POSSESSION
This week and next, I’m going to talk about two of my
favorite movies,
Possession and
Proof, and, no, they are not funny.
Although my two previous posts might have led
you to think that I am a big fan of comedy, most of my best loved movies are dramas.
Even when the stories are steeped in romance or
science fiction, they offer a delicious nerve-wracking tension that causes my
brain to tingle.
Let me, also, say that,
while I am not a Gwyneth Paltrow fan, per se, she is the female lead in both films.
Possession, which came
out in 2002, appeals to me for a couple of reasons.
First, it has parallel love stories, one from
the Victorian Era and the other during the early Twenty-First Century.
The Victorian couple consists of two
fictional writers, Randolph Henry Ash (Jeremy Northam), England’s Poet Laureate,
and Christabel LaMotte (Jennifer Ehle), a little known, but well-respected,
poetess; the contemporary couple is made up of Richard Mitchell (Aaron Eckhart),
a graduate student who is writing his dissertation on Ash, and Maude Bailey
(Gwyneth Paltrow), a professor of Women’s Literature who is an expert on, and
descendant of, LaMotte.
Second, there is
a mystery, one which comes to light when Richard peruses some documents
recently donated to the library and finds original letters from Ash to an
unknown woman.
Since the poet was a
married man noted for his fidelity, Richard is immediately intrigued.
He consults Ash’s schedule and finds that the
poet and LaMotte were both at a dinner party around the time the first letter
was written.
Richard asks people how he can find out more about LaMotte
and is told to see Maude Bailey.
At
first, Maude is skeptical because LaMotte was a known lesbian who lived with a
lover named Blanch.
After looking
through archival material, however, she realizes that Richard might be onto
something.
She takes him to see her
granduncle who resides at the estate where LaMotte lived with her sister’s
family.
While at the estate, they visit
the rooms the family occupied, and, using clues from the poetess’ works, find letters
that confirm there was a romantic relationship between the two poets.
Rather than answering their questions,
however, the letters only serve to deepen the mystery.
Why did LaMotte end up with
all the
letters; what became of their relationship?
Once again, Richard and Maude turn to the poetry for
answers, and, using the clues they find, learn of a trip the two poets took to
a remote village where they could, actually, be together.
It is clear by now that feelings are
developing between the two scholars, as well, emotions that deepen each time
they share a discovery.
Just when it
seems that they will find the answers to their questions, however, the trail
goes cold.
Is this the end of the love story?
If so, why?
All Richard and Maude are sure of is that Blanch drowned herself, Ash returned
to his wife, and after disappearing for a year, LaMotte moved in with her
sister.
Then the blossoming romance
between Richard and Maude begins to fray, again echoing the poets’ fates.
I’m not going to say anymore because I don’t
want to ruin the ending, but the story does have a couple of nice twists.
I do want to add that interwoven throughout
the film is a tasty subplot complete with subterfuge and detestable villains.
So, if anything I said appeals to you, check
this movie out and I’ll be back next week to discuss
Proof which I, also, believe deserves another glance.
Until then, enjoy a flick…or two.
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