Love in the Time of Cholera [DVD] [2007]

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• This item: Love in the Time of Cholera [DVD] [2007] DVD ~ Javier Bardem

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• Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

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Amazon.co.uk Review
There's no reason an Englishman shouldn't take on a landmark in Latin American literature. Four Weddings and a Funeral, after all, proves Mike Newell has a feel for romance. Adapted by The Pianist's Ronald Harwood, Love in the Time of Cholera is an epic vision of true love. For all the talent involved, however, this lush realisation of the Gabriel García Márquez novel never takes flight. Newell begins with a death before backtracking 50 year to the late-1800s, with Florentino (Unax Ugalde), a poetry-writing telegraph operator living in an unnamed city (the movie was filmed in Cartagena, Columbia) who spots the graceful Fermina (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) while making his rounds, and that's it--he's in love. While Florentino's mother (Central Station's Fernanda Montenegro) encourages the courtship, Fermina's father (John Leguizamo in over-the-top mode) forbids it. Years pass, and the well-born Dr. Urbino (Benjamin Bratt) treats Fermina for a case of cholera. Then, Urbino proposes. Fermina accepts. A distraught Florentino (now played by Javier Bardem) decides to wait. With the help of his uncle (a sprightly Hector Elizondo), he amasses wealth of his own. All the while, he drifts from woman to woman. After five decades of waiting, he gets a second chance to win Fermina's heart, and it's easier said than done. Florentino's journey is absorbing, but Newell's film lacks the passion and complexity of Marquez's prose. The actors give it their all, but Love in the Time of Cholera is more of a pleasant diversion than a life-changing experience. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Synopsis
Gabriel Garcia Marquez's novel Love in the Time of Cholera straddles the line between pop and art, and manages to be both a bestseller and a literary masterpiece. With an excellent cast and a timeless story, Mike Newell’s cinematic adaptation strives for that same balance. As a young man in 19th-century Colombia, Florentino Ariza (played primarily by Javier Bardem) falls in love with a beautiful woman named Fermina (Giovanna Mezzogiorno). But an overprotective father (John Leguizamo) and too much reality intrude on their romance, and Fermina marries a successful doctor, Juvenal Urbino (Benjamin Bratt). But a wedding ring--and the passing decades—aren't enough to dissuade Florentino from his love, even as he beds hundreds of women as he tries to get over his undying passion.


Screenwriter Ronald Harwood (The Pianist) distills Garcia Marquez's novel--which spans more than 50 years and almost 400 pages--into an accessible film. The basic element of the book—Florentino's love for Fermina--remains intact, and it's driven by yet another excellent performance from Bardem. Fans who were impressed by his masterly turn as a cold-blooded killer in No Country For Old Men will be pleasantly surprised that the Spanish actor can be just as adept playing a character driven by love. As in his previous work such as Four Weddings and a Funeral and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, director Mike Newell has assembled another fine cast that also includes Liev Schreiber, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Hector Elizondo.

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Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez 3.8 out of 5 stars (56)  £5.49

