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Love in the Time of Cholera
Adaptation of Marquez
Masterpiece Steamy but Unsatisfying
DVD Review by Kam Williams
Compromises
are in order whenever a novel is being made into a movie, especially a
368-page saga spanning 50 years, which is the case with this literary
classic by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It is expected that in condensing
this imaginative tale of unrequited love into a film some central
characters, major themes and pivotal events might have to be conflated,
distilled or eliminated entirely in service of the cinematic medium.
However,
director Mike Newell had an additional challenge to confront for in
interpreting the book’s magical realism, a style of prose marked by
plotlines grounded in reality offset by surreal flights of fancy.
Unfortunately, Newell’s relatively-mundane overhaul fails to reflect any
of the original work’s fusion of the everyday with the otherworldly. The
upshot is that, excised of its evocative aspects, Love in the Time of
Cholera lacks charm and reads about the same as your typical romance
novel with a hunky Fabio look-a-like splashed across the cover.
The story is
set in the City of Cartagena, Marquez’s stomping ground, and revolves
around a classic love triangle. This flashback flick’s practical point
of departure is 1879, which is when lowly clerk Florentino (Javier
Bardem) first encounters Fermina (Giovanna Mezzogiomo), a blooming
beauty with a wealthy, overprotective father (John Leguizamo).
Despite the
object of his affection’s initial indifference, Florentino professes his
undying devotion, and proceeds to wear the poor girl down with his
persistence. Soon, the two start swapping notes and sharing stolen
moments together till her mean daddy catches wind of their puppy love
liaison.
He forces
Fermina to end her fling with Florentino and then pressures her into
marrying wealthy Dr. Juvenal Urbino (Benjamin Bratt). But not even the
Urbinos moving overseas can discourage our pigheaded protagonist from
impatiently awaiting, for decades on end, the return of the woman he’s
convinced was really meant for him.
Regrettably,
this sorry interpretation of Marquez, substituting serial coupling and
uncoupling and gratuitous nudity for spirituality, merely reduces his
masterpiece into little more than a titillating, superficial soap
opera.
Fair (1 star)
Rated R for sexuality, nudity and brief profanity.
Running time: 138 minutes
Studio: New Line Home Entertainment
DVD Extras: Alternate and deleted scenes with optional commentary, a
theatrical trailer, director’s audio commentary, plus “The Making of”
documentary.
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Lloyd
Kam Williams