Love and Rage (film)
Love and Rage is a 1998 British-Irish-German drama film directed by Cathal Black and starring Greta Scacchi, Daniel Craig and Stephen Dillane. It is based on the novel The Playboy and the Yellow Lady by James Carney.[1][2]
A drama of romantic obsession turned violent, Love and Rage was based upon the historic book "The playboy and the yellow lady" written by Professor James Carney inspired by a true story and partially filmed in the home where the actual events occurred.[3]
Plot
James Lynchehaun (Daniel Craig) works at the estate of Agnes MacDonnell (Greta Scacchi), a wealthy Englishwoman in late 1800s Ireland. Agnes considers her privacy important, but shows flashes of a high-spirited nature among those she trusts, and enjoys scandalizing the locals by being a divorced woman who smokes, drinks, and rides horses astride on her vast property. When James discovers that a local land agent has been cheating Agnes, he shares the information with her. She's grateful to him and they get to know each other a bit better, leading in time to a romantic relationship. James is younger than her, and beneath her social status, but Agnes is a woman who thrives on being seen as scandalous, so she enters into the affair with James with relish and delight. He's a wild man, as well as a bit of a con artist, appearing at the estate in disguise and meeting Agnes dressed as a priest. Agnes doesn't appear to mind this, and at times she actively welcomes it. The fact that they both seem to delight in taunting "proper" society seems to please her that much more.
James soon begins displaying a rather unusual bent. As time passes his wild behavior becomes more and more erratic, and eventually it becomes downright scary. What starts as erotic play-acting grows into something more sinister, and in time James's actions become less amusing and more threatening. He's unstable, and she's realizing it much too late, after he's insinuated himself pretty deeply into her isolated life.
Cast
- Greta Scacchi as Agnes MacDonnell
- Daniel Craig as James Lynchehaun
- Stephen Dillane as Dr. Croly
- Valerie Edmond as Biddy
- Donal Donnelly as Sweeney
Critical reception
As of September 2015, the film has an audience score of 40% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 5.3/10 rating on IMDB.[4][5]
"The involvement of cinematographer Slawomir Idziak, who previously worked with Krzysztof Kieslowski on Three Colours Blue, lends class to the proceedings but the script and direction are somewhat cumbersome and things ultimately become lost in a sea of melodrama.[6]"
References
- ↑ "The Valley House Holiday Hostel & Bar". The Valley House. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
- ↑ Lynch, Brian. "Love & Rage script by Brian Lynch". Brian Lynch website. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
- ↑ "The Valley House Holiday Hostel & Bar". The Valley House. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
- ↑ "Love and Rage on Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
- ↑ "Love and Rage on IMDB". IMDB. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
- ↑ Murphy, Garreth (13 February 2002). "Love and Rage". http://entertainment.ie. Retrieved 20 September 2015. External link in
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