'Quills' does more than ruffle feathers

Spritely as a farce in its action, deadly serious in its moral challenge, this film about the Marquis de Sade's supposed last days tries to turn our habitual allegiances upside down.

By STEVE PERSALL

© St. Petersburg Times, published December 25, 2000

Kate Winslet, left, and Geoffrey Rush star in Quills, a Philip Kaufman film about the final days of the Marquis de Sade, portraying the author as a martyr for artistic freedom.

Philip Kaufman's Quills is a fantasy version of the final days of the Marquis de Sade, cleaning up the author's perverse reputation enough to make him a poster boy for modern artistic freedom.

As does the 1996 film biography of Larry Flynt, Kaufman's film prods a viewer to side with a disagreeable hero, since the only obvious alternatives -- hypocrisy and demagoguery -- seem worse than what they publish.

Flynt and de Sade both peddled extreme sex, the easiest way to ruffle feathers in 1797 or now. Both films make them merry pranksters tweaking authority, rebels with causes not seriously considered until watchdogs are at the door. Hindsight may make Kaufman and screenwriter Doug Wright more aware of the marquis' political importance than he was himself. De Sade's words are less dangerous than the forces working against them.

So viewers shouldn't expect Quills to be an encyclopedia of perversion, although sex with and without violence, including pedophilia and necrophilia, are part of the show. There's more talk than action, but Wright's script, based on his stage play, is engorged with prurient thought. Moviegoers also shouldn't expect a puffed-up debate on artistic freedom, since Quills is as lively as a Moliere farce.

Kaufman is more likely to confirm liberal thinkers on the topic than change conservative minds. Fairness isn't an issue, as it shouldn't be with satire. The marquis has the final word on every subject until grotesque measures render him speechless. Most of the time, it's something deliciously wicked.

Geoffrey Rush gives a grandiose portrayal of de Sade, preening despite his grubby surroundings in an insane asylum and prancing with delight when he gets under someone's skin, which is often. Rush, an Oscar winner for Shine, should be a contender again. Hissing insults or purring pansexual innuendoes, Rush savors every word of the dense, delightful script. He's over the top, but irresistibly so.

The marquis has been sentenced to the asylum for corrupting public morals with his graphic tales of kinky sexual practices. He continues to publish, with anonymous manuscripts smuggled out by the laundry maid Madeleine (Kate Winslet). His new novel, Justine, is the hit of Paris, and Napoleon orders all copies burned. He also sends an alienist, Dr. Royer-Collard (Michael Caine), to cure de Sade of his perversions, or else the asylum will close.

De Sade has been prompted to express his feelings in prose by Coumier (Joaquin Phoenix), a devout priest with other ideas for treatment besides Royer-Collard's bleedings and dunk-tank therapies. Coumier coaxes de Sade to stop writing about sex, but it makes no difference. Conflict between the two healers can be expected, as is their patient's rebellion.

For a while, Quills is an entertaining game of one-upmanship, with de Sade locating the weaknesses of each authority figure, creating decadent escapades. Royer-Collard has a teenage bride (fetching new face Amelia Warner), so the author creates a crude play on the subject with other inmates. Coumier's weakness is kindness, and no shame is felt in exploiting that. Kaufman makes sure we'll be cackling along with the marquis when the tables are turned.

Coumier gets fed up, confiscating de Sade's writing quills and ink. At that point, Quills becomes more than just another underdog versus the system story. De Sade doesn't simply want to write; he must. It's as vital as breathing, perhaps even more so than sex. He's depressed, but rebounds when he learns that a chicken bone, red wine and a tablecloth work as writing tools. Or, pricked fingers and feces, on clothing or walls. Quills raises the stakes by making art personal, and opposition more dastardly.

Cleverly crafted ideas are matched by the settings, dank and grubby enough to appear authentic for the period. Quills could be a factor in several post-year award competitions, including Rogier Stoffers' suitably dingy cinematography and Jacqueline West's costume design. Such trappings lend depth to an impressive cast of performers.

With her role, Winslet gets back on track after a couple of bad films. Madeleine and the marquis share a platonic relationship, yet we can tell she stokes his creativity. Phoenix is appealingly meek as the priest, whose faith wavers under de Sade's charismatic spell. Caine is simply terrific, relishing each droll comment and slow burn offered to Royer-Collard.

Wright gives everyone nimble dialogue to raise questions still relevant today: Does life imitate art, especially the darkest kind? Is the purpose of art to lift us above beasts or show the beastly side and let us make our own decisions? Are censors as dangerous as artistic expressions they seek to repress?

The answers are as partisan as one expects from an artist who has known some of de Sade's pressures. Kaufman prompted the creation of the NC-17 rating with his 1990 film Henry and June, another film depending on ideas about sex more than the act itself. Quills is his rebuttal to every infringement on creative freedom ever -- tarted up a bit, as de Sade says in the opening narration, so we don't miss the point.

MOVIE REVIEW

Quills

• Grade: A
• Director: Philip Kaufman
• Cast: Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, Michael Caine, Joaquin Phoenix, Amelia Warner, Billie Whitelaw
• Screenplay: Doug Wright, based on his stage play.
• Rating: R; sexual situations, nudity, profanity, violence
• Running time: 123 min.
• Now playing: Tampa Theatre, Beach Theater and Burns Court Cinema in Sarasota.

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