Search - Angels and Insects on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Nudity, Adult Situations, Strong Sexual Content Movie Release: 1995 DVD Release: 03/19/2002 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: English, Spanish Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 58 mins Studio: MGM Members Wishing: 21 Genres: Drama, Period Film, Erotic Drama

A 19th-century British naturalist falls in love with the beautiful daughter of a wealthy aristocrat, but he soon discovers that her family's perfect facade disguises unexpectedly grim secrets. Director and co-screenwriter Philip Haas's adaptation of A.S. Byatt's -Morpho Eugenio eschews the usual gentility of Victorian period pieces in favor of subtle creepiness. The unsettling mood is emphasized by the film's detailed attention to its protagonist's scientific endeavors, which center on the study of insects and their behavior. In fact, it is his love of insects that brings William (Mark Rylance) to the well-heeled Reverend Alabaster (Jeremy Kemp), who takes a personal interest in William's welfare when a shipwreck leaves William practically penniless. William is welcomed into the Alabaster home, and he resumes his entomological studies while courting the reverend's daughter, Eugenia (Patsy Kensit). Close-up glimpses of insect society parallel this aristocratic world and hint at the dark secrets with which William soon becomes unexpectedly familiar. As in Haas's previous film, The Music of Chance, an unusual, highly symbolic filmmaking approach creates an effective drama, with the potentially detached intellectualism balanced by unusual characterizations and an absorbing attention to detail. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

Mark Rylance - William Adamson
Kristin Scott Thomas - Matty Crompton
Patsy Kensit - Eugenia Alabaster
Jeremy Kemp - Sir Harold Alabaster
Douglas Henshall - Edgar

Philip Haas' stylish Angels & Insects comes to DVD with a widescreen transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. White it is wonderful (possibly necessary) to have this film in its original aspect ratio, the anamorphic process would have greatly improved the film's distinctive and bright colors. English and Spanish soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital Surround. English, Spanish, and French subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include the original theatrical trailer. This is a decent disc from MGM/UA, but it could have been better. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide