The White Countess (PG)

Anthony Quinn
Friday 31 March 2006 00:00 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The final Merchant Ivory collaboration carries a suitably elegiac air, though nothing about this tale of émigrés meeting in 1930s Shanghai will cause intense regret at their leave-taking. Ralph Fiennes plays a blind American ex-diplomat who engages a down-at-heel Russian aristo (Natasha Richardson) as the hostess of his swanky nightclub, oblivious of the Japanese war machine gearing up in the background.

While ravishingly photographed by Christopher Doyle, this fails on almost every level to convince; it supposedly concerns the pain of bereavement and exile, yet it feels no more authentic than Richardson's R-r-r-ussian accent. As with so much Merchant Ivory, it is respectable, decent and more enervating than an elephant tranquilliser.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in