Love In The Time Of Cholera
Reviewer: Tom Leins
Issue 103 May 2008
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Javier Bardem gets love sick!
The Lowdown: As a young man in 19th century Colombia, Florentino Ariza falls in love with a beautiful woman named Fermina. However, the romance is doomed due to circumstances beyond their control, and Fermina is wooed by Doctor Juvenal Urbino. Unperturbed, Florentino spends the next 50 years trying to woo her back!
Review: Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s celebrated 1985 novel is one of the most seductive, best-loved novels in recent memory, and critics have long considered its generation-spanning tale of unrequited love un-filmable. However, Four Weddings and a Funeral director Mike Newell thought otherwise and set about wrestling the book into shape with the help of The Pianist screenwriter Ronald Harwood. Sadly, in condensing the novel’s scope into a workable movie they have come up with something that seemingly prizes melodrama above magical realism… In fairness the movie looks lovely, but it’s the saccharine-drenched script that holds things back.
The performances also lapse into decidedly hammy territory with a few too many dodgy accents for comfort. Javier Bardem, who brought a magnetic intensity to the maniacal role of Anton in No Country For Old Men, seems ill at ease in Love In The Time Of Cholera. Although his chameleonic skill in portraying Florentino from young manhood through to old age is undeniably impressive, there is something self-conscious about it, meaning that you never fully connect with the character.
The selection of special features is fairly standard, but all of them have their merits. The half-hour documentary and Mike Newell’s audio commentary are both reasonably informative, and the deleted scenes (accompanied by commentary from editor Mick Audsley) will appeal to fans of the book looking for a little bit more.
All in all, Love In The Time Of Cholera is an impeccably crafted period piece that oozes exoticism. Sadly, the heart beneath the lush exterior beats too weakly for its own good.
FILM: 6 EXTRAS: 6
DVD Info:
US Certificate: R
Starring: Javier Bardem, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Benjamin Bratt, John Leguizamo
Directed By: Mike Newell, 2007
Distributor: New Line
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Visuals: 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Running Time: 129mins
Price: £16.99
Special Features:
Scene Selection
Audio Commentary With Director Mike Newell
Alternate/Deleted Scenes With Optional Audio Commentary From Editor Mick Audsley
‘The Making Of Love In The Time Of Cholera’ Documentary
Theatrical Trailer
