The Libertine (2005 film)
Encyclopedia
The Libertine is a 2004 film starring Johnny Depp
, John Malkovich
, Samantha Morton
and Rosamund Pike
. Directed by Laurence Dunmore
in his first outing and adapted by Stephen Jeffreys
' from his play of the same name, the film stars Johnny Depp as John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester
, a notorious rake
and libertine
poet in the court of King Charles II
of England. Samantha Morton plays Elizabeth Barry
, an actress whose budding talent blossoms and makes her much in demand under Rochester's tutelage. The two become lovers. John Malkovich plays King Charles II, who is torn between his affection for Wilmot and the danger posed by his displays of contempt for his sovereign. Themes explored in the film include the corruption of a people by their self-indulgent monarch and the pursuit of hedonism
.
King Charles II (Malkovich) decides to summon his great friend, the Earl, back to London, retracting a year-long banishment for humiliating him, after only three month's exile. Rochester arrives in London to find his friends in a bawdy house; they are known as the "Merry Gang" and include George Etherege
(Hollander) and Charles Sackville (Vegas). On the street, Rochester comes across a thief, Alcock (Coyle), whose frankness about his dishonesty impresses Rochester. He hires Alcock as his gentleman on the spot. The Merry Gang introduce its newest member, 18-year old Billy Downs (Friend). Rochester warns Downs, "Young man, you will die of this company."
Rochester invites Downs to attend a play with the Merry Gang. The group goes to the theatre and sees actress Elizabeth Barry
(Morton), who is booed off the stage and then dismissed from her role after refusing to participate in a curtain call. Rochester is taken with Barry, and after the show he secures re-employment with the company for her, personally delivering the notice to her dressing room. He invites her to meet him at the playhouse the next day to coach her in acting, and she hesitantly accepts. The following day Rochester begins his tutelage of Lizzie Barry and gradually they fall in love. Rochester admits that his infidelity to Elizabeth, his wife, has caused her to leave London prematurely. Meanwhile, Barry's acting improves dramatically and she delivers a brilliant performance in her next production. The King then approaches Barry, asking her to spy on Rochester to keep track of his progress. A loyal subject, she agrees.
Charles, in need of money from France, asks Rochester to write a play in honour of the French Ambassador's visit, hoping it will impress the Ambassador to lend his support. The King requests it be a "testament" to his reign. Rochester writes Sodom, or the Quintessence of Debauchery
, a scathing satire of the King's reign, which he claims is indeed "a testament to Charles" — just what the King had asked for. The play involves nude actors having sex on-stage, phallic imagery and props, a backdrop painted to resemble female genitalia, the distribution of ornately carved Italian wooden dildo
s, characters named "Little Clitoris
and "Signor Dildo", and a brutal portrayal of the King, played by Rochester himself. At the premiere, Charles coolly interrupts the play, coming up onto the stage to make his displeasure known, and the two have a public showdown. Later, young Billy Downs is killed in a sword fight outside the home of a Constable; Rochester backs away from his dying friend, whispering, "I told you."
Hiding from the King in the English countryside, sick with symptoms of syphilis
, Rochester uses the pseudonym "Doctor Bendo" where, with the help of Alcock and the prostitute Jane, he peddles "medical services", mainly gynaecological "treatments" for women, including the selling of "potions" made from Alcock's urine
. Rochester's face has become disfigured by syphillitic gummata which he hides beneath a mask. After six months of this the King finally finds him but decides that the worst punishment possible is to simply "....let you - be you." Rochester returns to his wife and mother in the country, where he admits to having been constantly under the influence of "the drink" for five years straight. And although Rochester's health continues to worsen, it is still apparent that his wife still loves him despite of his infidelities.
In the meantime, Charles' unpopular choice of heir, his Roman Catholic brother James, Duke of York, has led to a showdown with Parliament
. Parliament is fearful of what will happen when James becomes king. Parliament introduces the Exclusion Bill
to deny James the throne, sure to pass by 15 votes. Rochester makes a dramatic entrance into Parliament, wearing a silver nose-piece and heavy pancake makeup to conceal the ravages of syphilis and hobbling on two canes. He makes a brief but effective speech, rationally and eloquently denouncing the Bill. As Rochester then hobbles off, the subsequent vote kills the proposed Bill by over 40 votes. He goes to see Barry who reveals they had a daughter together, ironically named Elizabeth like his wife. She rejects him.
