Quills (2000)
Directed by Philip Kaufman
Written by Doug Wright

I approached this movie with caution. Anything dealing with the Marquis de Sade is bound to focus on his extremely hardcore pornographic novels and virtually ignore his misguided, though suprisingly logical social philosophy. At the time when France was thrust in the bloody purge known as the "Reign of Terror," Sade's libertine philosophy was that man could not act virtuously because virtue was an undefinable ideal. For man to act virtuously, he had to define what virtue wasn't.

So, in essence, Sade believed that it was OK to rape, torture and kill because in the end, that might be the right thing to do, after all.

Quills is set after the "Reign of Terror" during the reign of another terror: Napoleon's. The Marquis de Sade (Geoffrey Rush) has been committed to an insane asylum for several murders. Confined in the asylum under the kind eye of the Abbe' Coulmier (Joaquin Phoenix), the Marquis has been passing his hours by composing the most scandalous hardcore pornography ever published.

Said porn is being smuggled out of the asylum by a simple laundress (Kate Winslet), published, and sold hand over fist through out France, much to the ire of Napoleon. The emperor assigns the villainous Dr. Royer-Collard (Michael Caine) to oversee the Abbe' Coulmier's handling of Sade's managment at the asylum. Described as a specialist in "curing" the insane, Royer-Collard's methods mostly involve dunking people in water.

With Napoleon's blessing, the good doctor promptly claims his 14-year-old wife from a convent and moves his medieval torture devices into the asylum. Thus begins the classic tale of who is more insane, the patient or his doctor.

I found the film to be extremely well acted. Geoffrey Rush's Sade was insane but human … a man completely consumed by his philosophy/insanity. Michael Caine was effective as Dr. Royer-Collard, the perfect blend of evil and efficiency. Kate Winslet portrayed the tragic Madeline as an innocent yet completely willing accomplice. Joaquin Phoenix's Abbe' Coulmier was compassionate yet fragile.

As pleased as I was with the film, I was disappointed in one respect. Historically, the movie is less than accurate. Several liberties have been taken with the timeline and the circumstances of Sade's death. Personally, I feel that Sade's life was plenty interesting … no need to fictionalize. The inaccuracy aspect costs Quills one of our precious cute li'l puppies.

Review by SIL