Henry and June (1990)
Written and directed by Philip Kaufman, the film was the first ever to be released in the United States under the MPAA’s NC-17 rating. It was derived from the book entitled, Henry and June: From A Journal of Love: the Unexpurgated Diary of Anais Nin (1931-1932).
The director is no stranger to the translation of literature to film. Some of his other films include Quills, loosely based around some of the writings of the Marquis de Sade, and adaptations of Kundera’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being and Michael Crichton’s Rising Sun. Kaufman adroitly maneuvers between the boundaries of film, writing and real life, creating an intimacy of cognition rarely seen in American film.
The film is gorgeous, both rhythmic and feverishly erotic. It is set during the period of European societal excess in the early 1930’s and centers around Anais Nin’s (Maria de Medeiros) subjective perception of the relationship between Henry Miller (Fred Ward) and wife June Miller (Uma Thurman) and her own sexual awakenings from experiences between the two. The film has a writerly quality and is at times questionable as to the plausibility of events. However, it is unconventionally historical, a true testimonial in the sense that a journal writer fashions and fabricates between reality and imagination. The film has definitely not received the critical attention it deserves.
Jennifer Dawson
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Grading
- Story A-
- Acting A-
- Visuals A
- Originality/Innovation A-
- Enjoyability A-
- Overall A-
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