Quills (2000)
- Synopsis:
- Based on the award-winning play by Doug Wright, this erotic and fantastical drama reconstructs the unknown fate of the Marquis de Sade, the writer and sexual deviant who was imprisoned in Charenton Asylum for the last 10 years of his life. QUILLS is a Gothic period piece from director Philip Kaufman that details the fall of the French Revolution and the subsequent imprisonment of the fallen aristocrat, a notorious free thinker who lived to write with an outstanding creative spirit and provocative sexual appetite. In the film, the Marquis de Sade (Geoffrey Rush) befriends the liberal director of the asylum, Abbe Coulmier (Joaquin Phoenix), and both share affections with the asylum laundress, Madeleine (Kate Winslet). Madeleine is a nubile but virginal young woman profoundly attracted to the mental prowess of the clever and wickedly defiant inmate who willingly smuggles his banished texts out of the asylum. But, when Napoleon reads JUSTINE, one of Sade's anonymous texts, he sends in Dr. Royer-Collard (Michael Caine), a cruel and moralistic man, to "cure" the Marquis of his supposed madness. However, the battle between the moralistic doctor and Sade only provokes the prisoner's rebellious spirit, resulting in a horrifying tragedy. QUILLS is a deliriously beautiful film that captures the free spirit of the imagination and the powers of undaunted artistic expression. Geoffrey Rush is a marvel as the profane and ingenious writer, strutting and flourishing about his erotically charged cell with awe-inspiring passion and greatness.
- Starring:
- Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet
- Director:
- Philip Kaufman
- Rated:
- R
Details
- Starring:
- Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix, Michael Caine, Billie Whitelaw, Patrick Malahide, Amelia Warner, Jane Menelaus, Stephen Moyer
- Director:
- Philip Kaufman
- Genres:
- Drama, Biopic, Historical Drama, Period Romance, Romance, Romantic Drama, Romantic Drama
- Rated:
- R
- Runtime:
- 123
- Language:
- English
- Country:
- United States of America
- Year:
- 2000
- Keywords:
- asylum, France, laundress, manuscript, pornography, priest, writer
Awards
- Best Art Direction
- Best Costume Design
- Best Actor: Geoffrey Rush
- Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role: Geoffrey Rush
- Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Kate Winslet
Academy Award
Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Nominated
Movie DNA
Attributes ordered and rated by our clerks.
Sleeper
Character Depth
Downbeat
Complexity
Sex
Disturbing
Violence
Romance
Black Humor
Political
Offbeat
Slow Pace
