Search - Wide Sargasso Sea on DVD

MPAA Rating: NC-17 Content Advisory: Violence, Nudity, Adult Situations, Strong Sexual Content, Not For Children Movie Release: 1992 DVD Release: 11/04/2003 Format: DVD - Soft-Matted WSE for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 39 mins Studio: New Line Home Video Members Wishing: 10 Genres: Drama, Romance, Romantic Drama, Erotic Drama, Melodrama

Director John Duigan brings Jean Rhys' difficult 1966 best-selling novel to the screen. It's a story meant to be a prequel to Charlotte Bronte's novel -Jane Eyre, surmising what drove the first Mrs. Rochester mad in that novel. In Jamaica in the 1840s, slavery has been recently outlawed. Plantation owner Annette Cosway (Rachel Ward) has become so poor that she marries a rich, boorish Englishman whom she does not love. Her husband, Paul Mason (Michael York), is a sexist, racist tyrant who mistreats his servants and his wife. Paul flees to England after the servants and their countrymen revolt and burn down the mansion, killing Annette's young son. Annette goes insane and is consigned to the care of a servant. Her daughter Antoinette (Karina Lombard) is placed in a convent until she is old enough to inherit the property, but the inheritance depends on her marrying a proper husband. By previous arrangement, she marries Edward Rochester (Nathaniel Parker). At first they are lustily in love, but Rochester proves to be as elitist who is as disrespectful as Mason. Rochester has title to all of Antoinette's property, but he despises Jamaica and wants to return to England. He also fears the black magic of Christophene (Claudia Robinson), who mixes up a voodoo potion which ends up driving the couple farther apart. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

Karina Lombard - Antoinette Cosway
Nathaniel Parker - Edward Rochester
Rachel Ward - Annette Cosway
Michael York - Paul Mason
Martine Beswicke - Aunt Cora

This steamy drama has been given a simple presentation for its release on DVD. Wide Sargasso Sea has been given a pan-and-scan transfer to disc at the full-frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and the audio has been mastered in Dolby Digital Stereo. The dialogue is in English, with no multiple language options included. This disc features both the R-rated and NC-17-rated versions of the film, and includes the original theatrical trailer and additional material that can be accessed on computers with DVD-ROM drives. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide