Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
Directors: Julien Landais, Defiant Screen Entertainment.
Cast: Vanessa Redgrave, Joely Richardson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers.
Based on Henry James’s 1888 novella, this compelling period drama tells of Morton Vint (Rhys Meyers), a motivated American editor fixated with the famous late romantic poet Jeffrey Aspern.
Determined to obtain the letters Aspern wrote to his lover and muse Julianna Bourdereau (Redgrave, Julia, Isadora, The Bostonians) years earlier, the editor makes his way to Venice. There he meets the now-elderly recluse Juliana and her middle-aged, unwed niece Tina (Richardson, 101 Dalmatians, The Patriot, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) in their grand but dilapidated palazzo. Neither woman ventures out, but Vint burrows into their lives. Assuming a false identity and initially concealing his true intentions, the editor patiently plots to get his hands on the papers, which he regards as holy relics.
However, as he persuades Tina to help him, he is confronted with a condition that will put his entire quest at risk. An interesting fact is Richardson is, in fact, Redgrave’s real-life daughter.
Executive-produced by James Ivory, this absorbing interpretation of a classic story features exceptional performances from the entire cast, with a brooding Rhys Meyers complementing Richardson’s steely yet fragile Miss Tina. Redgrave is a standout, capturing the madness of Juliana who is desperate to protect her private life, and stands as a warning call against the cult of celebrity.
Can you name the film for which Vanessa Redgrave received an Academy Award? If your answer is correct, then you could be one of our three DVDs winners of The Aspern Papers. Entries should be sent to [email protected] by Monday, 17 February 2020. Names of the winners will be announced in Frank Cassidy’s PS-sssst…! column on 18 February 2020.
