THE TRIUMPH OF LOVE
Directed by: Clare Peploe.
Produced by: Bernardo Bertolucci.
Written by: Peploe, Marilyn Goldin, Bertolucci, based on the play by Pierre de Marivaux.
Director of Photography: Fabio Cianchetti.
Edited by: Jacopo Quadri.
Music by: Jason Osborn.
Released by: Paramount.
Country of Origin:UK/Italy. 112 min. Rated: PG-13.
With: Mira Sorvino, Ben Kingsley & Fiona Shaw.
DVD Features: English subtitles. Widescreen.

This sensuous and gorgeously filmed adaptation of French playwright Pierre Marivaux’s 1732 comedy strains to be frivolous. Lacking a commanding performance by Mira Sorvino in the triple role of the Princess, her male alter ego Phocion, and Phocion’s female alter ego, her portrayals are far too subdued for a farce. She needs devilish determination for the Princess who, disguised as a male, seduces her rival to the throne as well as his two protectors, the philosopher Hermocrates (Kingsley) and his sister Leontine (Shaw), in order to bring peace to the two royal families. When in drag, Sorvino’s gender is so transparent that you wonder why no one else is smart enough to notice. Blocked like a play, the characters are often filmed in close two-shots, dissipating any sexual tension or urgency. Even the use of jump cuts can't enliven the tedium. Shaw, however, hits all the right notes as the frightened spinster who blossoms under Phocion’s gaze. She's the only character who seems to be truly deranged by love. KT
May 1, 2003