PolarBear
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The world has lost a very gifted actress today. I shall always remember Natasha Richardson's performance in The White Countess set in Shanghai during the time of the Japanese invasion on the years before World War II.
Here is a review of the film and a still showing Ms Richardson with co-star Ralph Fiennes
Countess a beautifully executed tale
By John Wirt
jwirt@theadvocate.com
Advocate movie critic
The White Countess
Starring:
Ralph Fiennes, Natasha Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave, Lynn Redgrave
Crew:
Director, James Ivory; Screenplay, Kazuo Ishiguro
A nearly epic drama that begins in Shanghai, 1936, shortly before the Japanese invasion of China, The White Countess skillfully blends the tragic histories of its principals with one man’s vision of the ideal escape from reality.
In this beautifully executed film from director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant, Ralph Fiennes plays a blind, disillusioned former American diplomat known only as Mr. Jackson. He finds comfort in drink and Shanghai nightlife that includes young and not-so-young Asian and European women who dance with men for a price. Of course, for a higher price, they’ll do much more.
Playing Sofia Belinsky, a not-so-young but still-beautiful woman, Natasha Richardson does what may be her most compelling screen work. Sofia belongs to an exiled, impoverished community of Russian nobles who fled their homeland following the Bolshevik Revolution.
Jackson happens to overhear Sofia at one of his favorite dives as she speaks to a former Russian prince who’s working as a porter. She fascinates him, even though he can’t see her. Sofia becomes his inspiration, the projected centerpiece for what he hopes will be the bar of his dreams.
As luck would have it, Jackson finds the means to realize his vision. He names his new venue The White Countess. Sofia becomes its sad heart.
These two foreigners in Shanghai are both wounded souls. His memories are scarred by political violence and terrible loss. Her memories of being Russian royalty are a fairy tale lost.
For the longest time, they know nothing of each other’s past. He insists neither of them speak of the world beyond the doors of The White Countess. Their relationship must be nothing more than employer and employee. Yet he is a kind employer, unlike her previous Chinese boss.
While Jackson is alone in Shanghai, except for his dedicated driver, Liu (Luoyong Wang), Sofia and her daughter, Katya (Madeleine Daly), are surrounded by family members in a squalid flat. Despite the presence of her family, it’s not a happy home.
A pair of Sofia’s relatives qualify as wicked in-laws. Lynn Redgrave (Richardson’s real-life aunt) as Sofia’s mother-in-law and Madeleine Potter as her sister-in-law are part of an exceptional ensemble that includes Vanessa Redgrave (Richardson’s mother) as the sympathetic Aunt Sara.
Jackson’s slow-to-boil simmering, unspoken affection for Sofia, as well as scenes of high drama in the midst of war, give The White Countess heartbreaking moments.
Here is a review of the film and a still showing Ms Richardson with co-star Ralph Fiennes
Countess a beautifully executed tale
By John Wirt
jwirt@theadvocate.com
Advocate movie critic
The White Countess
Starring:
Ralph Fiennes, Natasha Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave, Lynn Redgrave
Crew:
Director, James Ivory; Screenplay, Kazuo Ishiguro
A nearly epic drama that begins in Shanghai, 1936, shortly before the Japanese invasion of China, The White Countess skillfully blends the tragic histories of its principals with one man’s vision of the ideal escape from reality.
In this beautifully executed film from director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant, Ralph Fiennes plays a blind, disillusioned former American diplomat known only as Mr. Jackson. He finds comfort in drink and Shanghai nightlife that includes young and not-so-young Asian and European women who dance with men for a price. Of course, for a higher price, they’ll do much more.
Playing Sofia Belinsky, a not-so-young but still-beautiful woman, Natasha Richardson does what may be her most compelling screen work. Sofia belongs to an exiled, impoverished community of Russian nobles who fled their homeland following the Bolshevik Revolution.
Jackson happens to overhear Sofia at one of his favorite dives as she speaks to a former Russian prince who’s working as a porter. She fascinates him, even though he can’t see her. Sofia becomes his inspiration, the projected centerpiece for what he hopes will be the bar of his dreams.
As luck would have it, Jackson finds the means to realize his vision. He names his new venue The White Countess. Sofia becomes its sad heart.
These two foreigners in Shanghai are both wounded souls. His memories are scarred by political violence and terrible loss. Her memories of being Russian royalty are a fairy tale lost.
For the longest time, they know nothing of each other’s past. He insists neither of them speak of the world beyond the doors of The White Countess. Their relationship must be nothing more than employer and employee. Yet he is a kind employer, unlike her previous Chinese boss.
While Jackson is alone in Shanghai, except for his dedicated driver, Liu (Luoyong Wang), Sofia and her daughter, Katya (Madeleine Daly), are surrounded by family members in a squalid flat. Despite the presence of her family, it’s not a happy home.
A pair of Sofia’s relatives qualify as wicked in-laws. Lynn Redgrave (Richardson’s real-life aunt) as Sofia’s mother-in-law and Madeleine Potter as her sister-in-law are part of an exceptional ensemble that includes Vanessa Redgrave (Richardson’s mother) as the sympathetic Aunt Sara.
Jackson’s slow-to-boil simmering, unspoken affection for Sofia, as well as scenes of high drama in the midst of war, give The White Countess heartbreaking moments.
