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Article: Split decision; Merchant/Ivory's "Le Divorce" weds a luscious setting and a tangled plot.(VARIETY / FREETIME)
- Article from:
- Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
- Article date:
- August 15, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Star Tribune Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Jeff Strickler; Staff Writer
Producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory are famous for their loyalty to their source material. But in "Le Divorce," that's too much of a good thing.
Like most Merchant/Ivory films, it features a deep cast and an exquisite sense of detail. And it deals with one of their favorite themes: a culture clash. But in their insistence on accurately reflecting Diane Johnson's 1997 novel, the pair have reached too far. Instead of pruning the narrative to essentials, they try to include everything, leaving characters that never develop and actions that lack motivation.
Working with their regular screenwriter, ...