- Actors: Thandie Newton, David Thewlis, Claudio Santamaria, John C. Ojwang, Massimo De Rossi
- Directors: Bernardo Bertolucci
- Writers: Bernardo Bertolucci, Clare Peploe, James Lasdun
- Producers: Clare Peploe, Massimo Cortesi
- Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
- Subtitles: English
- Region: (US and Canada This DVD will probably NOT be viewable in other countries. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
- Number of discs: 1
- MPAA Rating:
- Studio: Alliance Films
- Release Date: July 1 2001
- Run Time: 93 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00001YXH7
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#26,397 in DVD (See Top 100 in DVD)
- #93 in DVD > Art House & International > By Genre > Drama
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon.com
Two disparate worlds come together in thoroughly unexpected ways in this intriguing film directed by Academy Award winner Bernardo Bertolucci. The opening sequence, in an impoverished, unnamed African dictatorship, is painfully intense: we watch in horror as the movie's heroine, Shandurai (serenely beautiful Thandie Newton), witnesses the brutal arrest of her husband, a rebellious reformer. Then suddenly we are transported to Rome, where Shandurai is studying medicine and cleaning house for a reclusive, wealthy pianist, Mr. Kinsky (David Thewlis). Knowing nothing of her past, Kinsky falls hopelessly in love with Shandurai. She finds his clumsy courtship insulting, especially in contrast to the heavy load she's borne in her life. But it gradually becomes clear Shandurai has sorely underestimated Mr. Kinsky.
This is a film by a true master of moviemaking craft, who refuses to spell things out or bludgeon the audience with a message. The story builds almost imperceptibly, with an accumulation of details, striking visual imagery, and a haunting soundtrack, in which classical piano, African music, and silence are all used to powerful effect. A tantalizing erotic undercurrent bubbles to the surface as the narrative takes the story in directions both unpredictable and captivating. --Laura Mirsky
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a lyric tale of two exiles,
By Doug Anderson (Miami Beach, Florida United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Besieged (Widescreen/Full Screen) (DVD)
Music is the center of Thewlis' world and it is the center of the movie. You'll appreciate your sound system during this film because it is made up of music rather than dialogue or stunning visuals. Although Thandie Newton is certainly a stunning visual.This movie stands out because it is so absolutely like no other, not even Bertolucci's previous efforts prepare you for it. Thewlis(you might remember from Naked)plays the decadent westerner(all Bertolucci lead roles are that)we are asked to pay attention to. Thewlis does not demand you pay attention like Brando does rather he is so quiet and mysterious you can't help but pay attention. Only when he plays piano do you find out how much is going on within him. And what music(the piano is the third major presence in this movie). Thewliss and Newton come from different sides of the world and neither is perhaps very satisfied with the place from whence they come, both exiles, and each is very curious about the other. Many times the camera is on one at a time while each wonders about the other in the next room. It doesn't sound like much but it is drama of a very peculiar sort. Two humans,two cultures perhaps, slowly coming into contact. Very strange and very powerful movie. You may as well order the soundtrack too.
5.0 out of 5 stars
a perfect movie,
By
This review is from: Besieged (Widescreen/Full Screen) (DVD)
IMPORTANT!!Neither AMAZON nor the DVD box tellS you that there is a second COMMENTARY featuring the writer then more with the director and his wife. Both TRACKS 2 and TRACKS 3 are compelling. Howard in Manchester UK
1.0 out of 5 stars
The Benevolent Master,
By Raquel B. (Mount Vernon, New York USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Besieged (Widescreen/Full Screen) (DVD)
I could not help but to watch this film with all of my African American female sensibilities. Despite the proficient acting, cinematography and directing, I found the content highly offensive and trite. Mr. Kinksy claimed to love Shanduri and was willing to do anything to possess her affections. He was put off to find out that Shanduri was married, but not deterred. Shanduri gave him what she believed was an unattainable challenge to have her husband, who was arrested for speaking out against the government, freed from an African prison. I recognize that it is possible for a servant to fall in love with her employer, however I know that it is extremely rare. (Ask any black woman who's cleaned a white person's house, 'how much love do you have for your boss.' The relationship between Shanduri and Mr. Kinksy was one of abuse of power and emotional manipulation. During the 'relationship' that I watched develop, not once did Shanduri refer to her employer by his first name. Clearly indicating an uneven balance of power and control...not much different from a slave owner offering to free his children born to his African concubine. So, Mr. Kinksy gave up some of his prized possessions; it was European influence that created the climate that allowed Shanduri's husband to be detained indefinitely. Though I am one among several with a different review about the film, I have no reason to forget the long history of abuse past and present that women of color experienced at the hands of white people, especially white men. To see such a film is an insult and another example of how Europeans do not understand the masses of African Americans.
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