FILM REVIEWS ï Royal Treatment ï Naipaul on Screen ï Paris in 1969 ï ëPiano Teacherí: Private Lessons ï Repertory Notes Royal Treatment ëLady and Dukeí Depicts French Revolution From Aristocratís View by Ky N. Nguyen Befitting a movie about the French Revolution, grand master Eric Rohmer manages to surprise everyone by reinventing himself with the innovative ìThe Lady and the Duke.î Rohmer started out as a film critic for CahiËrs du Cinema before becoming one of the original pioneers of the French New Wave. Heís mostly known for his mesmerizing, fascinatingly natural istic films featuring verbose characters pondering life and love in modern settings (ìClaireís Knee,î ìPauline at the Beach,î ìA Summerís Taleî). With ìThe Lady and the Duke,î Rohmer makes his third stab at a period piece following ìThe Marquise of Oî (1976) and ìPercevalî (1978). Shooting in digital video, Rohmer digitally inserts his actors in front of painted backdrops representing the long-gone buildings and streets of Paris. The paintings are patterned after the flat perspective style of artwork in the late 18th century, lending a certain theatrical reality to the settings his characters inhabit. In a sense, the audience perceives the environment the way the historical characters did. Ironically, this effect of ìthe truthî is reinforced by the flat and artificial look and feel of digital video. Instead of telling the revolutionariesí story, the French Revolution is viewed from the perspective of English aristocrat Grace Elliott (Lucy Russell), a staunch Royalist. Sheís the former mistress of the Duke of OrlÈans (Jean-Claude Dreyfus), a cousin of King Louis XVI who views himself as having moderate Radical tendencies. Still very close to each other in affection and loyalty, their relationship begins to suffer under the strain of their political differences and the Reign of Terror surrounding them. The film is based on Elliottís memoir, ìJournal of My Life During the French Revolution.î By the talky standards of Rohmer, ìThe Lady and the Dukeî is action-packed, with an appropriate body count (not displayed on screen) for the French Revolution. As in any Rohmer film, however, the meat lies in the conversations between peopleóprimarily those between a man and a woman. Through this familiar device, Rohmer precisely sketches the differences between Grace and the duke, in character as well as morality. The actors speak their lines with a formality appropriate to the flowery French language of the upper class. Unlike the fatal flaw of many theatrical productions, the actors are entirely believable as they inhabit their words. The charactersí passionate arguments reflect their personal convictions and emotions as the world they know collapses before them. ìThe Lady and the Duke (LíAnglaise et le Duc)î (French and English with subtitles; 129 min.) is now playing. Naipaul on Screen In Ismail Merchantís ìThe Mystic Masseur,î Indian Nobel Laureate V. S. Naipaulís literature is finally adapted to cinema. The result is a lighthearted and fascinating character study of a charismatic figure whose ambition carries him beyond both his expectations and his abilities. Merchantís sympathies for his flawed characters are always evident, an emotional connection with the audience strengthened through seemingly authentic acting. Ganesh Ransumair (Aasif Mandvi) rises from being an unappreciated schoolteacher to becoming both a successful writer and mystic masseur (a sort of spiritual healer). His two careers are intertwined and complement each other. Ganeshís materialistic father-in-law Ramlogan (the great Om Puri) and wife Leela (Ayesha Dharker) are initially skeptical of his endeavors but come around when he starts to become successful. Ganeshís reputation is enhanced when he cures Partap (Jimi Mistry) of mental illness. When Ganesh finds himself becoming a grassroots political leader, Partap edits ìThe Dharma,î Ganeshís political organ. As in any Merchant Ivory movie, the setting is lushly realistic. The characters are equally vivid and memorable, strengthened by the fine acting of the ensemble cast. Of course, screenwriter Caryl Phillips had the advantage of starting out with Naipaulís excellent source material. ìThe Mystic Masseurî delivers an exceptionally targeted and realistic portrayal of a specific people, place and time, yet the common situations involving human ambition and flaws are universal. ìThe Mystic Masseurî (English; 117 min.) is now playing at Cineplex Odeon Dupont Circle. Paris in 1969 ìCQ,î director Roman Coppolaís (the son of Francis Ford) debut feature, is a visual delight showcasing Coppolaís training in music videos. Coppola has described ìCQî as lighthearted, and itís certainly great fun. However, his balanced direction is not all flash and no substance. Coppolaís well-written film quietly depicts the turmoil in the mind of a frustrated filmmaker with scenes reminiscent of Federico Felliniís ì8 1/2,î especially when ìCQî moves to Rome. Paul (Jeremy Davies) is