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| The Serpent's Kiss [1997] (REGION 1) (NTSC) | ![The Serpent's Kiss [1997] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FW579A6ZL._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Director: Philippe Rousselot
Actors: Ewan Mcgregor, Greta Scacchi, Pete Postlethwaite, Richard E. Grant, Carmen Chaplin
Studio: MGM
Category: DVD
Buy Used: £5.20
New (2) from £11.26
Avg. Customer Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 54293
Format: Closed-captioned, Colour, Dvd-video, Widescreen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Running Time: 110 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
ISBN: 0792849760
UPC: 027616860828
EAN: 9780792849766
ASIN: B000059PQB
Theatrical Release Date: 1997
Release Date: April 17, 2001
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
The Serpent's Kiss will probably be well received by fans of Peter Greenaway's arch and ornate films (The Draughtsman's Contract, Drowning By Numbers for example). In this movie, a young Dutch landscape artist named Chrome (Ewan MacGregor) is hired by homely but rich landowner Smithers (Pete Postlethwaite) to turn his overgrown estate into a masterpiece of topiary and hedge-mazes. But unbeknown to Smithers, Chrome is fulfilling the will of Smithers' ardent enemy (Richard E Grant), who hopes to bankrupt the wealthy man and seduce his beautiful wife (Greta Scacchi). When Chrome falls under the spell of Smithers' enigmatic daughter, all plans go awry. The strong cast wallows entertainingly in this mix of jealousy, decadence, intriguing visuals, Machiavellian schemes, and heaving bosoms, with Grant performing with his usual lurid gusto. The sumptuous Restoration-era costumes enhance this meditation on art versus nature. --Bret Fetzer, Amazon.com
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| Customer Reviews:
 It's a nice movie but would have been better in a different March 16, 2003
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
This story is about a young, Dutch landscaper, Meaner Chrome (Ewan McGregor), who plans to create an extravagant garden for Thomas Smithers and his wife (Pete Postlethwaite and Greta Scacchi). His real plan or the real motive of this garden is to bankrupt Smithers so the not-so nice James Fitzmaurice (Richard E. Grant) can seduce Smithers wife. But Chrome begins having second thoughts about completing the plan, after he becomes fascinated by Smithers daughter Theca (Carmen Chaplin). I think people who have criticized this movie are far too harsh. I found it to have an excellent story with a talented cast. The performance that I felt most touched by was Carmen Chaplin's. Her struggle to find disorder in a world that wants to have order is an interesting element to the story. What I didn't like was the movie's pacing. I felt the message the movie was conveying that you couldn't control nature. I think this theme would have been better expressed in a short story or a short movie, not a feature length film. A part from that, I can sit through the hour and fifty minutes and feel glad that I saw this movie.
In the Eye of the Beholder January 31, 2001
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is a beautifully crafted directorial debut by the cinematographer who photographed "La Reine Margot". The story builds slowly but steadily with intriguing performances from Ewan McGregor and Carmen Chaplin. If taken at face value, the film may not be what many may expect but then that is the premise of the story itself, in that, not all the characters are what they seem either. Using the construction of the garden as a metaphor for the various conflicts that become apparent as the storyline develops, the director never opts to spell things out for the audience in black-and-white but perhaps not surprisingly, allows the visuals to tell the story. A totally satisfying experience if you like your films to breathe.
 Follies, Foliage, and Footsies January 12, 2001
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
An uneven attempt to bring romanticism of 18th century costume drama in line with modern desire under the elm make this film a boring venture. Despite strong casting that features Ewan McGregor, Greta Scacchi, Richard E. Grant, and Pete Postelwaite, the story rambles and is at times incoherent. The story centers on the construction of a formal garden to mark the arrival of a businessman (Postlewaite) and his wife (Scacchi) to the local gentry class is marred by the arrival of the woman's lecherous cousin (Grant). Grant's presence is ominous and clearly an annoyance to landscape architect, Meneer Chrome (McGregor), whose own distraction by the couple's daughter is more than an obstacle to completion of his assignment. A lot of heaving bosoms by mother and daughter offer some distraction and foreshadow the ending. Unintentional comedic timing by McGregor make his character's statement "Garden design has made some progress since the Italian Rennaisance and their water games." an unfortunate commentary on the film. The entire production sinks under the weight of poor direction and wigs. This is a disappointment despite all good intentions by an excellent cast of actors.
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