Search - The White Countess on DVD

Kimberly S. from UKIAH, CA
Reviewed on 4/22/2010...

Enjoyable, but Ralph Fiennes preformance seems strained, yet still within the character.

S A A. (Learned2Heal)
Reviewed on 2/27/2010...

Duane posted a very nice review of this movie. The one thing he got wrong is the locale. It is situated in Shanghai. The Japanese are invading it.

The movie moves slowly, giving the viewer lots of time to relish the foreign flavors. It is an extremely well cast film and the acting is superb. Ralph Fiennes is wonderful as the blind diplomat, who is truly a diplomat to the core. He has a gentle, non-invasive mode of inducement that allows others to bend in the direction he points them in. This character is beautifully done and we can learn a lot from him about the gentle art of persuasion.

Natasha Richardson is superb as the beleaguered Russian countess whose fate has plunged her to sad depths, performing as a dance hall girl who sells "occasional favors" to some clients. It is not a little ironic that her labor supports her whole family (5 people total), yet they have, in essence, ostracized her for the very work they need her to perform for all of them to survive.

This movie is beautiful in structure, visuals and story. It is a historical memorandum, built around a fictional story. All filmed on location in Shanghai. Very beautifully done! Chalk another big point up for Merchant Ivory!

2 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.

Duane S. (superpoet) from FORT WORTH, TX
Reviewed on 7/3/2008...

I liked this movie. It is a rather slow moving, but it is telling a sort of love story mixed in with the history of the time. The countess and her family are living in a small apt. in Japan and the countess is relegated to being a dance hall girl. This is abhorrent to the family. They don't want her to influence the granddaughter. She helps and becomes a friend of a blind diplomat. He wins a great deal of money at the races and opens a more upscale dance hall establishment he calls a "bar". He employs her and calls the bar, "The White Countess". He abstains from a relationship with her until the war is upon them. As they are leaving the country under an aerial attack, he helps the Countess rescue her daughter from the clutches of her grandparents and a mean-spirited sister. This changes their relationship . The movie leads us to believe that they will become great friends and perhaps married later on.

3 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.