MOVIEmeter
SEE RANK
Down 5 this week

Quills (2000)

7.2
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 7.2/10 from 34,272 users   Metascore: 70/100
Reviews: 306 user | 129 critic | 31 from Metacritic.com

In a Napoleonic era insane asylum, an inmate, the irrepressible Marquis De Sade, fights a battle of wills against a tyrannically prudish doctor.

Director:

Writers:

(play), (screenplay)
Watch Trailer
0Check in
0Share...

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 10000 titles created 2 months ago
 
a list of 1269 titles created 6 months ago
 
a list of 32 titles created 21 Jan 2012
 
a list of 924 titles created 28 Feb 2012
 
a list of 50 titles created 29 Aug 2011
 

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: Quills (2000)

Quills (2000) on IMDb 7.2/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of Quills.
Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 17 wins & 34 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

Elizabeth (1998)
Biography | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.5/10 X  

A film of the early years of the reign of Elizabeth I of England and her difficult task of learning what is necessary to be a monarch.

Director: Shekhar Kapur
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston
The Duchess (2008)
Biography | Drama | History
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

A chronicle of the life of 18th century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was reviled for her extravagant political and personal life.

Director: Saul Dibb
Stars: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Rampling
Biography | Drama | History
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

A mature Queen Elizabeth endures multiple crises late in her reign including court intrigues, an assassination plot, the Spanish Armada, and romantic disappointments.

Director: Shekhar Kapur
Stars: Jordi Mollà, Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush
Biography | Drama | History
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

Two sisters contend for the affection of King Henry VIII.

Director: Justin Chadwick
Stars: Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana
Queen Margot (1994)
Biography | Drama | History
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

Young Queen Margot finds herself trapped in an arranged marriage amidst a religious war between Catholics and Protestants. She hopes to escape with a new lover, but finds herself imprisoned by her powerful and ruthless family.

Director: Patrice Chéreau
Stars: Isabelle Adjani, Daniel Auteuil, Jean-Hugues Anglade
Lady Jane (1986)
Biography | Drama | History
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

The death of King Henry VIII throws his kingdom into chaos because of succession disputes. His weak son Edward, is on his deathbed. Anxious to keep England true to the Reformation, a ... See full summary »

Director: Trevor Nunn
Stars: Helena Bonham Carter, Cary Elwes, John Wood
Biography | Drama | History
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

A dramatization of the turbulent first years of Queen Victoria's rule, and her enduring romance with Prince Albert.

Director: Jean-Marc Vallée
Stars: Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany
Amazing Grace (2006)
Biography | Drama | History
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X  

The idealist William Wilberforce maneuvers his way through Parliament, endeavoring to end the British transatlantic slave trade.

Director: Michael Apted
Stars: Ioan Gruffudd, Romola Garai, Albert Finney
Restoration (1995)
Biography | Drama | History
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.5/10 X  

An aspiring young physician, Robert Merivel found himself in the service of King Charles II and saves the life of a spaniel dear to the King. Merivel joins the King's court and lives the ... See full summary »

Director: Michael Hoffman
Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Sam Neill, David Thewlis
Mrs Brown (1997)
Biography | Drama | History
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

Queen Victoria is deeply depressed after the death of her husband, disappearing from public. Her servant Brown, who adores her, through caress and admiration brings her back to life, but ... See full summary »

Director: John Madden
Stars: Judi Dench, Billy Connolly, Geoffrey Palmer
Reds (1981)
Biography | Drama | History
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X  

A radical American journalist becomes involved with the Communist revolution in Russia and hopes to bring its spirit and idealism to the United States.

Director: Warren Beatty
Stars: Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Edward Herrmann
Frida (2002)
Biography | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

A biography of artist Frida Kahlo, who channeled the pain of a crippling injury and her tempestuous marriage into her work.

Director: Julie Taymor
Stars: Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina, Antonio Banderas
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
Madeleine 'Maddy' LeClerc
...
...
Dr. Royer-Collard
...
Madame LeClerc
...
Delbené
...
Simone
Jane Menelaus ...
Renee Pelagie
...
Prouix, the Architect
Tony Pritchard ...
Valcour
Michael Jenn ...
Danny Babington ...
Pitou
George Antoni ...
Dauphin (as George Yiasoumi)
...
Bouchon
...
Charlotte
Edit

Storyline

The infamous writer, The Marquis de Sade of 18th Century France, is imprisoned for unmentionable activities at Charanton Insane Asylum. He manages to befriend the young Abbe de Coulmier, who runs the asylum, along with a beautiful laundress named Madeline. Things go terribly wrong when the Abbe finds out that the Marquis' books are being secretly published. Emperor Napoleon contemplates sending Dr. Royer-Collard to oversee the asylum, a man famed for his torturous punishments. It could mean the end of Charanton and possibly the Marquis himself. Written by Emily H and Janette W

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Meet the Marquis de Sade. The pleasure is all his. See more »

Genres:

Biography | Drama

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content including dialogue, violence and language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Official Sites:

Country:

| |

Language:

|

Release Date:

15 December 2000 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Letras prohibidas, la leyenda del Marqués de Sade  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Budget:

$13,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£81,130 (UK) (19 January 2001)

Gross:

