| | | "Torn Apart by Two Worlds, Can Love Survive?"
Features: DVD, Pan and Scan (TV Format), English, Spanish, Subtitled
Based on the best-selling novel by Alessandro Baricco, Silk is a visually stunning epic spanning two continents. Herve Joncour's (Michael Pitt) devotion to his beautiful bride (Keira Knightley) is tested by increasingly, dangerous trade missions in search of silkworms for his towns survival. From his journeys to Japan, Herve brings great wealth for his village, but with each return to the Far East he becomes torn by the temptation of a local warlords sensuous concubine and his love for Helene.
"Four stars." Jeff Craig, Sixty Second Preview
"As sensuous as its title, Silk is an exquisitely felt love story that unfolds as delicately as a blooming flower." Kyle Smith, New York Post
Editor's Note
With SILK, director François Gerard (THIRTY TWO SHORT FILMS ABOUT GLENN GOULD, THE RED VIOLIN) brings Alessandro Baricco's bestselling novel to sumptuous life. Michael Pitt stars as Herve Joncour, a Frenchman who lives in a small town that has hit hard times. A local silkworm magnate (Alfred Molina) stumbles upon a solution for his town's troubles, and enlists Herve to travel to a hidden corner of Japan in order to smuggle back a boundless supply of rare silkworms. Traveling in disguise so that he won't be exposed, Herve succeeds in his mission. Upon returning home, he reunites with his beautiful, supportive wife, Helene (Keira Knightley). While Herve and Helene have a loving relationship, their inability to produce a child creates an undercurrent of distance between them. This is compounded when Herve meets a beautiful concubine (Sei Ashina) during one of his subsequent journeys, sparking a passionate encounter that will haunt him for the rest of his life.Gerard's adaptation of Baricco's novel spans several continents and many years. The production is aided by the lush imagery of cinematographer Alain Dostie and the haunting score from acclaimed composer Ryuichi Sakamoto (THE LAST EMPEROR). Featuring yet another standout performance from Molina, SILK tells an epic tale of love and loss in the 19th century.
| Features | Audio: English DD-EX 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Digital Stereo | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: New Line |
| Release Date: 9/30/2008 |
| Running Time: 109 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2007 | | Catalog ID: 1000036755 | | UPC: 00794043113079 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English | | Available Subtitles: English, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew | Alfred Molina | | Keira Knightley | | Kenneth Welsh | | Michael Pitt | | Alain Dostie - Cinematographer | | Alessandro Baricco - Based On Novel By | | Alessandro Baricco - Executive Producer | | Domenico Procacci - Producer | | Emita Frigato - Art Director | | Francois Girard - Screenplay | | Francois Girard - Director | | Francois Seguin - Production Designer | | Fumio Ogawa - Art Director | | Michael Golding - Screenplay | | Pia Di Ciaula - Editor | | Ryuichi Sakamoto - Original Music By |
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| | Professional Reviews | Reel.com 6 of 10
It has been nearly 10 years since French-Canadian director Francois Girard's last film, the evocative The Red Violin. Prior to that he made the sublimely offbeat 32 Short Films about Glenn Gould. After that long absence, Girard returns with Silk based on Alessandro Baricco's novel, and sadly, this drama is no sterling comeback, but instead a huge disappoint, a turgid, empty romantic drama in which even the normally wonderful Alfred Molina comes off badly. It is a gorgeous film to look at, but it has little to recommend it beyond pretty pictures...Then there is Pitt, a ravishing man whose most remarkable feature is his expressionless eyes, so reminiscent of a doll's. He was fine in Bernardo Bertolucci's The Dreamers, Gus Van Sant's Last Days, and Tom DiCillo's Delirious, all films that capitalized on the kind of callow vapidity that the actor brings to every role. But in Silk, playing an ardent character with depth, he is out of his league. There is a lot wrong with the film, but even if there had been more right, that singular bit of miscasting would have doomed it to failure...Shot in Canada, Japan, and Italy, the film's imagery is ravishing, but it offers nothing beyond that lovely surface. - Pam Grady
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