Head in the Clouds (2004)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

John Duigan

Writer:

John Duigan (written by)

Release Date:

30 October 2004 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War

Tagline:

Three lives. One destiny.

Plot:

HEAD IN THE CLOUDS is a sweeping romantic drama set in 1930's England, Paris, and Spain. Gilda Bessé...

Plot Keywords:

Bathtub | Lesbianism | Male Female Relationship | Female Nudity | Foursome

Awards:

6 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Charlize Theron	...	Gilda Bessé
Penélope Cruz	...	Mia
Stuart Townsend	...	Guy Malyon
Thomas Kretschmann	...	Major Franz Bietrich
Steven Berkoff	...	Charles Bessé
David La Haye	...	Lucien
Karine Vanasse	...	Lisette
Gabriel Hogan	...	Julian Elsworth
Peter Cockett	...	Max
Élizabeth Chouvalidzé	...	Fortune Teller
Jolyane Langlois	...	Gilda, Age 14
Sophie Desmarais	...	Élodie
Éloïsa Laflamme-Cervantes	...	Julie
Ivan Vukov	...	Undergraduate #1
Sebastian Bailey	...	Undergraduate #2

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality, nudity and some violence.

Runtime:

Canada:121 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | USA:132 min

Country:

UK | Canada

Language:

English | German | French | Spanish

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:16 | Australia:MA | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:15 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Japan:R-15 | Singapore:M18 | UK:15 | USA:R | Finland:K-15 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Remstar Productions

Quotes:

Julian Elsworth: [Guy and Gilda are on the pool table, naked under a blanket] What are you wearing under there?
Gilda Bessé: As it's your big day, I'm wearing my Birthday Suit in your honor.

Soundtrack:

My Girl's Pussy

Definitely Worth Seeing

If this story is not about three real people, it may as well be. The spirits and fears and courage all existed at that time. The passions, wildly expressed sometimes and restrained in other instances seem authentic and appropriate for the characters and the time. The pre-war years have a tension, attended to by some and ignored by others, that is well conveyed.

Cherize Theron's speech patterns sound like John Malkovich, but English is her second language; perhaps she selects people to imitate or has them recommended to her. I see in the "trivia" section the nontrivial fact that her mother, under attack, shot and killed her father when she was fifteen. Theron plays the part as though there is a world of experience inside her shell -- and indeed there is. The ending, I agree, was ... but I don't have a suggestion for an alternative. Regarding the script, the language is often just a little too much, like an over- frosted cake (the Malkovich miming underscores this excess, because he can make any script sound over-written, oddly.) Nevertheless, I believe it to be a very good film, one I'll recommend.