Angels & Insects
Encyclopedia
Angels & Insects is a 1995 romance drama film
directed by Philip Haas
. It was written by Philip and Belinda Haas with A. S. Byatt
after her novella Morpho Eugenia
.
), a poor naturalist
, returns home to Victorian
England
after having spent years along the Amazon River
studying all kinds of animals, mainly insect
s. William is penniless, having lost all his possessions during a shipwreck
. Nevertheless he manages to befriend Sir Harald Alabaster (Jeremy Kemp
), an amateur insect collector and botanist. Sir Harald hires William to catalog his specimen collection and teach his younger children the natural sciences, assisting their governess, Matty (Kristin Scott Thomas
).
He becomes enamored of Sir Harald's daughter, Eugenia (Patsy Kensit
), who is still mourning the suicide
of her fiance. William and Eugenia quickly fall in love and lust and decide to marry. Their ceremony is shown as concluding in the marriage bed with the happy couple having enthusiastic sex. Sir Harald and his wife Lady Alabaster eagerly grant their approval of this match, but Eugenia's older brother Edgar (Douglas Henshall
) takes an intense dislike to William, never passing up the opportunity to pick fights with him or to remind him of his humble working class
background: "You're not one of us."
After the marriage, Eugenia produces five children in quick succession. She insists on naming the first boy "Edgar", after her brother. William never warms to the children, instead spending his time studying a colony of red ants with Matty and various children of the house. He writes a book about their observations, which is quickly accepted by a publisher.
One day, during a hunting excursion, William is summoned back to the house by a servant boy who claims that Eugenia wishes to speak to him. He walks into the bedroom, surprising Eugenia and Edgar while they are engaging in incestuous sex. Eugenia then confesses that she and Edgar had been having sex with each other for years and that her fiance committed suicide after discovering this. Eugenia also tells William that even though she knew it was wrong for her to have sex with her brother, it did not quench her desire to do it.
William then tells Eugenia that he is leaving her and the children, which he is now convinced were fathered by Edgar in any case. However, he does promise not to tell Sir Harald the real reason behind his departure reasoning that the truth would injure the old man's health.
William, after being provoked by Matty, opens up to her as he has become quite close to her during the years. Although she denies having sent the servant after William, she does admit that she knew of the incestuous relationship that Eugenia had with Edgar and that the other servants knew as well. William then tells Matty of his desire to go back to the Amazon and not return. Matty reveals that she has booked two tickets on a boat departing shortly to the Amazon. William is initially reluctant for them both to go; despite his attraction to Matty, he does not feel that the rain forest is a suitable place for a woman. After she promises to help him in his work, and reveals that she loves him, William acquiesces to her plan. The movie ends with William and Matty departing in a coach looking out the window into the empirical world.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Philip Haas
Philip Haas
Philip Haas is an American artist and filmmaker. His exhibition of film installations at the Kimbell Art Museum, "Butchers, Dragons, Gods and Skeletons," was listed by TIME magazine as one of the top ten museum shows of 2009 Retrospectives of his art films have been held at the Tate Gallery in...
. It was written by Philip and Belinda Haas with A. S. Byatt
A. S. Byatt
Dame Antonia Susan Duffy, DBE is an English novelist, poet and Booker Prize winner...
after her novella Morpho Eugenia
Morpho Eugenia
Morpho Eugenia is a 1992 novella by A. S. Byatt first published in complete form with The Conjugal Angel as Angels & Insects. It details the key events of the life of a Victorian naturalist, William Adamson, at first seemingly struggling to move up in class and settle down with a beautiful,...
.
Plot
William Adamson (Mark RylanceMark Rylance
Mark Rylance is an English actor, theatre director and playwright.As an actor, Rylance found success on stage and screen. For his work in theatre he has won Olivier and Tony Awards among others, and a BAFTA TV Award...
), a poor naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
, returns home to Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
after having spent years along the Amazon River
Amazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
studying all kinds of animals, mainly insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s. William is penniless, having lost all his possessions during a shipwreck
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
. Nevertheless he manages to befriend Sir Harald Alabaster (Jeremy Kemp
Jeremy Kemp
Jeremy Kemp is an English actor. He is known for his roles in the miniseries The Winds of War, The Blue Max and Z-Cars....
), an amateur insect collector and botanist. Sir Harald hires William to catalog his specimen collection and teach his younger children the natural sciences, assisting their governess, Matty (Kristin Scott Thomas
Kristin Scott Thomas
Kristin A. Scott Thomas, OBE is an English actress who has also acquired French nationality. She gained international recognition in the 1990s for her roles in Bitter Moon, Four Weddings and a Funeral and The English Patient....
).
He becomes enamored of Sir Harald's daughter, Eugenia (Patsy Kensit
Patsy Kensit
Patricia Jude Francis "Patsy" Kensit is an English actress, singer, model and former child star, known for her television and film appearances. Her films include Lethal Weapon 2 and she has been married to rock stars Jim Kerr and Liam Gallagher, as well as herself fronting the band Eighth Wonder...
), who is still mourning the suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
of her fiance. William and Eugenia quickly fall in love and lust and decide to marry. Their ceremony is shown as concluding in the marriage bed with the happy couple having enthusiastic sex. Sir Harald and his wife Lady Alabaster eagerly grant their approval of this match, but Eugenia's older brother Edgar (Douglas Henshall
Douglas Henshall
Douglas James Henshall is a Scottish actor probably best known for his role as Professor Nick Cutter in the British science fiction series Primeval.-Early life:...
) takes an intense dislike to William, never passing up the opportunity to pick fights with him or to remind him of his humble working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
background: "You're not one of us."
