Henry & June (1990)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Philip Kaufman

Writers (WGA):

Anaïs Nin (book)
Philip Kaufman (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

5 October 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

A True Adventure More Erotic Than Any Fantasy

Plot:

In 1931 Paris, Anais Nin meets Henry Miller (Fred Ward) and his wife June. Intrigued by them both...

Plot Keywords:

Paris | Lesbian Kiss | Female Nudity | French Restaurant | Lingerie

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Fred Ward	...	Henry Miller
Uma Thurman	...	June Miller
Maria de Medeiros	...	Anaïs Nin
Richard E. Grant	...	Hugo Guiler
Kevin Spacey	...	Richard Osborn
Jean-Philippe Écoffey	...	Eduardo Sanchez (as Jean-Philippe Ecoffey)
Bruce Myers	...	Jack
Juan Luis Buñuel	...	Publisher / Editor (as Jean-Luis Bunuel)
Féodor Atkine	...	Paco Miralles (Spanish Dance Instructor)
Sylvie Huguel	...	Emilia
Artus de Penguern	...	Brassaï
Pierre Étaix	...	Henry's Friend No. 1
Pierre Edernac	...	Henry's Friend No. 2 - Magician
Gaëtan Bloom	...	Henry's Friend No. 3 - Magician
Alexandre De Gall	...	Henry's Friend No. 4 - Clown

Runtime:

136 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Singapore:R21 (cut) | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Canada:R | Chile:14 (DVD rating) | Chile:18 (original rating) | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/18 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:NC-17

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Walrus & Associates

Trivia:

Alec Baldwin was originally cast as Henry Miller but pulled out two weeks prior to filming.

Quotes:

Henry Miller: Hell of a place you got here, Hugo. Peaceful. Been here long?
Hugo Guiler: Just since the crash.
Henry Miller: Since the crash? How did you live before?
Hugo Guiler: We lived well. This is Henry Miller, the American writer Osborn is putting up. My wife, Anais Nin.
Henry Miller: How are you, Anis?
Hugo Guiler: Eduardo Sanchez, Anais' cousin. Anais, you should read Henry's stuff.
Richard Osborn: For my money, he's got it over D.H. Lawrence.
AnaÔs Nin: I'd love to read your writing.
Richard Osborn: He hasn't been published yet.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Sex at 24 Frames Per Second (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Barnacle Bill The Sailor

Maria de Medeiros as Anais = Perfect

If you're drawn to this film as a Henry Miller fan and expecting the Paris of Tropic of Cancer, you'll be let down. This film is a character-driven drama and therefore it is not intended to reproduce Miller's vision. Instead, the film focuses on (then) newly revealed excerpts from Anais Nin's diary. Four characters: Miller, Anais, June (Miller's wife), and Hugo (Anais' husband) complete the love square within which fairly complex relationships play out.

The film is primarily concerned with Anais' sexual awakening through her relationship with Miller and his wife. And I have to say, de Medeiros exceeds all expectations in this role. Not only does she look remarkably like the young Anais, but she also seems to radiate the writer's deep erotic mystique. If nothing else, watch this film just for this performance-- besides, she's absolutely gorgeous. Thurman's performance is also quite good, her NYC accent believable and her dirty-girl role works well in contrast to Anais' bourgeois exterior. Ward as Miller took some getting used to, but Grant's character seemed wooden and artificial.

Literary and historical references are sparsely sprinkled throughout the film, and although Miller has a few monologues in which he attempts to express the point of his writing, Miller fans will find nothing more than a superficial synopsis. But again, this can't be counted against the film since its focus is Anais. As far as the eroticism of the new "Journals" goes, the film succeeds fairly well- but the images convey more than the dialog.

This brings me to my final point: the NC-17 rating. Historically, this film was the first with that rating-- the MPAA created the rating specifically for this film since they deemed it to risqué for an R. By today's standards, this film is an R. If you're looking for softcore, watch "Emmanuelle" or something.

7/10