The Triumph of Love (2002)

I loved how it kept getting more and more complicated, more and more your palms sweat because you can't imagine how it could all work out in a logical way after such intrigues and lies. The movie caught my attention, but true, most of it was to see the ending, to see all the nods get untangled. I also loved the lack of shyness and ethical boundaries which you see in all the more "puritan" love comedies these days (which abound in sex related acts or words). Surely, I am not talking of sex when I say the main plot lacks shyness, but of a certain perversity of thought, a scheme for love. Of course it can never be imagined as true, but the story is, as it should be, a story.

An 18th century princess(Miss M.Sorvino) wants to restore the rightful heir to the throne of her country.He is incommunicado,living with a famous philosopher and his sister deep in the countryside.She decides the only way to get close to him is to seduce the philosopher,his sister and the prince himself in no particular order.Miss Sorvino has all the knowing innocence required of a Comedy Francaise heroine.Of course she is not in the least believable,but that's the whole point."The Triumph of love" is,in its entirety,an exercise in deception.But it is not a deception that is meant to fool anybody but the play's characters. The beauty of the film as an entity is quite overwhelming.The colour is exquisitely rendered,the lush grounds of the philosopher's house are as vividly verdant as a Brazilian rain forest. Each shot is carefully composed to show off the performers to their best advantage. None of the performances is particularly subtle,nor are they meant to be.This is not serious drama,nor serious anything else.We are seeing a filmed play,a comedy of the sort that was once popular all over Europe,Miss Peploe could not have made that much clearer short of putting the camera crew in the action. Miss Fiona Shaw is absolutely outstanding as the philosopher's sister.

This is a very light period piece, in the spirit of plays like a midsummer night's dream, based on a 17th century farce. Don't expect the type of comedy that will make you laugh out loud, it's more the atmosphere of things not to be taken too seriously, particularly the princess having to pass as a young man. In the spirit of the movie and of older plays it's all perfectly normal and acceptable, because these kind of stories sacrifice believability in favor of good fun. And though flawed, the film is much better than the hugely overrated Shakespeare in Love.What I did have a problem with, was the horrible jump-cut editing. In a lot of scenes there were useless, unnecessary cuts because the camera did not even switch views, it looked extremely unnatural. Did someone spill coffee on some of the tape so they had to leave some out? Now the acting is what saves the film, I was especially delighted with Mira Sorvino and Ben Kingsley who both skillfully display grotesque but pleasant, sympathetic personalities. It was fun to see Mira in a men's outfit with boyish mannerisms tho still maintaining a feminine look. Also, the backdrops (of the 18th century-design garden and house) are gorgeous, real eyecandy.I bought this film for quite some money because I was very curious about it and have become fan of Sorvino. I would have rented it, would it have been available, but had to find it somewhere on amazon. But even though it wasn't entirely worth the money, I had a reasonably good time. If you want to see Mira's best, go watch Wisegirls, but this one is worth a watch as well! Enjoy.I give it 7 out of 10

I wasn't sure what to expect upon renting this movie, and as it began, my first thought was that I had wasted a good four dollars. However, once I realized that the "cheesy" factor was intentional as well as the strange editing, the movie improved. In fact, I found it to be quite enjoyable and pretty hilarious as well because it was quirky--definitely straying slightly from the movie norm. The plot is based on Pierre Marivaux's romantic comedy from the 1700s in which a princess will do practically anything to be with the man she loves...who happens to consider her his sworn enemy. The director took a modern approach to conveying the classic story. If you're looking for something a little different but entertaining, then look into "The Triumph of Love."