IMDb >
Possession (2002)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at Blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsPossession (2002) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 46 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 5) |
          |
|
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Release Date:
4 September 2002 (France)
more
Tagline:
The past will connect them. The passion will possess them.
Plot:
A pair of literary sleuths unearth the amorous secret of two Victorian poets only to find themselves falling under a passionate spell. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
1 nomination
more
NewsDesk:
(17 articles)
Blu-ray Review: Howards End (Criterion Collection)
(From Rope Of Silicon. 3 November 2009, 3:30 AM, PST)
It's not TV, it's Lena Headey on HBO
(From AfterEllen.com. 2 September 2009, 9:00 AM, PDT)
(From Rope Of Silicon. 3 November 2009, 3:30 AM, PST)
It's not TV, it's Lena Headey on HBO
(From AfterEllen.com. 2 September 2009, 9:00 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
A Time Shift Drama That Works!
more (158 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Gwyneth Paltrow | ... | Maud Bailey |
 | Aaron Eckhart | ... | Roland Michell |
 | Jeremy Northam | ... | Randolph Henry Ash |
 | Jennifer Ehle | ... | Christabel LaMotte |
 | Lena Headey | ... | Blanche Glover |
 | Holly Aird | ... | Ellen Ash |
 | Toby Stephens | ... | Fergus Wolfe |
| Trevor Eve | ... | Cropper |
| Tom Hickey | ... | Blackadder |
| Georgia Mackenzie | ... | Paola |
 | Tom Hollander | ... | Euan |
| Graham Crowden | ... | Sir George |
| Anna Massey | ... | Lady Bailey |
| Craig Crosbie | ... | Hildebrand |
| Christopher Good | ... | Crabb-Robinson |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for sexuality and some thematic elements.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
102 min
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Iceland:L |
Malaysia:U |
Argentina:13 |
Australia:M |
Canada:PG |
Finland:S |
Germany:12 |
Netherlands:AL |
Peru:14 |
Philippines:PG-13 |
Singapore:PG (cut) |
South Korea:15 |
Sweden:Btl |
Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) |
Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) |
UK:12 |
USA:PG-13
Filming Locations:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
A large part of Church Street in Whitby was dressed to give it the appearance of a 18/19th century fishing town. Gwyneth Paltrow insisted that the whole place was screened off so that she was not visible to the small crowd of on-lookers. Jeremy Northam, however, took time to go and talk about the film to the bystanders. Miss Paltrow also turned down an offer from the local dignitaries to meet the mayor and be shown around the town. The Whitby Gazette carried a massive banner headline declaring "PALTROW SNUBS WHITBY".
more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Maude is in her car waiting for Roland to come out of the museum, her window is down. When he gets in the car and they begin talking, it is rolled up.
more
Quotes:
Roland Michell:
So what are we gonna do now? We gonna try to beat'em to France, or - or are we just gonna stare at each other?
Maude: That is the question, isn't it?
Roland Michell: Mm-hmmm
Maude: I have another one for you.
Roland Michell: What's that?
Maude: What are you really doing here?
Roland Michell: Well, I uh - I needed to see your face. I just wanted to let you know that whatever happened at Whitby, which unfortunately was not much, is not because anything that you did. Not at all. I just didn't want to jump into something. I mean, I did and I do... want to. Badly. I just didn't want to mess this up. And I just want to see -
[clears throat]
Roland Michell: I want to see if there's an us in you and me. Would-Would you like that?
[Maude leans over and kisses Roland]
[...]
more
Maude: That is the question, isn't it?
Roland Michell: Mm-hmmm
Maude: I have another one for you.
Roland Michell: What's that?
Maude: What are you really doing here?
Roland Michell: Well, I uh - I needed to see your face. I just wanted to let you know that whatever happened at Whitby, which unfortunately was not much, is not because anything that you did. Not at all. I just didn't want to jump into something. I mean, I did and I do... want to. Badly. I just didn't want to mess this up. And I just want to see -
[clears throat]
Roland Michell: I want to see if there's an us in you and me. Would-Would you like that?
[Maude leans over and kisses Roland]
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
References The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981)
more
Soundtrack:
Possesso
more
FAQ
What was the Song from the Trailer?more
more (158 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Possession (2002) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| Angels and Insects | The Notebook | Metroland | Stardust | Bitter Moon |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Romance section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |
There have been any number of films where time shifting back and forth is the plot device to tell a story. Mostly the results are mediocre or even abysmal ("Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure": it was nothing of the kind). One of my old and rarely seen favorites is "The Yellow Rolls-Royce."
More recently "The Red Violin", based on Ann Rice's novel, took viewers through several epochs as the impending auction of a magnificent violin loomed. That movie worked. And so does "Possession," also based on a novel and beautifully realized by Neil LaBute, a sensitive director with an outstanding leading cast.
Set in England with a side trip to France, "Possession" follows the path of laconic American scholar "Roland Mitchell" (Aaron Eckhardt) as he works for an eccentric Irish academic. Both specialize in nineteenth century British literature. Apparently Mitchell is still working on his Ph.D - his duties for his employer are largely of a research assistant nature.
At his master's command he goes to the British Museum to verify some data about the great poet, "Randolph Henry Ash" (come to life through Jeremy Northam). Like Professor Peter Schickele, whose fortuitous discoveries of the works of Bach's least known son, P.D.Q., Mitchell stumbles upon several handwritten pages that lead him to believe that a great mystery about the life of Ash might be solvable. Since Ash is being celebrated with exhibitions and academic convocations, this is, certainly, a good time for this Yank to delve into Ash's past.
With the pages in hand (felony larceny comes to mind as the proper acquisition designation) the adventure begins. And soon leads to "Dr. Maud Bailey" played by a luminous Gwyneth Paltrow (Ms. Paltrow is now living in London so her dialect preparation was practical as well as necessary for the film).
Bailey is a specialist on the life of poet "Christabel LaMotte" (Jennifer Ehle). She's reputed to be a tough and difficult person. Often in the academic world, that simply means the person in question is a competent woman. As Bailey and Mitchell deepen their investigation the inevitable but well-acted romantic attraction, rejection, and...well... (you can guess, can't you?) rolls to its certain ending.
The scenes shift seamlessly between the nineteenth century poets and the twenty-first century academic sleuths. Career opportunities, acclaim, lionization by a small coterie of academics in very narrow fields await those who first publish new discoveries. In a real world where many consider weaponizing pathogens to be the true meaningful work of the academy, it's nice to see that a love of literature and an insatiable desire to learn about those whose writings remain cherished can be the focus of a fine film.
Of course there are scurrilous academics afoot - an arrogant American and his toady English assistant - who are sniffing at the trail left by Mitchell and Bailey. The extremes they go to are silly, even funny but NOT implausible. What is very silly are the recurrent anti-American comments that go beyond humor and make me wonder what the script writer's experiences here have been.
Maud and Roland seem real, and so are Christabel and Henry, because their doubts and passions aren't of the exaggerated variety that Masterpiece Theater regularly plucks from English literature or that Merchant/Ivory immortalizes. Each couple in real life would understand the lives and fears of their opposite pairing.
I'm not quite sure why the song "Posseso" accompanies the end credits. In any event I don't understand Italian beyond menu and cookbook so I have little idea what it's about.
9/10.