He returns home to his deathbed where he dies aged 33 with his wife, mother, a priest who was summoned by Rochester's mother to "bring God to him" as she did not want Rochester to die as an atheist, and Alcock. Before he dies, Rochester asks the priest to recite Isaiah verse 53; he also asks his wife to retell the story of how he had abducted her as an 18 year old lady when they fell in love. The film then cuts between Rochester's actual death, and the death scene of The Man of Mode
, the play about him written by his friend Etheridge. In a final irony, Elizabeth Barry is playing his wife on stage.
The film closes as it opens, with an epilogue
. Rochester slips into the background in the wavering candlelight, sipping his drink and asking repeatedly, growing less arrogant and more vulnerable with each utterance: "Do you like me now?"
, and released as The Libertine: Music for the Film by Laurence Dunmore
in November 2005. The music represents Nyman's last score for a major motion picture to date, and his last soundtrack release.
reported that 30% of 116 sampled critics gave the film positive reviews and that it got a rating average of 4.6 out of 10.
Roger Ebert
of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film 3 stars out of 4 praising Johnny Depp
's performance, stating "Libertines are not built for third acts. No self-respecting libertine lives that long. Johnny Depp finds sadness in the earl's descent, and a desire to be loved even as he makes himself unlovable. What a brave actor Depp is, to take on a role like this. Still, at the screenplay stage, "The Libertine" might have seemed a safer bet than "Pirates of the Caribbean," a movie studio executives reportedly thought was unreleasable."
for 2005, and won in one category, gaining a Best Performance by a Supporting Actor or Actress in a British Independent Film award for Rosamund Pike. The other nominations were:
Johnny Depp
John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
, John Malkovich
John Malkovich
John Gavin Malkovich is an American actor, producer, director and fashion designer with his label Technobohemian. Over the last 25 years of his career, Malkovich has appeared in more than 70 motion pictures. For his roles in Places in the Heart and In the Line of Fire, he received Academy Award...
, Samantha Morton
Samantha Morton
Samantha Jane Morton is an English actress and film director. She began her performing career with guest roles in television shows such as Soldier Soldier and Boon before making her film debut in the 1997 drama film This Is the Sea, playing the character of Hazel Stokes...
and Rosamund Pike
Rosamund Pike
Rosamund Mary Elizabeth Pike is a British actress. Her film roles include villainous Bond girl Miranda Frost in Die Another Day, Jane Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, Helen in An Education, Lisa in Made in Dagenham, Miriam Grant-Panofsky in Barney's Version and Kate Sumner in Johnny English...
. Directed by Laurence Dunmore
Laurence Dunmore
Laurence Dunmore is a graphic designer and film director whose first major collaboration was the British production of The Libertine in 2005...
in his first outing and adapted by Stephen Jeffreys
Stephen Jeffreys
Stephen Jeffreys is a British playwright.His plays include Like Dolls or Angels ; Carmen 1936 ; Valued Friends ; The Clink ; The Libertine - also a screenplay filmed with Johnny Depp; A Going...
' from his play of the same name, the film stars Johnny Depp as John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester
John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester
John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester , styled Viscount Wilmot between 1652 and 1658, was an English Libertine poet, a friend of King Charles II, and the writer of much satirical and bawdy poetry. He was the toast of the Restoration court and a patron of the arts...
, a notorious rake
Rake (character)
A rake, short for rakehell, is a historic term applied to a man who is habituated to immoral conduct, frequently a heartless womanizer. Often a rake was a man who wasted his fortune on gambling, wine, women and song, incurring lavish debts in the process...
and libertine
Libertine
A libertine is one devoid of most moral restraints, which are seen as unnecessary or undesirable, especially one who ignores or even spurns accepted morals and forms of behavior sanctified by the larger society. Libertines, also known as rakes, placed value on physical pleasures, meaning those...
poet in the court of King Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
of England. Samantha Morton plays Elizabeth Barry
Elizabeth Barry
Elizabeth Barry was an English actress of the Restoration period.She worked in big, prestigious London theatre companies throughout her successful career: from 1675 in the Duke's Company, 1682 – 1695 in the monopoly United Company, and from 1695 onwards as a member of the actors' cooperative...
, an actress whose budding talent blossoms and makes her much in demand under Rochester's tutelage. The two become lovers. John Malkovich plays King Charles II, who is torn between his affection for Wilmot and the danger posed by his displays of contempt for his sovereign. Themes explored in the film include the corruption of a people by their self-indulgent monarch and the pursuit of hedonism
Hedonism
Hedonism is a school of thought which argues that pleasure is the only intrinsic good. In very simple terms, a hedonist strives to maximize net pleasure .-Etymology:The name derives from the Greek word for "delight" ....
