Napoleon isn t amused by de Sade s lusty priests and violated nuns. But Royer-Collard has the upper hand. The point is the rather obvious observation that censorship is bad and artistic freedom is good. True enough, but for most of us, hardly a revolutionary notion. Unfortunately, Wright s overwrought script rants and raves as much as the supporting loonies at Charenton.
Rush acts up a storm.
Ultimately, his performance seems like a showy, self-congratulatory masquerade. By contrast, Caine coasts in a one-note role. Winslet brings some wit and high spirits to her silly part. But Phoenix is abysmal as the character who s supposed to be the movie s moral and dramatic fulcrum. Still, the actors aren t the culprits.