Just got around to checking out Fox Home Video’s Quills DVD. “”Quills”” is the story of the infamous Marquis de Sade, a French Nobleman who wrote sexually charged literary novels. His writings were championed by the common man and feared by Napoleon, because of this, he was locked away in an institution and bared from writing ever again.
But someone who has the passion to write, always finds a way. Through the help of a chambermaid (Kate Winslet) he manages to smuggle his work out. The film features great performances all around, good direction, and a fantastic script. Kate Winslett and Joaquin Phoenix were fabulous, deserved nominations for their parts, but Michael Caine and Geoffrey Rush got the nods instead, which after seeing the film, I can’t argue with. Although I must say, Joaquin is building quite the portfolio of sexual partners, first his sister in Gladiator and now a dead woman, two really cringe worthy moments in his acting career. Being a persecuted webmaster and critic, I can relate to the abuse the Marquis de Sade took. Movie Grade – B DVD EXTRAS The DVD includes the standard extras, including production notes, commentary, trailers, etc. As feature rich as they are, they somehow seem to lack that certain something. That thing that makes you go, “”Wow! This is cool”” Extra’s Package – C Overall DVD Package – B-