Maurice (Peter O’Toole) is an aging veteran actor, who becomes absolutely taken with Jessie – the grand-niece of his closest friend.
When Maurice tries to soften the petulant and provincial young girl with the benefit of his wisdom and London culture, he is surprised to discover how very little he actually knows now as his own life is drawing to a close.
I apologise, we feel bad, but there's no trailer available. ~Ed.
He's no longer the blue-eyed heart-throb we swooned over in Lawrence of Arabia but for sure he still has the charisma. Peter O'Toole plays Maurice, a doddery, sick old actor who is unexpectedly smitten by the apparently sluttish Jessie. It transpires that Maurice has always been 'one for the ladies', years before leaving his wife and 3 children under six, for a younger actress. The wife, admirably played by Vanessa Redgrave, is still supportive and friendly but wise to the old philanderer's whiles. Leslie Phillips at last gets away from his 'Carry On' persona to play Uncle Ian, the truly cranky relative of Jessie who has been forced by her mother to leave her northcountry home. Uncle sees her first as a vile intrusion and later, when he thinks Maurice has corrupted her, as an innocent provincial waif. In fact, she's both. Maurice brings out the best and worst in Jessie, whom he re-names Venus after the famous Velasquez painting, as he tries to show her that there is more to her drab life and that someone genuinely cares. On one level it's a black comedy - and it is very funny in places - about a lonely old man meeting a lost and defiant girl. On another it achieves a sort of creepy vulgarity as Jessie uses sex to manipulate the 80 year old. Because of this, we never quite gain enough sympathy with Venus to truly believe she has any other motive than a self-serving exploitation. It brilliantly portrayed the horror of being old in run-down Britain and the generational gap where teenagers seem to be a different species from the previous generation. The other real stars of this movie were lighting and design. Absolutely fantastic in every frame, it would be worth watching twice for the lighting alone which in places brings tears to the eyes it's so beautiful.
Who could be better suited than Peter O'Toole to the role of an actor growing old disgracefully? After watching Venus, it's impossible to imagine another septuagenarian getting away with groping a teenager's breast, and moreover, inspiring sympathy when he gets a subsequent knee to the crotch. It's O'Toole's towering presence - even while doubled over - that elevates this otherwise wavering comedy drama...
A screen-acting showcase by a man whose best days, many thought, were behind him. There's life in the old dog yet...
Told with wit, genuine poignancy and all kinds of humor, Venus charts the unlikely relationship between a man in his 70s and a young woman more than half a century his junior...
Zinger lines, wonderful performances and a profound emotional authenticity distinguish a film about the relationship between an old actor and a young woman.
If you thought Venus would be O'Toole's swansong, he begs to differ with a long list of upcoming film work that would be the envy of an actor a third his age. If Venus is any indicator of his work to come, long may he reign...
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 1st Nov 2007.
Release date: November 1st 2007.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
