Love in the Time of Cholera "Review"
Nov. 19th, 2007 10:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
burendasan4So this weekend I got to see "Love in the Time of Cholera". How was it? Well, I don't think it was as bad as the reviews made it out to be. It was pretty true to the book (for the most part). However, I don't believe that any movie can capture the magic of the book, but this movie did a pretty good job in trying.
There are some parts that I'm surprised were included, like Uncle Leo walking in on Florentino (that scene is hilarious!) and Florentino's relationship with a young girl later in his life (surprised--even though they kinda smoothed it over by making her slightly older and omitting the part about her suicide). One part I was uncomfortable in watching was the geriatric sex scene (I'll leave it at that).
And here's my take on how the actors did:
Florentino Ariza: Javier Bardem
He did great. Gave his own almost creepy spin on Florentino's character. As one movie review said, he was very good at acting out Florentino advancing in age.
Benjamin Bratt: Dr. Juvenal Urbino
Did very well. Reviews said that while he was great in bringing out the charm in Urbino's character, he did not give him much depth and almost made him look silly, but that's exactly the point. In the book, we don't really get to see that much into Dr. Urbino except towards the end of his life.
Giovanna Mezzogiorno: Fermina Daza
The reviews weren't very kind to her and I tend to agree. I mean, she did a good job especially when she portrayed the younger Fermina but she did BAD playing her as an older woman. She did not convince me that she was and old lady and just looked like an actress in bad makeup.
John Leguizamo: Lorenzo Daza
Many reviews said that Leguizamo portrays Lorenzo Daza in a rather silly way. One review said that he sounded like he was from Brooklyn when he played the part of Lorenzo, and I tend to agree. Yet, I think this was Leguizamo's own take on L.D. which...almost worked. I still think he was too young for the part ;-)
Hector Elizondo: Don Leo
Did a good job...not much else to say ;-)
Liev Schreiber: Lotario Thurgut
Even though he had a rather small part in the movie, I give him two thumbs up! Yeah, baby, yeah! In my mind though, Lotario was a smidge heavier...
Catalina Sandino Moreno: Hildebranda Sanchez
She was caliente as Fermina's sassy, sexy cousin, but she did HORRIBLE playing her as an old lady. You saw the body of an old woman but with a young voice...totally unconvincing! Come to think of it, they should have picked older actresses for the parts of Fermina and Hildebranda as old ladies...The actresses are just too young and sexy to be old women! ;-)
Fernanda Montenegro: Transito Ariza
She did a very good job...and even managed to bring out a bit of the sadder side of her character that wasn't touched upon in the book very much.
Of course, the scenery and costumes were beautiful and Shakira's songs really fit the movie well. One thing I will say though is that I really wish the movie had been done in Spanish with English subtitles. Often the actors sounded kind of silly trying saying their lines in an overdone theeck Espaneesh ak-cent. Will I buy the DVD? Eh...not sure, but overall, I thought it a pleasant movie.
There are some parts that I'm surprised were included, like Uncle Leo walking in on Florentino (that scene is hilarious!) and Florentino's relationship with a young girl later in his life (surprised--even though they kinda smoothed it over by making her slightly older and omitting the part about her suicide). One part I was uncomfortable in watching was the geriatric sex scene (I'll leave it at that).
And here's my take on how the actors did:
Florentino Ariza: Javier Bardem
He did great. Gave his own almost creepy spin on Florentino's character. As one movie review said, he was very good at acting out Florentino advancing in age.
Benjamin Bratt: Dr. Juvenal Urbino
Did very well. Reviews said that while he was great in bringing out the charm in Urbino's character, he did not give him much depth and almost made him look silly, but that's exactly the point. In the book, we don't really get to see that much into Dr. Urbino except towards the end of his life.
Giovanna Mezzogiorno: Fermina Daza
The reviews weren't very kind to her and I tend to agree. I mean, she did a good job especially when she portrayed the younger Fermina but she did BAD playing her as an older woman. She did not convince me that she was and old lady and just looked like an actress in bad makeup.
John Leguizamo: Lorenzo Daza
Many reviews said that Leguizamo portrays Lorenzo Daza in a rather silly way. One review said that he sounded like he was from Brooklyn when he played the part of Lorenzo, and I tend to agree. Yet, I think this was Leguizamo's own take on L.D. which...almost worked. I still think he was too young for the part ;-)
Hector Elizondo: Don Leo
Did a good job...not much else to say ;-)
Liev Schreiber: Lotario Thurgut
Even though he had a rather small part in the movie, I give him two thumbs up! Yeah, baby, yeah! In my mind though, Lotario was a smidge heavier...
Catalina Sandino Moreno: Hildebranda Sanchez
She was caliente as Fermina's sassy, sexy cousin, but she did HORRIBLE playing her as an old lady. You saw the body of an old woman but with a young voice...totally unconvincing! Come to think of it, they should have picked older actresses for the parts of Fermina and Hildebranda as old ladies...The actresses are just too young and sexy to be old women! ;-)
Fernanda Montenegro: Transito Ariza
She did a very good job...and even managed to bring out a bit of the sadder side of her character that wasn't touched upon in the book very much.
Of course, the scenery and costumes were beautiful and Shakira's songs really fit the movie well. One thing I will say though is that I really wish the movie had been done in Spanish with English subtitles. Often the actors sounded kind of silly trying saying their lines in an overdone theeck Espaneesh ak-cent. Will I buy the DVD? Eh...not sure, but overall, I thought it a pleasant movie.
