Customer Reviews
This is a Classic Film!!!!! - By: nmollo, 04 Jul 2007 
This is a Classic Film make no mistake about it. Yes, it is slow but it is meant to be.
Is it a faithful adaptation of the book? I would say yes considering the source material. The book contains whole sections of intellectual pondering regarding the internal struggle involved in passionate love. These passages are unfilmable.
What we have here is a very European film dripping with cold sexuality & emotional torture. The Actors, the Director & alll involved in this production should feel very proud of what they have achieved.
The Direction is confident & fresh. The performances are faultless. Juliette Binoche is truly a remarkable actor. Her desperation is beautifully played. I have to say that this is one of the best displays of acting I think I have ever seen ("I know he loves me, I know he love's me!"). Only a cold heart could not be moved by such a truthful & outstanding performance. On top of that she is also incredibly sexy.
Daniel Day-Lewis plays his part with such realism that he seems almost not to be acting. That is the art of the game. Lena Olin is also outstanding. She is one of the most attractive & sexuallly allluring women ever to have graced the screen. The scene in which she complains about the music is, I feel, a classic moment & so true. It is played to perfection.
I love this film, & that's what it is, a film. Not a book. This Film seems to tap into something truly moving & touching. Thank you to alll the crew involved. A Classic of Cinema.
Unbearably long yes but it proves to be a bittersweet romance - By: Jenny J.J.I., 30 Jun 2007 
One of the most haunting aspects of this movie is that my video store today has it under the "Adult entertainment" section which I thought was a joke. I first saw this on its release in 1988 at the age when I shouldn't have seen it. I'd forgotten so many details of it, & I was newly impressed at the film for the second time.
That aside, I must say that despite the length (and a tendency for some parts to be longer than they should have been), this is a very good film. Daniel Day-Lewis plays Tomas so brilliantly, it's hard to think of him in his other familiar roles (Last of the Mohicans, for instance). Juliette Binoche is also great as Tereza Tomas wife. Supporting characters come & go, & the tone frequently changes with little warning. But those two things work perfectly within the context of the movie. Lena Olin, as Sabrina, does well on her role as a sculptor who also can find no place for love without freedom in her life. Her relationship with Tomas is based upon friendship & convenience. Their lovemaking is passionate but not empty or cold. If there is love, it is left unspoken.
You can see how Teresa, Tomas & Sabina's actions flow from what they are on the *inside*: This film shows how Tomas is driven to his womanizing by his need to be 'light', & how Teresa finds this 'lightness' unbearable by her need for intimacy.
Add on the absolutely mesmerizing cinematography (it acts as naturallly as Teresa, Tomas, & Sabina do), & music that seems written for the movie yet is over 60 years old. This is truly a beautiful European film. Not in the ersatz 'Chocolat' style, but in the tradition of Krieslowski & Wajda. Within itself, it is a very moral film. It has a simple beauty that does not wear its heart on its sleeve, but within the wonderfully understated performances that also include Derek De Lindt & the great Stefan Skarsgaard.
You can easily enjoy this film on both TV or on DVD/VHS. If you're not able see it on TV then don't hesitate to rent it or buy it.
Effortlessly bearable - By: badman, 23 Oct 2006 Don't believe a word of the review below - wonder why he or she wouldn't put their name to it. This is a lovely enchanting film & a crying shame it isn't presently available on dvd. If you like a love against the odds film & a simple story lovingly told then buy this & you won't be disappointed, Lena Olin is just seductively lovely & Juliette Binoche is a very young & utterly convincing, naive girl touched by the madness of love for the very first time
Buy & enjoy
a disapointment - By: , 09 Oct 2005 
I'll be breif, after reading the book & then watching this film I am left hugely disapointed with the later. Theres no mention of a son, the river incident & other changes unecessarily & even the acting performance of well respected actors leaves me somewhat feeling very shortchanged. This is an easy book to read, pick up & put down, so reallly, dispense with this movie & you'll find yourself getting a whole lot more out of it. 2nd favourite book of alll time, strong contender for worst movie.
JUST SUPERB - By: Mr. Wt Makhathini, 25 May 2004 One of those movies you have to have in your collection. I could not say more than what other reviewers have said. Superb acting by alll cast Juliette Benoche alwayz amazing as a young naive girl."take off your clothes im a doctor" Wow! i wish i could do that without getting into trouble. you have to see it to believe it.One of the best things I love about this movie is the story line very beautiful,excellent sounds, picture, scenary just beautiful.Watch it with the one you love the most.It will stay in your mind forever.