ESP 65,173,251 (Spain) (29 June 2001)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

The prop department asked for details of de Sade's diet so that they could get the consistency of mixture of the "ink" in the final scene. See more »

Goofs

When Madeleine is putting on her dress after getting her wounds clean, she slips her arm into the sleeve twice. See more »

Quotes

Madeleine: Don't come any closer Abbe, God's watching.
See more »

Connections

References Marat/Sade (1967) See more »

Soundtracks

"Au clair de la lune"
(uncredited)
Written by Jean-Baptiste Lully
Hummed often by Geoffrey Rush
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

provocative, daring study of sexuality
4 November 2001 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

It's post-revolutionary France. Napoleon is in power. The Age of Enlightenment is in full swing, yet the remnants of the Dark Ages still linger to restrain the thinking of many a powerful monarch, religious leader and rank-and-file common citizen. In all areas of life, the barriers to freedom and self-expression are rapidly giving way, leaving traditional institutions and values fighting for their very survival. And this includes that most sensitive of all areas, the one that has, perhaps, caused more consternation for the race than any other in our history – determining the role that sexuality plays in defining who we are physically, emotionally and spiritually. Long thought of as little more than a necessary evil, sexuality is suddenly starting to be reexamined in the light of other scientific and academic reassessments. Small wonder that at such a crucial moment in mankind's sexual awakening, a figure like the Marquis De Sade would emerge, a man whose name has since become synonymous with perversion, deviancy and licentiousness. It is this epic struggle between religion and nature for the soul of humanity that Philip Kaufman captures so brilliantly in his wickedly perverse, mordantly witty and brilliantly acted film, `Quills.'

Director Kaufman, working from a screenplay by Doug Wright (based on his play of the same name), chooses to start his tale almost at its end – at the period when De Sade was already wasting away in an insane asylum, considered too perverted and dangerous in his ideas to be allowed to run loose among the general populace. Yet, it's hard to keep a creative genius down – and De Sade has, unbeknownst to the priest who runs the facility, been regularly smuggling out manuscripts to publishers on the outside, much to the chagrin and delight of many elements of the French public. One of those least amused is Napoleon himself, who decides that he must take action in silencing this reprobate once and for all. He decides to send a `specialist' in mental health – one Dr. Royer-Collard, a man more in tune with the techniques of the Spanish Inquisition than of modern medicine – to take charge and bring De Sade to his senses. Wright's and Kaufman's other two main characters include the priest, The Abbe du Coulmier, who is keeper of the institution, and Madeleine LeClerc, a beautiful young devotee of De Sade's work who serves both as laundress and chief smuggler for the author and his works.

In many ways, the most interesting conflict turns out to be the one between De Sade and the Abbe, two men seemingly antipodes apart yet somehow able to find a common ground of mutual respect and understanding. On the one hand, we have a man who has completely thrown away all sexual inhibitions and indeed lives to not only experience every possible sexual pleasure but to encourage others to do so as well. On the other hand, we have a man who has chosen a life of chastity and celibacy, opting to completely shut down the sexual aspect of his life as a pious sublimation to God – and yet neither extreme seems normal, healthy or practicable. In fact, near the end, De Sade suffers the torment of realizing that someone he cares for very deeply has become a tragic victim of one of his `ideas' run amuck, just as the Abbe, after years of repression, finds himself inching ever closer to the insanity that he is supposed to be curing in others.

Interestingly, the Abbe, the representative of the church that held the world in the grip of the Dark Ages for so long, is actually a beacon of enlightened reason compared to Dr. Royer-Collard, the self-ascribed `Man of Science.' Here is an individual actually aligned with the Church's Medieval methods, inflicting any form of excruciating physical and psychological torture on his patients to achieve their ultimate `cure' – though we can see by the way he subtly abuses his own sixteen year old wife that `power' is, as always, the world's strongest aphrodisiac.

Special not must be taken of the superb performances by Geoffrey Rush, Joaquin Phoenix, Michael Caine and Kate Winslet. Each does a superb job in bringing these diverse and complex characters to vivid life.

In terms of art direction, costume design and cinematography, the filmmakers do a fantastic job in recreating this strange world of the past - capturing that startling admixture of piety and licentiousness that bespeaks the `dual nature in Man,' which has forever served as the basis for the epic struggle between religion and nature. In a world like the one we live in now - in which explicit pornography has found a comfortable and, indeed, quite lucrative niche - De Sade seems ever more a man ahead of his time. It was his misfortune to be born into a world not quite ready to accept the ideas he had to offer. Yet, had he been living in this century, perhaps we would never even have heard of the name De Sade at all. Perhaps he would be just another anonymous pornographer, using the camera rather than the written word to graphically illustrate his darkest sexual longings. Then again, who knows? Perhaps it would be he who founded a world famous magazine and set up a mansion dedicated solely to the propagation of male sexual pleasure. It is, in the face of `Quills,' a thought worth pondering.




70 of 83 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
Differences in DVD releases? Mstreselena
How Old.. AmadeusGirl
Alan Rickman joyvaleria
Is it just me... ingots56
when he takes his clothes off for abbe cot-1
what books have you read? UnderTHeDoome
Discuss Quills (2000) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?