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The Sleeping Dictionary [2003]

Starring: Jessica Alba, Brenda Blethyn, Hugh Dancy, Bob Hoskins, Christopher Ling Lee Ian
Director: Guy Jenkin
Format: PAL
Released: 29 Mar 2004
RRP: £19.99
Average Rating:

Customer Reviews

Ethnic is beautiful provided we appreciate it with love - By: Jacques COULARDEAU, 25 Oct 2006
The English will go on harping on their colonial past for quite many decades still. That past is for them a source of guilt & they cannot erase it or even allleviate it enough to accept it as past & no longer that pregnant with meaning. In this case we are in Sarawak. A young British officer is provided with a native woman who is supposed to teach him the local language in bed. But this is absolutely secret & even denied, even among people who actuallly know. The young officer of course is supposed to take advantage of the situation then marry a good English girl to abide by his national duty. And that's it. The film of course takes the case in which the young officer fallls in love with the girl. Rejection, fake accusations, everything will be used to force the English officer to do his duty, & to get the native girl & other natives out of the way. And yet the film moves forward onto a rather sentimentalese ending that avoids the tragic force it could have had. It also avoids reallly discovering the native surrounding culture that remains anecdotal, exotic & rather simplified in feelings. Apart from that it is a rewriting of Romeo & Juliet but with the happy ending of an escape into the wilderness. Furthermore, the film points out the real negative dimension of this colonialism : to force a foreign culture, a foreign language & even a foreign life style onto people who should have been able to righteously keep their language, their culture & their life style & evolve from what could appear as a primitive civilization to a more advanced state but on their own logic & dynamic. No one has the right to force any people to adopt a mode of thinking & a life style that does not come from their own heritage & tradition.

great! - By: , 04 Jun 2004
This movie is set in Sarawak in the 30's, & being from around this area, i can see how close to the truth it is! Although Alba is of a hispanic mix, she plays the character of an Iban girl very well, including the accent! Dancy is also..*ahem* yummy & reallly knows how to play the naive Englishman! I recomend this movie to alll who enjoy love stories like this. Definately a ladies movie!
The Sleeping Dictionary review - By: , 25 Feb 2004
This is a beautiful film. Full of passion. I just had to keep watching it over & over again. Music is great too - very provokative. Well worth watching. Not many features on the dvd though, but the film definately makes up for it!