Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6979 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-02-02
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 116 minutes

Synopsis
Acclaimed French filmmaker François Ozon directs this lush adaptation of a novel by the English writer Elizabeth Taylor. ANGEL begins in England in 1905, with the beauty of the title (Romola Garai) ardently pursuing a career as a writer. Her book catches the fancy of the British public, and soon Angel is a celebrity--but she still longs for love. This period film also stars Sam Neill, Lucy Russell, Michael Fassbender, and Charlotte Rampling, a frequent collaborator of Ozon.

Customer Reviews

Why was this film overlooked?

I have read a lot of negative reviews of this film and came to it not expecting a lot. I am now clueless as to why it didn't receive greater acclaim and a wider release. I loved it. It is a fabulously inventive film with superb performances. The film works on so many levels. What's not to like? I love costume dramas, particularly when a director takes the genre and subverts it. Admittedly, the beginning is a little disconcerting and only just manages to stay this side of parody but once the narrative is in its stride you "get" what Francois Ozon is doing - and you don't need to be a student of film to enjoy it either.

The film is also not simply an exercise in style. It is a great story that resonates with today's celebrity culture. Central to the film is a superlative performance from Romola Garai (surely the most naturally gifted young British currently working in film? Why was this performance overlooked in our awards season?) It is impossible to like Angel Deverell but we do understand her. To her credit, Garai does not attempt to make her likeable. In addition, Michael Fassbender and Lucy Russell are terrific; Sam Neill and Charlotte Rampling their usual classy selves.

Just one note of caution. Maybe this is a woman's or young woman's picture? Judge for yourself and see it.

Drowning in velvet, gold leaf and heady perfumes...
I read the book, on which this French-produced film was based, many years ago and loved it, so was keen to see how this translated to the screen. The book is by neglected but highly-esteemed author Elizabeth Taylor (no, not that one!) published in 1957, and tells of a prococious teenager who fulfills her dream of becoming a famous novelist.

I should have stuck to the book. What works on the page does not (here) work on film - instead you get an overblown, blousy, ridiculously tedious romance which doesn't have a scrap of the irony and acid humour of the original book. Whilst Romola Garai tries hard, her overacting - whilst in-keeping with the style of the direction - is off-putting, and although Angel is supposed to be a figure of fun, in this film I got beyond caring within about 5 minutes.

There are some nice cameos by, amongst others, Jacqueline Tong as the uncomprehending mother, Janine Duvitski as her sister, and Charlotte Rampling as the slightly bitter, down-to-earth wife of the publisher (played by Sam Neill), but they are all too slight to compensate for this sickly rich diet of 2 hours! The sets and costumes are sumptuous; it's like drowning in red velvet, gold leaf and heady perfumes - the props budget must have been through the roof - and yet there are some truly unintentional comedy moments a la Acorn Antiques when they drive through London which is so badly done with poor special effects and dubbed in backdrops you cannot but laugh!

Far better to buy the book here on Amazon and discover one of England's truly neglected great authors for yourself!

Enchanting and a little bit Mills and Boon!
I have watched this film three times now and each time it seems so different. There are many ways in which you could interpret this film, hence the very varied comments. But I really seemed to get it the second time I watched it. The character of Angel, a writer, is living in her own little bubble she has created. It is a fantasy. She is seeing life as a fantasy and indeed living it as one. And that is what the director seems to be trying to get across by creating the film with a 40's/50's feel, complete with green screens. If you view it as you would a film in that era it all makes perfect sense. Ramola Garai gives a wonderful performance as Angel. She is a chameleon, totally selfish and absorbed in her own little world. It is beautifully filmed, esthaetically pleasing throughout. It does border on the sickly at times, though and I have to say that I enjoyed the edited version as opposed to the longer version. The longer version was just a bit too much and seemed to overdose on sweetness, whereas the shorter version seems to just contain it from being too sugary. I'm sure I will be watching it again and again though as it is such a beautiful film.