Best Picture nominee?

Rating: 6/10 (9 February 1999)

I was rather surprised to see this movie nominated for Best Picture. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad film, but I have a hard time believing that it was one of the five best movies of the year. Or even close. There was beautiful cinematography, and some fine performances, especially from Cate Blanchett, who probably deserves her nomination. Joseph Fiennes was much better in Shakespeare in Love (a movie truly deserving of its nomination), but he is still adequate here. The plot, though, suffers the same fate as many other historical dramas: There is no real dramatic arc. When writing historical fiction, screenwriters should be more careful to ensure the story still contains the "normal" plot elements: climax, falling action, etc., especially when the facts are distorted as much as is the case with this movie. I felt very unfulfilled at the end of the movie. I think the ending, while it could have worked very nicely if it had been set up earlier, was uninspired and pretentious. I give the movie as a whole 6 out of 10.