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The films we discuss each month in this column are not "reviewed"
in the traditional sense of that word; rather, we look at
metaphysical messages in films, both current and classic.
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THE
HOURS
It has been a long time since I have felt so moved by a film as
I was while watching THE HOURS. Only FAR FROM
HEAVEN came close in 2002 and THE HOURS had a much more
powerful and emotional impact on me. The film is eerie, disturbing,
exhilarating, unsettling, totally engrossing, and is also brilliantly
written, photographed, scored, acted, and directed.
THE HOURS tells the interlocking story of three
women in different decades. Nicole Kidman plays Virginia Woolf
in the 1920's, Julianne Moore plays a woman in the 1950's whose
life is unraveling as she reads Woolf's novel Mrs. Dalloway, and
Meryl Streep plays a modern-day woman whose life is deeply affected
by both of the other two women. The device that connects their
lives is so beautifully and brilliantly conceived and executed
that I don't want to say anything more about the plot here.
Nicole Kidman's performance is hauntingly brilliant and definitively
marks her evolution from being considered a beautiful woman who
can act--to being one of the most accomplished and powerful actresses
in film today. Through the use of an extraordinary achievement
in prosthetic makeup, Kidman is almost unrecognizable as she literally
inhabits the soul of the tortured Virginia Woolf. Although Kidman
is on-screen for only a few scenes, the depth, pathos, and heartache
that she brings to her character are, for me, comparable to Diane
Lane's career performance in UNFAITHFUL and Julianne
Moore's performance in FAR FROM HEAVEN (throw in
Salma Hayek's bravura depiction of FRIDA and this
has been one amazing year for actresses!!). Moore is wonderful
in another Fifties portrayal in THE HOURS (two in
one year..hmmmm??) and Streep is her usual extraordinary self
---as is the entire cast. Both Stephen Dillane as Woolf's husband
and Ed Harris as Streep's dear friend give performances worthy
of Academy Award recognition. The film is directed with great
style and intelligence by Stephen Daldry and Philip Glass has
composed one of the most memorable and achingly beautiful film
scores since THE PIANO. In short, this is a first-class
production all the way through and will deservedly be one of the
strongest Oscar candidates in most major categories.
As Spiritual Cinema, it completes for me (with FRIDA
and FAR FROM HEAVEN) the Trilogy in 2002's Holiday
Season that celebrates both the ascension of feminine energy and
our evolution from the Male Age of Pisces into the Female Age
of Aquarius. And it's about time, yes? (As a SIGN, Pisces is Feminine
and Aquarius is Masculine---as an AGE, that is reversed.)Resonant
causation is appearing in greater intensity and impact causation
is being challenged like never before. Old paradigms die hard,
yes, but die they indeed do---and this new Aquarian Age is indeed
dawning despite so much evidence to the contrary in the so-called
"mainstream" world. While I can't really elaborate without divulging
more of THE HOURS than is appropriate here, the
internal structure of the progressive attitudes of all 3 women
in the film up through the decades reflect this amazing evolution
as well. When Meryl Streep appears in the penultimate scene to
merely turn off some lights in her apartment, we have a sense
that a major transformation has taken place.
As the title of THE HOURS refers, in part, to the
time we spend in reflection after the occurrence of a particular
event in our lives, so has this film fascinated and affected me
for these few weeks since I first saw it on New Year's Eve. After
playing in exclusive runs, it opened in mid-January in cities
across the United States and will get more exposure after it receives
the several Academy Award nominations that I believe it will deservedly
receive. If it hasn't opened near you yet---it might soon. As
it is a complex film that may stir emotions and musings within
you, it's a great movie to see with other members of your Spiritual
Cinema Community.
THE HOURS is a deeply moving, emotionally challenging
,and often brooding film that may very well unsettle some viewers.
With all that in mind, I heartily recommend it to you as a film
for adults who are in the mood for an absorbing and haunting literary
evening at the movies.
Stephen
Simon is has produced such films as SOMEWHERE IN TIME
and WHAT DREAMS MAY COME and also has served as President
of 3 different film companies. Stephen's first book THE FORCE
IS WITH YOU: MYSTICAL MOVIE MESSAGES THAT INSPIRE OUR LIVES
will be published in October, 2002 by Walsch Books/Hampton Roads.
For more information, Stephen invites you to visit MysticalMovies.com
and welcomes your comments: Stephen@MysticalMovies.com.
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