The Serpent's Kiss |  | Director: Philippe Rousselot
Actors: Ewan McGregor, Greta Scacchi, Pete Postlethwaite, Richard E. Grant, Carmen Chaplin
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Category: DVD
List Price: $9.94
Buy Used: $1.49
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Rating:  17 reviews
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 110 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
ISBN: 0792849760
UPC: 027616860828
EAN: 9780792849766
Theatrical Release Date: 1997
Release Date: April 17, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Fans of Peter Greenaway's arch and ornate films (The Draughtsman's Contract, Drowning by Numbers) may enjoy The Serpent's Kiss. A young Dutch landscape artist named Chrome (Ewan MacGregor) is hired by a homely but rich landowner named Smithers (Pete Postlethwaite, In the Name of the Father, The Usual Suspects) to turn his overgrown estate into a masterpiece of topiary and hedge mazes. But unbeknownst to Smithers, Chrome is fulfilling the will of Smithers's ardent enemy (Richard E. Grant, Withnail & I), who hopes to bankrupt the wealthy man and seduce his beautiful wife (Greta Scacchi). When Chrome falls under the spell of Smithers's 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
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 17
 Slow moving historical drama-- August 24, 2009
Film Fan (New Jersey, USA)
Although generally a fan of "period piece" films this one is a bit thin in terms of story. Good actors wasted on a low-budget effort with a plodding, slow moving plot revolving around a rich merchant's garden and a romance between his daughter and the gardener.
 a work of art December 5, 2007
Nina (New York, United States)
I saw this movie on late night tv recently for the first time. The poetry in the opening immediately grabbed me. Then enters Meneer Chrome, ooohh, so incredibly handsome. I know I got to have the DVD. I never had a movie library, just a few dance DVDs. This is the first movie ever I'm compelled to buy. On the surface, it's chick flick at its finest, thanks to the racy good looks of Ewan McGregor and his brilliant acting. It's a sexy little movie sans sex scenes.
Next I found myself watching it twice in 2 days. It feels like I'm viewing a painting...and you want to see it again. Variety magazine pointed out in their review that the literary aspect of the movie is partly to blame for the lack of mass distribution. Perhaps there should've been a few pony chase scenes, but I much prefer idyllic images and old fashioned flirtations and a world of sensual symbolisms...
The reviews here from other viewers offer superb analysis of the literary elements found throughout the movie. In a nutshell, the movie is built on opposites: the bitter tension, or coming together to form something bigger. Like Meneer and Thea, a marriage made in heaven...
The word "heaven" came out unintentionally but just as well -- I can't help but think of Garden of Eden...the snake...the "forbidden fruit" Fitzmaurice cautioned Meneer to stay away from ... Am I reading too much into it? Probably...
Meneer's character evolves over the course of the movie -- from the worldly architect with a hidden agenda, to Juliana's boy-toy in her fantasy as well as "parlor games", to who he really is under the disguise -- an innocent little boy, eyes closed, lying on the beach while Thea strokes his hair...
What seems to be lacking is Meneer's feeling for Thea. He cares about her, but the movie didn't show he's secretly in love with her. Despite that, I find the movie very engaging and I definitely recommend it.
(Some viewers might be concerned about Thomas and Juliana left with nothing but each other. No worries, the evil cousin can't take the gold coins with him, so the fortune (minus the portion now with the young lovers) will remain in Smithers' estate. They should do okay.)
 Richard and Ewan... star power shows sometimes it isn't enough August 13, 2006
Danielle Muller (Sailing, sailing o'er the deep blue sea :))
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The kiss of the serpent is rather a confusing film. Plots, people and ideas come and go such as Tara being a witch or not, the whole deal with the poisen, and even the background on Chrome seemed to me to be rather hazy and obscure. I love Ewan Mcgregor, but even he couldn't completely save this film. He lacked the enthusiasm that you see in such films like Down with Love or Big Fish.And Richard E. Grant, while being a very convincing villian, doesn't quite make us either fear or hate him as we are tend to be rather lukewarm towards him anyhow, so the evil character Fitzmaurice falls upon dead ears and becomes less then he should have been. I'm afraid the romance plot could have been better, but again, I've seen better. The whole desire/passion/obsession thing didn't quite work out and in turn makes the movie rather mundane. I think the only thing that made me interested was seeing how the garden turned out. Ewan showed more Passion towards his vegitation then Tara, and he only got properly excited when talking about his gardens.
However don't get me wrong, this isn't a completely wasted movie, and the five or so dollars I spent on it wasn't too much of a loss. But if you are on a budget, or rather unsure of this movie I'd suggest renting it from a friend, or waiting until your finances to improve. Then you might not regret the movie so much.
Just doesn't work for me. July 30, 2004
Mia Mia (USA)
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
This movie just didn't hold my interest or offer anything spectacular. The sets I didn't like at all - everything looked artificial and felt too new for a period piece. I had a lot of hope for this film, as I am a big fan of most movies set during this time and of Ewan McGregor, but this just didn't work for me. Richard E. Grant's character was too unbelievable and overacted. Worth renting, maybe, but not owning. I'm selling my copy.
Nature vs Man...I wish! January 7, 2004
J. C Clark (Overland Park, KS United States)
4 out of 9 found this review helpful
This is a bad film. There are many fine actors in it, people who have made mediocre films quite memorable. But they cannot salvage this turkey. The plot is obvious, the sets cheap and flimsy, the language never convincing, and the dreadful, tedious, and completely uninteresting Carmen Chaplin makes a overwhelmingly telegraphed romance not only unbelievable but implausible.Nice costumes, but this is a lame film, never really addressing its "theme" and containing all sorts of mysterious and silly developments that are never utilized. Maybe it would have been good if they left all the missing stuff in, but for a boring movie it sure felt rushed. About the worst thing one could say about it....both way too long and not nearly long enough. Justifiably unknown.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 17
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