After the marriage, Eugenia produces five children in quick succession. She insists on naming the first boy "Edgar", after her brother. William never warms to the children, instead spending his time studying a colony of red ants with Matty and various children of the house. He writes a book about their observations, which is quickly accepted by a publisher.
One day, during a hunting excursion, William is summoned back to the house by a servant boy who claims that Eugenia wishes to speak to him. He walks into the bedroom, surprising Eugenia and Edgar while they are engaging in incestuous sex. Eugenia then confesses that she and Edgar had been having sex with each other for years and that her fiance committed suicide after discovering this. Eugenia also tells William that even though she knew it was wrong for her to have sex with her brother, it did not quench her desire to do it.
William then tells Eugenia that he is leaving her and the children, which he is now convinced were fathered by Edgar in any case. However, he does promise not to tell Sir Harald the real reason behind his departure reasoning that the truth would injure the old man's health.
William, after being provoked by Matty, opens up to her as he has become quite close to her during the years. Although she denies having sent the servant after William, she does admit that she knew of the incestuous relationship that Eugenia had with Edgar and that the other servants knew as well. William then tells Matty of his desire to go back to the Amazon and not return. Matty reveals that she has booked two tickets on a boat departing shortly to the Amazon. William is initially reluctant for them both to go; despite his attraction to Matty, he does not feel that the rain forest is a suitable place for a woman. After she promises to help him in his work, and reveals that she loves him, William acquiesces to her plan. The movie ends with William and Matty departing in a coach looking out the window into the empirical world.
Cast
- Mark RylanceMark RylanceMark Rylance is an English actor, theatre director and playwright.As an actor, Rylance found success on stage and screen. For his work in theatre he has won Olivier and Tony Awards among others, and a BAFTA TV Award...
as William Adamson - Kristin Scott ThomasKristin Scott ThomasKristin A. Scott Thomas, OBE is an English actress who has also acquired French nationality. She gained international recognition in the 1990s for her roles in Bitter Moon, Four Weddings and a Funeral and The English Patient....
as Matty Crompton - Patsy KensitPatsy KensitPatricia Jude Francis "Patsy" Kensit is an English actress, singer, model and former child star, known for her television and film appearances. Her films include Lethal Weapon 2 and she has been married to rock stars Jim Kerr and Liam Gallagher, as well as herself fronting the band Eighth Wonder...
as Eugenia Alabaster Adamson - Jeremy KempJeremy KempJeremy Kemp is an English actor. He is known for his roles in the miniseries The Winds of War, The Blue Max and Z-Cars....
as Sir Harald Alabaster - Douglas HenshallDouglas HenshallDouglas James Henshall is a Scottish actor probably best known for his role as Professor Nick Cutter in the British science fiction series Primeval.-Early life:...
as Edgar Alabaster - Annette BadlandAnnette BadlandAnnette Badland is an English actress best known for her work in children's television.-Biography:Her training took place at East 15 Acting School, London...
as Lady Alabaster - Chris LarkinChris LarkinChris Larkin is an English actor.He was born Christopher Stephens in the Middlesex Hospital in London and trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He is the elder son of Dame Maggie Smith, and the late Sir Robert Stephens...
as Robin - Anna MasseyAnna MasseyAnna Raymond Massey, CBE was an English actress. She won a BAFTA Award for the role of Edith Hope in the 1986 TV adaptation of Anita Brookner’s novel Hotel du Lac.-Early life:...
as Miss Mead - Saskia WickhamSaskia WickhamSaskia Wickham is a British actress best known for playing Dr. Erica Matthews in the ITV television drama series Peak Practice between 1996 and 1998.She is daughter of the British actor Jeffrey Wickham....
as Rowena Alabaster - Lindsay Thomas as Lady Alabaster's Maid
- Michelle Sylvester as Margaret Alabaster
- Clare Lovell as Elaine Alabaster
- Jenny Lovell as Edith Alabaster
- Oona Haas as Alice Alabaster
- Angus Hodder as Guy Alabaster
Nominations
- Academy AwardAcademy AwardsAn Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
(1997) for Best Costume Design (Paul Brown) - Cannes Film Festival1995 Cannes Film Festival-Jury:*Jeanne Moreau *Gianni Amelio *Jean-Claude Brialy *Nadine Gordimer *Gaston Kabore *Michele-Ray Gavras *Emilio Garcia Riera *Philippe Rousselot *John Waters...
(1995) for the Golden PalmPalme d'OrThe Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
for Best Director (Philip Haas) - Chlotrudis AwardChlotrudis Awards 1997The 3rd Annual Chlotrudis Awards were presented in 1997 by the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film.-Best Movie:Sling Blade* Beautiful Thing* Big Night* Fargo* Marvin's Room* Secrets & Lies-Best Director:...
(1997) for Best Supporting Actress (Kristin Scott ThomasKristin Scott ThomasKristin A. Scott Thomas, OBE is an English actress who has also acquired French nationality. She gained international recognition in the 1990s for her roles in Bitter Moon, Four Weddings and a Funeral and The English Patient....
). - Evening StandardEvening StandardThe Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
British Film Award (1996) for Best Actress (Kristin Scott ThomasKristin Scott ThomasKristin A. Scott Thomas, OBE is an English actress who has also acquired French nationality. She gained international recognition in the 1990s for her roles in Bitter Moon, Four Weddings and a Funeral and The English Patient....
)
Reaction
- Upon its initial release in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, this "Restricted" ('R')-rated film was often noted chiefly for its fairly explicit depiction of sexSexual intercourseSexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
and the full nudityNudityNudity is the state of wearing no clothing. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic. The amount of clothing worn depends on functional considerations and social considerations...
that accompanied it, as compared with historically R-rated movies before it, which typically did not feature extended scenes of full on-camera nudity or explicit sex.