Movie Review: The Libertine

The Libertine

I first heard about The Libertine some months ago. Though the notion and then the trailers proved intriguing, in the interest of full disclosure I must confess that Johnny Depp alone would have been sufficient reason for me to buy a ticket. But despite the movie having been made in 2004, it took until now for it to be released. I have no idea why that might have been the case, but I can tell you that a friend and I had both waited far too long to see the film and so were standing in line to see it at our first opportunity when it came this weekend.

John Wilmot, the second Earl of Rochester (Johnny Depp) was a true rake, very much in keeping with the times in which he lived (the mid-1600's). The movie opens during what is likely the peak of Wilmot's "career" in debauchery when he is infamous for drinking, gambling, outspokenness, and most especially, for his sexual escapades. In point of fact, Wilmot's rich wife, Elizabeth Malet (Rosamund Pike) is one of his early conquests who now suffers largely in silence as her handsome husband womanizes elsewhere.

Wilmot's blunt and hedonistic nature makes it difficult for him to have many friends, but among the few he can count on is playwright George Etherege (Tom Hollander). Their mutual love of the theatre also doesn't hurt their relationship, though Etherege's latest play might: he's writing the story of his friend, the Earl of Rochester. It's also Etherege who introduces the Earl to a young admirer and aspiring "member" of his small clique, Billy Downs (Rupert Friend). Wilmot honestly tells Downs that congregating with such men as he will be the death of him, but Downs just laughs and joins the men for cards, drinking, and wenching whenever he can.

In the meantime, Etherege and Wilmot are regular attendees at a London theatre which also happens to be frequented on occasion by the King of England, Charles II (John Malkovich). It's on one of these excursions that Wilmot is summoned to the King's side. The King has reversed an earlier temporary banishment of the Earl so as to seek his advice and his eloquence in his cause.

Wilmot agrees to help the King, though with little grace. He returns to his own box seat just in time to take note of actress Elizabeth Barry (Samantha Morton) as she's booed off the stage. It's partly his own ego, and partly something else that leads Wilmot to offer to teach Barry to be a better actress. Though initially too proud, Barry is convinced and the lessons commence. Of course, given the Earl's reputation and his own determination, Barry eventually becomes the Earl's mistress as well.

Meanwhile, the King is beset with difficulties both within and without his kingdom, and he wants more from the Earl. Wilmot, who is utterly incapable of proper behavior, agrees to help by writing a play to honor the king in time for a visit from the French ambassador. The King tells Wilmot that "Elizabeth had her Shakespeare, and you can be mine," little knowing just what he's letting himself in for! That doesn't mean the King will rely solely on Wilmot, though, and others are recruited less overtly to assist.

Wilmot's play, when it's finally finished and presented to a packed house, is entirely amusing. It's also completely pornographic and, to sweeten the pot, lampoons the King as well. Needless to say, the Earl finds himself once again out of the King's good graces. Wilmot, who has long been far too fond of wine, begins drinking more and more. And he's also apparently suffering the effects of some illness. Despite the devotion of his long suffering wife and a pert servant (Richard Coyle), events begin spinning out of control with dramatic effects on both his physical and emotional well being.

The Libertine has been receiving mixed reviews, and after having seen the movie myself, I can understand that. In fact, my own opinion of the film is somewhat mixed! The one fact in little doubt, however, is that Johnny Depp may very well be the single finest actor of our generation. Growing up in Kentucky, in this film he's convincingly "to the manor born." His youthful appearance lets him play the much younger Earl easily, and his striking good looks make his many conquests entirely believable. But his acting abilities make all of that pale in comparison. The Earl's manic joy in life is arguably a front for his disgust with himself and his anguish in living, and Depp conveys all of that with an effortless skill that's no less than stunning on screen.

Rosamund Pike, who was so beautiful in Pride and Prejudice, is lovely here but with a spine of steel that comes through brilliantly in her scenes with Depp; Hollander's portrayal of George Etherege shows him as both a loyal friend but also a smug survivor of the Earl's many foibles. Samantha Morton and Rupert Friend are just fine, Morton particularly so in scenes that show her stage acting improvement under the Earl's tutelage. And Richard Coyle provides a delightful comic note without being overtly slapstick — something that's not so easy to do, especially in a setting like this one!

Stephen Jeffreys penned both the script for the stage production of The Libertine as well as the screenplay for the movie, and direction was ably provided by relative newcomer, Laurence Dunmore. The sets and costumes were beautifully authentic, and the cinematography portrayed that authenticity flawlessly. In fact, that's probably the movie's biggest drawback.

In the 1600's, candlelight was all there was, and the sets are faithful to that which means many of the scenes are very dim and details hard to see. Worse is the language. While it was doubtless modernized a little, much is just as it was in Wilmot's day (some of his poems are quoted verbatim), which means it's often difficult to understand, and tedious as well more often than not. (The history of the film, by the way, is surprisingly accurate. For more on the Earl of Rochester, see "Honesty and Reason: The Satires of John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester." This 1999 honors thesis by Ealasaid A. Haas is fascinating, and surprisingly easy to read.)

While I don't have any true criticism of the film, I also have a difficult time recommending it broadly. I liked it to an extent, but didn't love it. The acting is brilliant, the authenticity marvelous, and yet the movie itself is neither. Is The Libertine worth seeing? Yes. But only if you're willing to work a little at enjoying it, and that's something that only a few moviegoers are willing to do.

POLITICAL NOTES: Any student of government past or presence is well aware of the value of compromise and propaganda. But seldom are we so overtly treated to the machinations of a government in its efforts to win its own way, nor do we often get to see the dramatic value of a charismatic speaker in convincing voters to do as the speaker desires. In a simpler time when fewer voices were heard, it's that much easier to see how things work (not to mention that much easier for those in charge to run things largely their way). Though there are no revelations here, it's still an "aha!" moment when a manipulative speaker turns the tide of popular sentiment.

FAMILY SUITABILITY: The Libertine is rated R for "strong sexuality including dialogue, violence, and language." This is not a movie for children, nor for those adults who are too "proper" to hear blunt and often detailed sexual references. Though often couched in poetry, the language is never-the-less graphic at best. In addition, the relative authenticity of the English spoken in the 1600's make this a movie suitable only for adults who are not only able but willing to follow along under such conditions.