.
Plot
The story begins with John Wilmot, Second Earl of Rochester (Depp), delivering his prologue, the main themes of which are his fondness for drink, his sexual proclivities, and his disdain for his audience.King Charles II (Malkovich) decides to summon his great friend, the Earl, back to London, retracting a year-long banishment for humiliating him, after only three month's exile. Rochester arrives in London to find his friends in a bawdy house; they are known as the "Merry Gang" and include George Etherege
George Etherege
Sir George Etherege was an English dramatist. He wrote the plays The Comical Revenge or, Love in a Tub in 1664, She Would if She Could in 1668, and The Man of Mode or, Sir Fopling Flutter in 1676.-Early life:George Etherege was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, around 1635, to George Etherege and...
(Hollander) and Charles Sackville (Vegas). On the street, Rochester comes across a thief, Alcock (Coyle), whose frankness about his dishonesty impresses Rochester. He hires Alcock as his gentleman on the spot. The Merry Gang introduce its newest member, 18-year old Billy Downs (Friend). Rochester warns Downs, "Young man, you will die of this company."
Rochester invites Downs to attend a play with the Merry Gang. The group goes to the theatre and sees actress Elizabeth Barry
Elizabeth Barry
Elizabeth Barry was an English actress of the Restoration period.She worked in big, prestigious London theatre companies throughout her successful career: from 1675 in the Duke's Company, 1682 – 1695 in the monopoly United Company, and from 1695 onwards as a member of the actors' cooperative...
(Morton), who is booed off the stage and then dismissed from her role after refusing to participate in a curtain call. Rochester is taken with Barry, and after the show he secures re-employment with the company for her, personally delivering the notice to her dressing room. He invites her to meet him at the playhouse the next day to coach her in acting, and she hesitantly accepts. The following day Rochester begins his tutelage of Lizzie Barry and gradually they fall in love. Rochester admits that his infidelity to Elizabeth, his wife, has caused her to leave London prematurely. Meanwhile, Barry's acting improves dramatically and she delivers a brilliant performance in her next production. The King then approaches Barry, asking her to spy on Rochester to keep track of his progress. A loyal subject, she agrees.
Charles, in need of money from France, asks Rochester to write a play in honour of the French Ambassador's visit, hoping it will impress the Ambassador to lend his support. The King requests it be a "testament" to his reign. Rochester writes Sodom, or the Quintessence of Debauchery
Sodom, or the Quintessence of Debauchery
Sodom is an obscene Restoration closet drama, published in 1684. The work has been attributed to John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester., though its authorship is disputed...
, a scathing satire of the King's reign, which he claims is indeed "a testament to Charles" — just what the King had asked for. The play involves nude actors having sex on-stage, phallic imagery and props, a backdrop painted to resemble female genitalia, the distribution of ornately carved Italian wooden dildo
Dildo
A dildo is a sex toy, often explicitly phallic in appearance, intended for bodily penetration during masturbation or sex with partners.- Description and uses :...
s, characters named "Little Clitoris
Clitoris
The clitoris is a sexual organ that is present only in female mammals. In humans, the visible button-like portion is located near the anterior junction of the labia minora, above the opening of the urethra and vagina. Unlike the penis, which is homologous to the clitoris, the clitoris does not...
and "Signor Dildo", and a brutal portrayal of the King, played by Rochester himself. At the premiere, Charles coolly interrupts the play, coming up onto the stage to make his displeasure known, and the two have a public showdown. Later, young Billy Downs is killed in a sword fight outside the home of a Constable; Rochester backs away from his dying friend, whispering, "I told you."
Hiding from the King in the English countryside, sick with symptoms of syphilis
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
, Rochester uses the pseudonym "Doctor Bendo" where, with the help of Alcock and the prostitute Jane, he peddles "medical services", mainly gynaecological "treatments" for women, including the selling of "potions" made from Alcock's urine
Urine
Urine is a typically sterile liquid by-product of the body that is secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra. Cellular metabolism generates numerous by-products, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream...
. Rochester's face has become disfigured by syphillitic gummata which he hides beneath a mask. After six months of this the King finally finds him but decides that the worst punishment possible is to simply "....let you - be you." Rochester returns to his wife and mother in the country, where he admits to having been constantly under the influence of "the drink" for five years straight. And although Rochester's health continues to worsen, it is still apparent that his wife still loves him despite of his infidelities.
