Besieged Review
by Jon Popick (mailbot AT sick-boy DOT com)June 13th, 1999
PLANET SICK-BOY: http://www.sick-boy.com
Upon viewing Bernardo Bertolucci’s last film, Stealing Beauty, I figured him for a dirty old man. The tight crotch shot on Liv Tyler as the opening credits rolled and, later, Tyler on all fours licking a mirror at the request of Jeremy Irons were both dead giveaways. But it turns out that with his latest picture, Bertolucci proves that he is a bore as well as a pervert.
Beseiged (it was actually called The Siege until the Bruce Willis dud hit theaters first) features a story simpler than can be found in any bad American soap opera: A wealthy white guy falls for his black maid who can’t reciprocate his feelings because she’s married to a political prisoner. That’s it.
The white guy is Jason Kinsky (David Thewlis, Seven Years in Tibet), the owner of the palatial Roman home cared for by Shandurai (Thandie Newton, Beloved). He sits at home all day and plays the piano, while she prefers the music of the native land that she has fled. That’s it.
The two hardly share words, let alone anything in common. On the plus side, Bertolucci does effectively use the home’s dumbwaiter, symbolizing the social distance between Jason and Shandurai, who performs her duties in order to put herself through medical school. And there are some great shots involving the giant spiral staircase in the massive dwelling, warmly shot by cinematographer Fabio Cianchetti. But that’s it.
Hey, at least it’s not too long. (1:30 – R for nudity, mild violence, adult situations and language)
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