Listen, I have seen 23 first votes that rank this film as a 3.7
The one negative review I saw was from a fan of the original novella by Leo Tolstoy; they made complaints about major points of the novella, including its philosophies and theories on marriage and sex, not being duly appropriated in this adaptation.
And I have to say that they are plainly insane to "besmirch" this film as to the extent that they have.
What I got out of this film was an originally filmed and paced independent film that wasn't annoyingly experimental. Its voice over made the film into a good unforced narrative with acting that was equally effective.
I loved the story, I loved the acting. The feelings of jealousy, suspicion, anxiety, and suffocation were so absorbing. I felt attached to most of this film. The acting was fluid and perfect chemistry. There are so many ways to act a scene. Danny Huston and Elisabeth Rohm's performances were some of the most realistic and enjoyable I have ever seen. At times the film felt like a documentary between the characters and the hand-held style.
I felt like this was definitely one of the best films I've seen in a long time. This is a wonderful ride with a great efficacy.
Plot summary
A film by Bernard Rose, based on the novel by Leo Tolstoy with music by Ludwig Van Beethoven. Edgar Hudson meets Abby, a concert pianist, at a dinner party. Abby is involved with someone else but that doesn't stop the two from acting upon their strong attraction to one another. They start to sneak around but it's not long before they realize they should be together. Soon after Abby breaks up with her boyfriend, she becomes pregnant with Edgar's child - something that was not planned. Flash forward four years. Abby is now Mrs. Edgar Hudson, a resident of Beverly Hills and the mother of two children. In turn, Edgar is now the man who has everything; vast wealth, a gorgeous wife and two beautiful children. Unfortunately, the significant changes in Abby's life have made being a pianist, her true passion, a distant memory thus making her restless and unfulfilled. Her unhappiness is all too apparent, but instead of talking about it, Edgar chooses to ignore it. Edgar tries to cheer Abby up by suggesting she perform again at a charity benefit he is holding to aid children from Sierra Leone. Edgar introduces her to Aiden, a talented and attractive young violinist suggesting they play together. Abby and Aiden decide to play Beethoven's piano/violin duet, the "Kreutzer Sonata". It never occurred to Edgar that a simple suggestion would lead to hours and hours of his wife practising alone with Aiden. Edgar becomes convinced that they are having an affair - his only evidence, the music they make together. When he confronts Abby she denies it. This, of course, only intensifies Edgar's suspicions and it is not long before the "Kreutzer" sonata begins to drive Edgar into a terrifying state of morbid jealousy. One day, Edgar receives a call from his sister, Elinore. She'd like for him to come to San Francisco to discuss problems revolving around his handling of the family's foundation. Upon his arrival, Elinore comments on how much he's changed mentally and physically. She encourages him to talk to someone, but the suggestion falls on deaf ears - Edgar is too wracked with thoughts of Abby and Aiden taking advantage of his absence. An increasingly obsessed Edgar hurries back home while struggling against an uncontrollable rage.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEBMovie Reviews
This movie is a real find.
Interesting but Ineptly Directed
Beethoven's masterful "Kreutzer" Violin Sonata inspired Tolstoy to write a short story of the same name. Incidentally, the short story inspired Leos Janacek to write a string quartet that is also nicknamed "Kreutzer Sonata." Although the setting of the story has been changed from the 19th century to contemporary time, the essence of Tolstoy remains. The presentation is initially muddled, but turns into a fairly interesting story about jealousy. What keeps this from being a better film is the inept direction. Director Rose did the cinematography as well and he unfortunately chose to use a hand-held camera throughout for no good reason. It is extremely distracting.
Read my share of Tolstoy, but...
I've read my share of Tolstoy, but it is hard to envision the novella from this thoroughly modernized version. Nonetheless, this was a very engaging film. Some of the things that were heavily criticized, I found highly effective, such as the voice-over throughout the movie. Danny Huston sort of underplayed the role, letting the narration and plot define the anguish of his character. And I cannot say enough about Elisabeth Rohm, and how she brought her character to life. Her portrayal of Abby did not always leave me liking her (Abby),but it always had me believing her. And this is aside from Miss Rohm's beauty, which was even downplayed a bit. The film's ending was telegraphed from the beginning, so you couldn't call it suspenseful, but it held my interest throughout. Definitely worth checking out.