In the meantime, Charles' unpopular choice of heir, his Roman Catholic brother James, Duke of York, has led to a showdown with Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. Parliament is fearful of what will happen when James becomes king. Parliament introduces the Exclusion Bill
Exclusion Bill
The Exclusion Crisis ran from 1678 through 1681 in the reign of Charles II of England. The Exclusion Bill sought to exclude the king's brother and heir presumptive, James, Duke of York, from the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland because he was Roman Catholic...
to deny James the throne, sure to pass by 15 votes. Rochester makes a dramatic entrance into Parliament, wearing a silver nose-piece and heavy pancake makeup to conceal the ravages of syphilis and hobbling on two canes. He makes a brief but effective speech, rationally and eloquently denouncing the Bill. As Rochester then hobbles off, the subsequent vote kills the proposed Bill by over 40 votes. He goes to see Barry who reveals they had a daughter together, ironically named Elizabeth like his wife. She rejects him.
He returns home to his deathbed where he dies aged 33 with his wife, mother, a priest who was summoned by Rochester's mother to "bring God to him" as she did not want Rochester to die as an atheist, and Alcock. Before he dies, Rochester asks the priest to recite Isaiah verse 53; he also asks his wife to retell the story of how he had abducted her as an 18 year old lady when they fell in love. The film then cuts between Rochester's actual death, and the death scene of The Man of Mode
The Man of Mode
The Man of Mode, or, Sir Fopling Flutter is a Restoration comedy by George Etherege, written in 1676 and first performed March 2 of the same year. Gibbons argues that the play "offers the comedy of manners in its most concentrated form"...
, the play about him written by his friend Etheridge. In a final irony, Elizabeth Barry is playing his wife on stage.
The film closes as it opens, with an epilogue
Epilogue
An epilogue, epilog or afterword is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature or drama, usually used to bring closure to the work...
. Rochester slips into the background in the wavering candlelight, sipping his drink and asking repeatedly, growing less arrogant and more vulnerable with each utterance: "Do you like me now?"
Cast
- Johnny DeppJohnny DeppJohn Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
as John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of RochesterJohn Wilmot, 2nd Earl of RochesterJohn Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester , styled Viscount Wilmot between 1652 and 1658, was an English Libertine poet, a friend of King Charles II, and the writer of much satirical and bawdy poetry. He was the toast of the Restoration court and a patron of the arts... - John MalkovichJohn MalkovichJohn Gavin Malkovich is an American actor, producer, director and fashion designer with his label Technobohemian. Over the last 25 years of his career, Malkovich has appeared in more than 70 motion pictures. For his roles in Places in the Heart and In the Line of Fire, he received Academy Award...
as King Charles IICharles II of EnglandCharles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War... - Samantha MortonSamantha MortonSamantha Jane Morton is an English actress and film director. She began her performing career with guest roles in television shows such as Soldier Soldier and Boon before making her film debut in the 1997 drama film This Is the Sea, playing the character of Hazel Stokes...
as Elizabeth BarryElizabeth BarryElizabeth Barry was an English actress of the Restoration period.She worked in big, prestigious London theatre companies throughout her successful career: from 1675 in the Duke's Company, 1682 – 1695 in the monopoly United Company, and from 1695 onwards as a member of the actors' cooperative... - Rosamund PikeRosamund PikeRosamund Mary Elizabeth Pike is a British actress. Her film roles include villainous Bond girl Miranda Frost in Die Another Day, Jane Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, Helen in An Education, Lisa in Made in Dagenham, Miriam Grant-Panofsky in Barney's Version and Kate Sumner in Johnny English...
as Elizabeth Wilmot, Countess of RochesterElizabeth Wilmot, Countess of RochesterElizabeth Wilmot, Countess of Rochester was an English heiress and the wife of John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, the "libertine." She was born Elizabeth Malet, the daughter of John Malet of Enmore Castle and Unton Hawley....
