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Proposition (1998)
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by Polygram USA Video
Sales Rank: 12826
Price: $14.95
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This film is a deep moral more than social drama, in spite of the emphasis set on the social surroundings of the situation. It has nothing to do with the high class circumstances of the protagonists. It has all to do with their Christian conscience and then with their souls, or what they believe to be their soul. What can a rich man do if he is sterile and his wife wants a child. In the 1930s that was a real problem. What happens if another man is used to satisfy the woman ? Blackmail of course and death. The problem is who caused that death not what ? What happens if some nephew appears under a catholic cassock and realizes the wish of the woman ? Old family feuds are revived and amplified. What happens if the mother dies just before delivering twins? The drama thickens and the plot sickens too. A necessary agreement between the uncle and the nephew, a gentleman's agreement, a biblical agreement in which the mother is more important than the father and hence the filiation of the children goes through the mother to the husband, that is all. At this moment it is poignant. And it starts when the husband dies in his turn : what can happen then for the children and for the real father ? Nothing. The priest has had time to understand his faith has to be cultivated in humility and silence not blood and bloodlines, and the children would be destroyed if they learned the truth and the lie they have been raised and fed on. And so goes the world, sad and sinister, bleak and hopeless. It is all a lie because it is all a sham, a fake appearance. And appearances have to be saved above all other considerations. <br /> <br />Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Université Paris Dauphine, Université Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne <br />
Viewer Reviews
Rick Ramage has written a nice and tidy little screenplay in THE PROPOSITION. Much like his other works in STIGMATA and HAUNTED, again the Roman Catholic Church plays a significant role in the unfolding of unusual and sometimes quite comical events in the lives of the wealthy Arthur and Eleanor Barret and a certain Roger Martin and Father Michael McKinnan.These four unlikely characters mix in a pre WW2 triste that includes God,lust and murder.Throw in the mysterious housekeeper and you have a quite interesting scenario that at times plays like a daytime soap opera, at times like a French farce and at times like a murder mystery.
Ramage has well defined characters and the five principle actors, William Hurt,Madeleine Stowe,Neil Patrick Harris,Kenneth Branagh and Blythe Danner do their utmost to infuse pathos,comedy and melodrama.What is odd about this screenplay is that it refuses to identify itself in specifically any genre which may add to a mixed-emotion reaction from some who need strict guidelines and tied up ends.Ramage asks some very interesting questions about morality,faith,intentions and forgiveness against a backdrop of feminist repression in 1935 Boston.
This film is actually quite a delightful surprise simply due to the different subject matter.The film is beautifully shot, acted and conceived.THE PROPOSITION has a lingering effect that is not easily forgotten. Really a first rate job by all involved.4 and 1/2 stars****.
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Proposition (1998)
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