a young American filmmaker living in 1969 Paris with Marlene, his French girlfriend (...lodie Bouchez). By day, he works as an editor on ìDragonfly,î a ìBarbarellaî-like cheesy science-fiction picture. By night, he seeks to document ìtotal honestyî by shooting his personal life with Marlene, whoís less than enthusiastic about the lackluster status of their relationship. Coppola effectively contrasts the so-called reality of Paulís personal life with the stark artificiality of his professional career, although the lines become blurred. The distinctive and colorful production design and costumes evoke both 1969 and 1969ís conception of the future year 2001. The film both pays homage to and satirizes the stereotypes of 1969. It includes the pretentious French auteur (GÈrard Depardieu), the megalomaniac Italian producer (Giancarlo Giannini), and anarchist revolutionaries. The casting choices are superb. Daviesís protagonist displays a quiet thoughtfulness thatís a satisfying contrast to the volatility of the rest of the characters. Bouchezís vulnerability illuminates her pain and loneliness. Jason Schwartzmanís smirking Felix DeMarco, a hot young director who knows it, complements Paulís sensitivity. Billy Zane is knowingly entertaining as Mr. E., a Castro-like Cuban revolutionary on the moon in ìDragonfly.î Finally, Angela Lindvall hits a sweet note as Valentine, the gentle American activist discovered on the streets of Paris and thrust into the lead of ìDragonflyî as its beautiful title character. ìCQî (English, French and Italian with subtitles; 91 min.) is now playing at Landmark Bethesda Row. ëPiano Teacherí: Private Lessons Austrian director Michael Hanekeís trademark movie depicts disturbed, often sick and twisted individuals. Washington, D.C., viewers have seen this theme showcased in various ways with ìCode Unknown,î ìFunny Games,î ìThe Castleî and ìThe Seventh Continent.î Despite the gloss of a movie star as the lead, ìThe Piano Teacherî stays within Hanekeís familiar territory. The film skillfully depicts a repressed, neurotic middle-aged woman rapidly on the way to destroying herself. Nearly 40, Erika (Isabelle Huppert) is a strict, authoritarian piano teacher at the respected Vienna Conservatory. She lives with her equally overbearing mother (Annie Girardot), with whom she has an oppressive, mutually dependent relationship. Though Erika has no glimmer of happiness in her life, her carefully constructed faÁade of a life provides uneasy stability. All that shatters in the aftermath of a traumatic incident. Erika is nearly raped by one of her students, Walter (BenoÓt Magimel). She regains control of the situation by agreeing to a physical relationship, but only if Walter follows a list of her masochistic conditions. ìThe Piano Teacherî can be read as an objective indictment of the male-dominated power structure of the classical music world, perhaps itself a metaphor for Austria at large. This type of movie is all about the performances, and the three leads grandly live up to their difficult tasks. At the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, ìThe Piano Teacherî won the Grand Jury Prize, Best Actor, and Best Actress prizes. It premiered in Washington at Filmfest DC. ìThe Piano Teacher (La Pianiste)î (French with subtitles; 130 min.) is now playing at Visions Cinema/Bistro/Lounge. Repertory Notes Landmarkís Bethesda Row Cinema is now open, marking a vast improvement in the number of available screens for international cinema in the Washington area. The eight-screen theater features stadium seating, digital sound and inexpensive parking in city-owned lots. Itís located at 7235 Woodmont Ave. in Bethesda, Md.óminutes from the Bethesda Metro Red Line Stationó((301) 652-7273), http://www.landmarktheatres.com/Market/WashingtonDC/-WashingtonD.C._Frameset.htm). The retrospective of films made by the Makhmalbaf Film House, the filmmaking family of Iran headed by esteemed director Mohsen, concludes at the National Gallery of Artó((202) 842-6799, http://nga.gov/programs/film.htm)óand the American Film Instituteó((202) 785-4600, http://www.afionline.org). Accompanying the four Silk Road exhibitions at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, a multinational film series (June films are from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Germany) looks at the trade routeís past and present at the Freer Gallery of Artó((202) 357-2700, http://www.asia.si.edu/programs/film.htm). The Hirshhorn Museumís summer film program heats up with German Walter Ruttmannís ìBerlin, Symphony of a Great Cityî (June 6), Brazilian CÈsar Paesís ìSaudate for the Futureî (June 6-7), Soviet Dziga Vertovís ìThe Man with a Movie Cameraî (June 13), Italian Roberto Rosselliniís ìOpen Cityî (June 20), and Italian-American Martin Scorseseís detailed study of Italian cinema, ìMy Voyage to Italyî (June 27)ó((202) 357-2700, http://www.hirshhorn.si.edu/-programs/films.asp). Ky N. Nguyen is the film reviewer for The Washington Diplomat.