{image1}The best Merchant Ivory film of the year isn't even by the Brit-film duo. Rather, "The Heart of Me" -- written by Lucinda Coxon and based on the 1953 novel "The Echoing Grove," by author Rosamond Lehmann -- comes courtesy of director Thaddeus O'Sullivan ("An Ordinary Decent Criminal").
A period film set in London in the 1930s and '40s, "The Heart of Me" is a weighty drama based around two sisters, always in competition. Madeleine Masters (Olivia Williams) is apparently happily married to Rickie (Paul Bettany) and the successful and popular couple has a teenaged son Anthony (Luke Newberry).
But Madeleine has a troubled relationship with her sister Dinah (Helena Bonham Carter), who is the flightier, artier and "less responsible" of the two. Dinah has always needed to be bailed out by their mom (Eleanor Bron) and others and, in Madeleine's words, "collects passions."
Unfortunately for Madeleine -- and completely predicted by us, the viewers -- Dinah's latest passion is Rickie. Worse still, the feeling is very, very mutual.
The film's timeline is a fairly complex one, jumping back and forth between two time periods, a decade apart. While this is fairly seamless most of the time, the time skips are sometimes jolting and confusing and many key facts are introduced subtly, so if you're not paying close attention, you can expect to be a bit lost for a while.
Other than this hiccup, the script is well-written and the three leads are passionate, if occasionally appearing to overdo things a little. "The Heart of Me" has a slick sheen and a soft focus that renders even the wartime scenes somewhat visually benign. The film's passion and drama might benefit from a somewhat edgier feel.
While this reviewer hates to resort to this, "The Heart of Me" is a fine film if the English period film is your bag. The story and acting are competent. However, if the best Merchant Ivory films can't move you, this one certainly won't do the trick, either.
"The Heart of Me" is out now on video.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
