My Review -
Holy Smoke
My Rating
6/10
Holy Smoke is movie I'm sure that couldn't be made today and I doubt Director Jane Campion could even get away with the erotic violence that's depicted in Holy Smoke which is billed as a romantic comedy /drama ?
It has some very humorous moments mostly bizarre but for me they are overshadowed by the manipulative tone of the story.
Kate Winslett who had just filmed the gigantic hit Titanic two years before stars as Ruth a young woman from Sans Souci Sydney who on a visit to India falls under the spell of a charismatic religious guru.
In a complete role departure from her conventional romantic character of Rose in Titanic Kate who stars as Ruth falls under the influence of a charismatic religious guru during a Hindu ceremony while on a holiday in India .
Her desperate mother Miriam and Ruth's family in Sydney are convinced Ruth has been brainwashed so she travels to India trying to convince her daughter to return home .
The family invent a subterfuge to get her to return home and hire P. J. Waters, a macho cult de-programmer played by Harvey Keitel who confronts Ruth in a remote desert hideaway. What disturbed me most about this movie was the obvious depiction of male power play trying to dominate a vulnerable young woman even though Kate Winslett gives the character of Ruth strength and eventually reverses that power.
I can recommend HighSpirits it's very entertaining in an interesting way and it looks wonderful with the great austere settings that Jane Campion features .
The film is set on location in Paharganj in Delhi and Pushka in India . The Australian locations include Sydney and Hawker in the Flinders Ranges in South Australia.
However I suspect some of the content especially today that Director Jane Campion who wrote the screenplay for the film with her sister, Anna Campion may trigger people who are sensitive to domestic violence.
This was Jane Campion's 5th movie and it's interesting to see the technical results of an increased budget of USD 15,000,000 compared to the $1 million budget that her first movie Sweetie had .
I must say I preferred Sweetie .
A footnote- In a movie that Harvey Weinstein was an Executive Producer it seems prophetic that Harvey Keitel 's character PJ Waters says to Ruth "I was young once you would have been impressed I was handsome ". Ruth replies "I wasn't even born " Kate Winslett was 22 or 23 years old when she filmed Holy Smoke and Harvey Keitel was 60 years old .
I must admit his statement was ludicrous especially as Harvey Keitel says this in a red low cut dress wearing lipstick.
It has some very humorous moments mostly bizarre but for me they are overshadowed by the manipulative tone of the story.
Kate Winslett who had just filmed the gigantic hit Titanic two years before stars as Ruth a young woman from Sans Souci Sydney who on a visit to India falls under the spell of a charismatic religious guru.
In a complete role departure from her conventional romantic character of Rose in Titanic Kate who stars as Ruth falls under the influence of a charismatic religious guru during a Hindu ceremony while on a holiday in India .
Her desperate mother Miriam and Ruth's family in Sydney are convinced Ruth has been brainwashed so she travels to India trying to convince her daughter to return home .
The family invent a subterfuge to get her to return home and hire P. J. Waters, a macho cult de-programmer played by Harvey Keitel who confronts Ruth in a remote desert hideaway. What disturbed me most about this movie was the obvious depiction of male power play trying to dominate a vulnerable young woman even though Kate Winslett gives the character of Ruth strength and eventually reverses that power.
I can recommend HighSpirits it's very entertaining in an interesting way and it looks wonderful with the great austere settings that Jane Campion features .
The film is set on location in Paharganj in Delhi and Pushka in India . The Australian locations include Sydney and Hawker in the Flinders Ranges in South Australia.
However I suspect some of the content especially today that Director Jane Campion who wrote the screenplay for the film with her sister, Anna Campion may trigger people who are sensitive to domestic violence.
This was Jane Campion's 5th movie and it's interesting to see the technical results of an increased budget of USD 15,000,000 compared to the $1 million budget that her first movie Sweetie had .
I must say I preferred Sweetie .
A footnote- In a movie that Harvey Weinstein was an Executive Producer it seems prophetic that Harvey Keitel 's character PJ Waters says to Ruth "I was young once you would have been impressed I was handsome ". Ruth replies "I wasn't even born " Kate Winslett was 22 or 23 years old when she filmed Holy Smoke and Harvey Keitel was 60 years old .
I must admit his statement was ludicrous especially as Harvey Keitel says this in a red low cut dress wearing lipstick.