"The White Countess" starts out beautifully. Snow flutters about the screen, men in black tailcoats and white ties waltz with women in ball gowns of gold and white. But the beauty pretty much ends there.
Though director James Ivory ("Howard's End," "The Remains of the Day") is regarded for his ability to adapt history into respectful films, for "The White Countess" he should have left the past where it was. Staged in Shanghai during the '30s, the film lacks the emotion that is necessary to portray such terrible times.
Where there should be pain and sadness moving the audience to tears, Ivory shows instead a dry depiction of life in city bars that avoids the actual history. The movie tells of a blind Mr. Jackson, played by Ralph Fiennes ("The Constant Gardener"), who envisions his own "establishment:" a tavern with alluring women, a tuneful band and an intoxicating bar. He stumbles upon a Russian Countess, Sofia, played by Natasha Richardson ("Maid in Manhattan"), whom he insists is the "perfect centerpiece" for his bar.
Ivory's film leaps from history to passionless romance. Jackson and Sofia agree upon a formal business partnership that grows into a curiosity-driven relationship and tug-of-war. They scramble to discover the other's tearfully troubled lives but scamper away like criminals when the truth comes too close to their own past.
The potential romance is engulfed by the stories of their own individual tragedies. Ivory places an overwhelming emphasis on these tragedies that drowns the movie, washing up only impassive scenes that can barely be strung together.
All the while, the audience gets lost in all the bar scenes, choppy flashbacks, and family problems, forgetting that "The White Countess" takes place during the Sino-Japanese War, which is essential in understanding parts of the film. The movie takes another leap and suddenly the extras are being blasted by bombs from attacking Japanese and flattened by fellow Chinese looking for escape.
Fiennes fails to show the talent he did in "The English Patient." Much credit, however, can be attributed to his believable performance as a blind man. His best moments were scenes of deep reflection about Jackson's past, where Fiennes throws his character in the shadows of grief and guilt.
Richardson has her moments in "The White Countess," but like Fiennes, loses them quickly when she fails to react to situations properly. She plays the role of a loving mother so admirably that you could feel your own heart swelling up in anxiety when she almost lets her daughter slip. However, as the Countess of the movie, Richardson is short of the stunning and graceful beauty that is required for Sofia.
The best performances came not from the major actors but from those filling the supporting roles. Hiroyuki Sanada ("The Twilight Samurai") plays Matsuda, a Japanese military leader that befriends Jackson for his own gains. Sanada is able to convince viewers to believe his character is an honest companion in the beginning but pulls a skillful 360, becoming a cunning enemy who is still able to understand Jackson's reason behind his obsession with the bar.
Allan Corduner ("The Merchant of Venice") brings out his character with charm and a down-to-earth feel. Corduner plays the paternal neighbor of Sofia, Samuel Feinstein. Though just a supporting actor of a minor character like Feinstein, Corduner brings out the sincerity and kindness of his role, making it easy to warm up to his character.
However, a few strong minor characters are far from enough to hold the entire movie. Ivory ends his film with Jackson and Sofia sailing off on some body of water, not noticing he left most of his viewers ashore a Shanghai port, confused and disappointed.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
