- Film Review
- Reviewed By Tom Hutchinson
-
3 out of 5
The problem of coming to terms with reality is the simplest explanation for this blatant, European-style art film directed by American Philip Kaufman. Lengthily elaborated from Milan Kundera's bestseller, it concerns a womanising surgeon (Daniel Day-Lewis) whose main loves are sacred (Juliette Binoche) and profane (Lena Olin), and how their involvement collides with the communist authorities in their native Czechoslovakia. Some wonderful atmospherics of a besieged culture don't make up for the fact that, at just under three hours, it runs out of important things to say - though that doesn't stop the movie trying to say them.
Plot Summary
Romantic political drama starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Juliette Binoche and Lena Olin. Prague, 1968: Tomas is a doctor who has little time for politics but plenty for his purely sexual relationship with like-minded painter Sabina. However, his free-spirited philosophy is challenged when he falls in love with a young waitress. Then Soviet tanks invade Czechoslovakia...
Cast and crew
Cast
- Tomas
- Daniel Day-Lewis
- Tereza
- Juliette Binoche
- Sabina
- Lena Olin
- Franz
- Derek De Lint
- The Ambassaador
- Erland Josephson
- Pavel
- Pavel Landowsky
- Chief Surgeon
- Donald Moffat
- Engineer
- Stellan Skarsgard
Crew
- Director
- Philip Kaufman
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