But even as fear and disease ravage his body, what will become of Wilmot and his newest playmate?
If it looks like a good movie and has a good cast like a good movie, it has to be a good movie, right? In the case of The Libertine, the answer is no. I wanted to like this movie, as I am intrigued by films about sexual dysfunction and the consequences therein. And as this story takes to into the depths of ruin, at least according to the case, my attention was captured. In addition, we have Captain Jack Sparrow in a lead role and behind him, talented folks like Samantha Morton and John Malkovich. As expected, all three seem in fine form and they do their best to elevate the film’s lower points. As well as they perform, especially when Malkovich and Sparrow interact, it simply isn’t enough. While a good cast can sometimes overcome mediocre material, that isn’t always the case and here, even a very skilled trio of leads can’t keep the film above water. The Libertine is not a bad movie, but it isn’t that good either. The performances distract us from the lesser aspects, as does the production design, which is lavish and well done. I suppose I wouldn’t be as disappointed if there wasn’t good potential here, but this could have been a good movie. If you’re a fan of period dramas however, there are some things to like, so a rental wouldn’t be a total waste.
Video: How does it look?
The Libertine is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The visual design here is deliberate and some might judge this to be a poor transfer due to that. The image is harsh, dark, and the colors are muted to a great degree, but such is the intention. The brighter end of colors has been snuffed out, leaving us with browns and deeper hues of the spectrum, with a very earthy and gritty design. The contrast is good, but there seems to be intentional grain present and that impacts the black levels. Not to a great degree, but enough to notice, though again, I believe this to be intentional. In the end, while the overall visual effort here seems off, I have to assume this is how the film was designed to look.
Audio: How does it sound?
While it is reasonable to assume the visuals were meant to have a less than pristine presence, I doubt the same can be said for the soundtrack. The problem with the included Dolby Digital 5.1 option is that dialogue is very low, to the point where volume adjustments need to be made. Even if you turn up the volume however, you still might have trouble in a few places. I have no idea why the dialogue is mixed in this fashion, but it can make some scenes difficult to understand. Outside of the vocals, the soundtrack performs well enough, with rich music and well placed sound effects. While there is only really one flaw here, it is a big one and as such, I had to knock the score down to compensate. This disc also includes subtitles in English and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Laurence Dunmore provides his comments over the feature and while dry at times, he offers a lot of insight and information. Of course, he wastes a lot of time gushing his love for Captain Jack Sparrow, but he also spends time on the production design and insightful discussions of the characters. This is not a brisk session, but it is worth a listen if you want to learn more about what went into the movie. This disc also includes a brief featurette, some deleted scenes, and the film’s theatrical trailer.