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8 Reviews 5 star:  (1) 4 star:  (4) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:  (2)           Average Customer Review 3.2 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   9 of 11 people found the following review helpful: 1.0 out of 5 stars Just don't bother, 15 Jul 2008 By  Boof - See all my reviews Having read the book I was intrigued to see the film - but heard bad reviews when it was released so avoided spending the money going to see it at the cinema. A friend has just bought it so I borrowed it out of intrigue. Wow...there's 2 hours of my life I'll never get back, and I'm so glad none of my money went on watching it! The film barely captures the feel of the book, and while it does cover the general events, they are done so in a very rushed and heartless manner. Moreover, there are significant elements that are left out altogether, and while this does not affect the film itself, it changes the whole feeling of the story. The characters are totally unlikeable, and the effort to make the actors look like they have aged are laughable. It just looks like they have put some flour in Giovanna Mezzogiorno's hair, it was all so obvious and unconvincing - and frankly just annoying! I had never expected it to be quite as poor as it is - I felt like it was just happening on the TV, not engaging me like a film should: I want to be engrossed in it but instead I felt it was just bounding through a few scenes to get it over with. It doesn't deal with the concept of the passing of time especially well and if I had not read the book already I would have found it unbelievably confusing. I would have given it zero stars if there were the option, it truly is disappointing. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   6 of 15 people found the following review helpful: 1.0 out of 5 stars load of tosh - begrudge giving it a star, 16 Jul 2008 By  Constance Bell "C.Bell" (Gothic England) - See all my reviews I saw this film at the cinema - The most strangest bizzare film i had ever seen. it was unintentionally funny. way to long, bad acting, bad script, bad dialogue, boring, felt like a complete waste of my life watching it. the strangest film i've ever seen. dont buy this - you'll regret it!! Comment Comment (1) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   4 of 11 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars love forfeited =love forbidden, 16 Jul 2008 By  Dr. U. L. Khawaja "usman khawaja" (hornchurch ,london) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    chronicles of a love foretold and forfeited love in the time of cholera based on the time renowned gabriel marquez masterpiece -set in 1900 catagena columbia starring javier bardem benjamin bratt giovanna director mike newell marquez is a poetic prosaic stylist and this tale is about the mysteries of love-unleashed by the nobel laureate before his SOLITUDE, ,reflected in colombias BEjewelled city ,cartagena,with its cloistered patios and latticed grills ,the look is very GOYESQUE,even the gowns and scenes are composed like franciscos paintings ,NEWELL suceeds partially in creating a feel for the period ,but despite it being good there are major flaws ,i love goya and prada is a mecca for me with zaragoza anothergreat haunt for the masters art ,but newell has accomplished his turn of century decor in a skilfull manner and goyas ghost will be smiling . the plot of the movie and script will though give some pain and aches to the nobel laureate though as his characters suffer a little more in the movie then in the book secondary to an uneven narrative . primarily BARDEM as the man pining for love of fermia ,who waits 53 years to make loveto his beloved ,he is better then his caricature in old country for old men but still makes his impassioned obsessive love for fermia look like a modern cartoon character at times ,he professes to have whiled his time after his rejection by the lady by satisfying his lust on 634 female specimen ,and at least 7 of them are shown in vivid naked splendour with mr .bardem in his birthday suit ,he is also raped on a steamer by some 3 women who do not let him see their faces .i think mr bardem thinks a bit too highly of himself and his a bigger ego then talent and other trivia -whatever those might be . the plot is about fulfillment of an unrequited love with a triangle with the tragic woman -fermia wed to a wealthy doctor as her father opposes her bond to a somewhat inferior and destitute bardem, fermia is played by giovanna ,who is good but somehow lacks the genuine presence and grace required of a character equivalent of tolstoys natasha who can enchant a man into total obsession -frankly i dont think any actress today can play that role as they look more like supertrash of a superior class mainly as femininity has degenerated globally into mediocricy,bratt as her husband is the best of the three ,of the rest no one stands out and its a mediocre supporting cast ,in fact bardems mother and fermias father act badly at times and make their scenes look hysterically bad ,wringing arms and overdone grimacing facial expressions with terrible anglo spanish accents . the script wanders from being unbalanced with a racy start to slackened middle but the editing doesnt help too as its is uneven ,even though the final portion is good and rescues the epic finally , the production is good but not great ,the river steamer and the cartagena sequences are nowhere near as good as THE ULTIMATE MARQUEZ CINEMA ADAPTATION -CHRONICLES OF A DEATH FORETOLD -1989. DESPITE THESE FLAWS WHICH ARISE FROM THE LINGUISTIC incongruity as spanish is difficult to simplify into english and the characters look inappropriate expressing themselves in english in spanish accents ,the movie has some true high points like the wedding night scene or the deflowering of bardem amidst shelling plotted by his mother ,also the family dinner sequence at the end with fermias daughter being thrown out for her sneering contempt for geriatric love is memorable as is the brilliant finale . but bardem is a method actor and his mannerisms are clownish at times as is his affection ,i wish gael could have done this and someone could have made it in espanol with a really strong actress[selma hayek -great in frida ] who looked like she could drive a man crazy so he would wait 51 years for her. bardem unfortunately is overwhelmed by too many large naked bosoms of the women he fiddles with while waiting for fermia to be freed from her marriage ,and fermia comes across as a manipulative shrew which most women are truly ,but i think fermia was meant to be more by the writer . all in all a worthy flawed movie ,not half as good as THE PAINTED VEIL,on similar themes of crimes of passion and unhappy marriages ,and nowhere near chronicles of death foretold OR ATONEMENT ,another great adaptation about unrequited love and betrayal. usman khawaja - jbz7879 Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 8 customer reviews...		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars Sweet love story The story opens in a South American city in the 1800s, where young telegraph operator Florentino (Javier Bardem) sees the lovely Fermina and instantly falls in love. Read more Published 1 month ago by Kona 4.0 out of 5 stars moving and emotional 'Love in the time of cholera' is not just a love story. It is the story of second chances, of opportunities missed and of a willingness to be courageous. Read more Published 2 months ago by Donald M. Macdonald 3.0 out of 5 stars Good I haven't read the book but I really enjoyed this film, beautifully staged and shot, the sparing use of dialogue adds to it's charm. Published 3 months ago by A. M. Golding 4.0 out of 5 stars Highlander I like this movie very much - I think anyone with broken heart can find him/herself in this movie. I think that it is very close to the novel. Read more Published 4 months ago by Highlander 5.0 out of 5 stars Love in the Time of Cholera A beautifully made film, with passion, humour and insight - a real gem - only for those who believe in love... Published 11 months ago by Zahra Priddle Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 8 customer reviews...

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