I call this spy Peaches for reasons you can't imagine. But Peaches did see OSCAR & LUCINDA, and we haven't. So PEACHES will fill us in. There are some SPOILERS here, but not a ton. Enjoy!!
I had the good luck to attend a preview screening of OSCAR & LUCINDA a couple of days ago, and I wanted to share some details with you.
First of all, even though it stars Ralph Fiennes, you should not go expecting an epic romance, a la ENGLISH PATIENT. This is a much more complex and challenging film (which, of course, means it won't do nearly as well at the box-office). If you only enjoy the predictable and the "safe," please go see FLUBBER instead of OSCAR. But fans of the offbeat are in for a treat.
The story begins in New South Wales, Australia in 1848, when young Lucinda receives a birthday present: an exquisite crystal Rupurts' Drop. The significance of this present will surface later on. Meanwhile, young Oscar is living with his religious-fanatic father, who aspires to be a kind of marine biologist. Eventually, Oscar will leave his father's house to live with a minister and his wife in one of the film's typically quirky turns.
Fast-forward about 20 years. Lucinda is now played by the striking actress Cate Blanchett, and she gets a magnificent entrance, floating up from the bottom of a pond. Water will prove to be a recurring motif in the story. At the risk of oversimplifying a fascinating yarn, let's just say that as adults, both Oscar and Lucinda are heavily into gambling ("one obsessive, one compulsive," notes narrator Geofrey Rush) and, when they finally meet on a boat there's an instant attraction. But since Oscar is now a minister and Lucinda a slightly scandalous heiress, getting together is practically out of the question. Besides, Lucinda thinks she's in love with someone else, and Oscar is decidedly nerdy.
The story will eventually cruise from comedy to adventure to tearjerker (most effectively) to a marvelous, fitting finale. Fiennes is simply superb as the geeky Oscar and Blanchett has the fierceness and sexiness of Judy Davis, another great Australian actress. The film is directed by Gillian Armstrong (LITTLE WOMEN, MRS. SOFFEL), who manages to blend the tale's many tones together into a cohesive whole. I strongly suspect this will end up on my Ten Best of the Year list, and I encourage anyone with adventurous tastes to check it out.
"They Call Me Peaches"