(née Elizabeth Malet) - Tom HollanderTom HollanderThomas Anthony "Tom" Hollander is a British actor who has appeared in productions such as Enigma, Gosford Park, Cambridge Spies, Pride and Prejudice, Pirates of the Caribbean, In the Loop, Valkyrie and Hanna.-Early life:Tom Hollander was born in Bristol and raised in Oxford, Oxfordshire, the son...
as Sir George EtheregeGeorge EtheregeSir George Etherege was an English dramatist. He wrote the plays The Comical Revenge or, Love in a Tub in 1664, She Would if She Could in 1668, and The Man of Mode or, Sir Fopling Flutter in 1676.-Early life:George Etherege was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, around 1635, to George Etherege and... - Johnny VegasJohnny VegasJohnny Vegas is an English actor and comedian. He is known for his angry rants, portly figure, high husky voice and support of St Helens rugby league club. More recently he has moved into dramatic acting.-Early life:He was born in St Helens, Lancashire, the youngest of four children of Laurence...
as Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of DorsetCharles Sackville, 6th Earl of DorsetCharles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset and 1st Earl of Middlesex was an English poet and courtier.-Early Life:He was son of Richard Sackville, 5th Earl of Dorset... - Richard CoyleRichard CoyleRichard Coyle is an English actor.-Early life:Coyle was born in Sheffield, England to Irish parents. He began his acting career after a stint working on a ferry entertaining passengers, where he was told by a theatre director that he had a talent and should pursue it further...
as Alcock - Rupert FriendRupert FriendRupert Friend is an English film actor, who is best known for his roles as Mr. Wickham in the 2005 film Pride and Prejudice, Lieutenant Kurt Kotler in the 2008 film The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and Prince Albert in the 2009 film The Young Victoria.-Career:He made his debut in the film The...
as Billy Downs - Jack DavenportJack DavenportJack Davenport is an English actor, best known for his roles in the television series This Life, Coupling and as James Norrington in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. He has also appeared in many other Hollywood films such as The Talented Mr. Ripley...
as Harris - Kelly Reilly as Jane
- Clare HigginsClare HigginsMary Clare Higgins, a Democrat, was elected to her first term as Mayor of Northampton, Massachusetts in November 1999; she took office in January 2000. She was elected to a sixth two-yearterm in November 2009...
as Molly Luscombe - Francesca AnnisFrancesca AnnisFrancesca Annis is an English actress, known for her film and television appearances, most recently in the BBC series Wives and Daughters, Cranford, and Deceit.-Early life and education:...
as Rochester's mother
Music
The score to the film was composed by Michael NymanMichael Nyman
Michael Laurence Nyman, CBE is an English composer of minimalist music, pianist, librettist and musicologist, known for the many film scores he wrote during his lengthy collaboration with the filmmaker Peter Greenaway, and his multi-platinum soundtrack album to Jane Campion's The Piano...
, and released as The Libertine: Music for the Film by Laurence Dunmore
The Libertine (album)
The Libertine: Music for the Film by Laurence Dunmore is the album release of Michael Nyman's score for the 2004 film The Libertine directed by Laurence Dunmore. It is the third release on Nyman's own label, MN Records, and the first to receive distribution in the United States, by Inner Knot...
in November 2005. The music represents Nyman's last score for a major motion picture to date, and his last soundtrack release.
Critical response
The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics. Film review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reported that 30% of 116 sampled critics gave the film positive reviews and that it got a rating average of 4.6 out of 10.
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film 3 stars out of 4 praising Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp
John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
's performance, stating "Libertines are not built for third acts. No self-respecting libertine lives that long. Johnny Depp finds sadness in the earl's descent, and a desire to be loved even as he makes himself unlovable. What a brave actor Depp is, to take on a role like this. Still, at the screenplay stage, "The Libertine" might have seemed a safer bet than "Pirates of the Caribbean," a movie studio executives reportedly thought was unreleasable."
Box office
The film has grossed $4,835,065 in North America and $6,016,999 in other territories, making for a total of $10,852,064 worldwide.Awards and honors
The Libertine was nominated in eight categories in the British Independent Film AwardsBritish Independent Film Awards
The Moët British Independent Film Awards is an annual award ceremony celebrating achievement in independently funded British film and cinema. Nominations and jury are announced at the beginning of November with the award ceremony taking place in late November or early December.-History:The British...
for 2005, and won in one category, gaining a Best Performance by a Supporting Actor or Actress in a British Independent Film award for Rosamund Pike. The other nominations were:
- Best British Independent Film
- Best Performance by a Supporting Actor or Actress in a British Independent Film (Tom Hollander)
- Best Technical Achievement (Ben van Os)
- The Douglas Hickox AwardDouglas HickoxDouglas Hickox was an English film director. Hickox was born in London, where he was educated at Emanuel School. Hickox worked extensively as an assistant director and second unit director throughout the 50's and early 60's, making his first major picture in 1970...
(Laurence Dunmore) - Best Director of a British Independent Film (Laurence Dunmore)
- Best Performance by an Actor in a British Independent Film (Johnny Depp)
- Most Promising Newcomer (Rupert Friend)