6.3/10
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La couleur du mensonge (2003)

The Human Stain (original title)
Trailer
1:45 | Trailer

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When a disgraced former college dean has a romance with a mysterious younger woman haunted by her dark, twisted past, he is forced to confront a shocking fact about his own life that he has kept secret for fifty years.

Director:

Robert Benton

Writers:

Philip Roth (novel), Nicholas Meyer (screenplay)
3 wins & 5 nominations. See more awards »

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Photos

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anthony Hopkins ... Coleman Silk
Nicole Kidman ... Faunia Farley
Ed Harris ... Lester Farley
Gary Sinise ... Nathan Zuckerman
Wentworth Miller ... Young Coleman Silk
Jacinda Barrett ... Steena Paulsson
Harry Lennix ... Mr. Silk
Clark Gregg ... Nelson Primus
Anna Deavere Smith ... Mrs. Silk
Lizan Mitchell Lizan Mitchell ... Ernestine
Kerry Washington ... Ellie
Phyllis Newman ... Iris Silk
Margo Martindale ... Psychologist
Ron Canada ... Herb Keble
Mili Avital ... Young Iris
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Storyline

This is the story of Coleman Silk (Sir Anthony Hopkins), a classics professor with a terrible secret that is about to shatter his life in a small New England town. When his affair with young troubled janitor Faunia Farley (Nicole Kidman) is uncovered, the secret Silk had harbored for over fifty years from his wife, his children, and colleague, writer Nathan Zuckerman (Gary Sinise), fast explodes in a conflagration of devastating consequences. It is Zuckerman who stumbles upon Silk's secret and sets out to reconstruct the unknown biography of this eminent, upright man, esteemed as an educator for nearly all of his life, and to understand how this ingeniously contrived life became unravelled. Written by lakeshoreentertainment.com

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

How far would you go to escape the past?


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and sexuality/nudity | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Germany | France | USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 October 2003 (France) See more »

Also Known As:

La couleur du mensonge See more »

Filming Locations:

Québec, Canada See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$839,170 (France), 31 October 2003

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,034,195, 2 November 2003, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$5,381,227, 1 February 2004

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$24,863,804
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

To prepare for her role, Nicole Kidman (Faunia Farley) visited women's shelters and talked to former victims of abuse for inspiration. See more »

Goofs

The camera used to tape the interview is a Sony PD-150, a camera that didn't exist in 1998. See more »

Quotes

Faunia Farley: [dancing provocatively] You're way too young for me. I need a man much older than you. At least 100. Know anyone in a wheelchair?
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Soundtracks

Sleepy Lagoon
(1940)
Music by Eric Coates
Lyrics by Jack Lawrence (uncredited)
Performed by Tommy Dorsey
Courtesy of Soundies Inc.
By Arrangement with De Pugh Music
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User Reviews

 
Totally wrong casting!!!

I love Roth's novel. I love Nicole Kidman. Above all I love Anthony Hopkins... and I think that both actors did a very good job indeed... But the casting of this film is absolutely wrong!

1)sir Hopkins: He's one of the greatest actors of our time, but this fair-skinned, blue-eyed gentleman with a charming Welsh accent is pretty unbelievable as an afro-American from New Jersey...maybe I haven't much imagination but I simply can't figure him as Coleman! Plus, there's very little resemblance with the guy who plays the young Coleman.

2)miss Kidman: You need the greatest suspension of disbelief to watch Nicole playing this sort of white trash, outcast janitor...

3)Gary Sinise: TOO YOUNG. Nathan Zuckerman is meant to be in his 70s, Sinise is in his 40s and the age gap with Coleman is too wide. In this way the very poetic "Cheek to cheek" scene lost much of his meaning. Read that scene in the book and you'll understand what I'm saying!

Only Ed Harris seems to fit better.

Just my two cents!


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