EVEN WITH FLAWS, "STAIN" IS A POWERFUL FILM

My son and I saw this movie tonight (Saturday) at 7:15 p.m. Two other people were in the theatre. While 100's were watching the new idiotic Eddie Murphy "Disney" film of the month, and a number of other dismal movies, no one was watching Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman, two of the finest actors alive. Why not?

Well, for one thing, this movie is about race relations and that topic seems to be "old hat". After all, we're in the 21st Century and those problems are behind us, right? Secondly, the studio has thrown this film out with little or no promotion. I find that curious but I'm only a small town movie nut so what do I know.

I want to make it clear that I have not read Phillip Roth's book from which the movie is adopted. With very few exceptions, movies are not as good as the books they are based on. ("Rosemary's Baby" and "Under the Tuscan Sun" are two exceptions). Because I did not read the book, I cannot speak to the relative worth of the movie to the book. As a movie fan, I found the movie well acted, well written and beautifully filmed.

THE PLOT

At the first of the film, we find Coleman Silk as the dean of an Eastern College which he single-handedly brought from mediocrity to excellence. He is accused of making a racial comment concerning two students who had never bothered to attend his class. Although the accusation is baseless, Silk resigns and sues the college. Silk is played by Sir Anthony Hopkins.

After resigning, Silk wants a writer with talent but evidently suffering from writer's block to write a book about Silk's troubles with the school. The writer is Nathan Zuckerman and he's played by Gary Sinise.

Silk also meets a 34 year old janitor, Faunia Farley, with whom he starts a "May-December" affair with the help of Viagra. Faunia is played by Nicole Kidman.

Throughout the film, there are flashbacks to Silk's earlier life where we find out that he is not Jewish, but black (albeit very light-skinned). Silk has passed himself off as Jewish to avoid academic penalties that would have resulted. The movie is ultimately about the tragedy of a man having to pass himself off as a white to gain the respect he deserves but would not receive as a black.

With his entanglement with Faunia Farley, his life is threatened by her psychotic ex-husband (played by Ed Harris).

THE ACTING

I found the acting excellent. I have heard and read criticism that Hopkins was mis-casted do to the fact that he is white and has an English accent. While I believe that Hopkins could have been made to look slightly darker and he could have lost his accent (as he has as Hannibal Lector), this did not bother me that much. The man is such as incredible actor, he convinced me that he was Coleman Silk.

Nicole Kidman is one of my favorite actors as she is proving each year. She embodied the part of Faunia Farley with perfection. Nicole did lose her accent but more importantly, her portrayal was astounding in its depth. She plays a woman who was from a wealthy family but has hit skid row and Nicole has the ability to play each nuance of that character.

Gary Sinise does another excellent job of acting as the writer who eventually will tell Silk's tale to the world. He plays his role in a pleasant understated manner but there is no doubt about his admiration of Silk.

Ed Harris is perfect for the part of the ex-Viet Nam soldier who wants to kill Silk and anyone else that gets involved in Faunia's life. Harris is very convincing as a man you would not want to meet in a dark alley.

I did not catch his first name, but the young Coleman Silk is played by a Mr. Wentworth. I found his performance to be brilliant as the young man who wanted to excel in the world as a person, not simply as a "colored" person to use his terminology.

THE DIRECTION

Director Robert Benton manages to tell this tale with frequent flashbacks that never confuse the audience. His use of the actors is strong and the cinematography is straight-forward and convincing. As a jazz fan, I loved the soundtrack which is filled with music that the young Mr. Silk would have grown up with.

FINAL CONCLUSIONS

While I acknowledge that there were the flaws of accent and color, I was able to look past those minor problems and examine the story for the tragedy that it represented and still represents. People are often judged by the color of their skin, or their religion, or their social class. This may be an old story oft told, but "The Human Stain" tells it again with class.