The fate was quite unkind to Henry & June, 1990 biopic directed by Philip Kaufman. Instead of being judged on its own merit, today is best remembered for its role in one of the most embarrassing episodes in the history of Hollywood censorship.
The subject matter, somewhat ironically, deals with personalities that became (in)famous for their work being target of censorship, albeit in the world of literature. The film itself is based on posthumously published book of diaries by Anaïs Nin, Franco-American writer known as one of the most celebrated female authors of erotic fiction in 20th Century. Her character is played by Maria de Medeiros and the plot begins in 1931 Paris where Nin lives happily with her husband, American banker Hugo (played by Richard E. Grant). She wants to publish book about D. H. Lawrence, British author whose novels, because of their frank depiction of sexuality, became subject of decades-old bans in his native and many other countries. She and her husband also like to hang in bohemian circles where Nin meets Henry Miller (played by Fred Ward), penniless but talented American writer who wants to write his first novel. Nin gets drawn to Miller but also gets fascinated by his beautiful wife and muse June Miller (played by Uma Thurman). When June returns to America, Nin and Fred become friends, literary collaborators and, finally, lovers. After Miller manages to finish Tropic of Cancer, the novel that would be banned in English-speaking countries for decades, June returns and Ninn, who has, despite maintaining healthy relationship, had wild erotic fantasies, gains another opportunity to pursue June romantically.
Philip Kaufman has met Anaïs Nin in 1960s and she encouraged him to pursue film making career that would ultimately make him one of the great directors of New Hollywood. Kaufman previously handled biographies in The Right Stuff, an epic that would become one of the most celebrated films of 1980s. Compared to it, Henry & June looks a rather small, since instead of heroic astronauts engaged in epochal project deals with nothing more than group of writers and bohemians. Kaufman nevertheless does his job relatively well and makes sure that the film looks and sounds appropriate. Cinematography by Philippe Rousselot creates great deal of warm atmosphere of carefree hedonism in what should be otherwise be bleak streets and cafes in Depression-era Paris. Great deal of effort is made in reconstructing period, which include many likeable 1930s pop songs and, thanks to characters visiting cinemas, cinephiles have opportunity to get glimpses of important late 1920s and early 1930s film like Un Chien Andalou, The Passion of Joan of Arc and Mädchen in Uniform.
The cast is very good. Portuguese actress Maria de Medeiros perfectly encapsulates character of Ninn with her seemingly mousy look of petite and thin woman, but her large expressive eyes makes her fascinating and attractive even to those accustomed to more conventional standards of female beauty. Uma Thurman is also good in one of her early roles, obviously cast as tall, statuesque blonde in order to provide contrast to De Medeiros; unfortunately, she appears in film too little to make the role live to its full potential. This can’t be said for Fred Ward, who has great fun in one of the rare roles of an intellectual in his career; he portrays Miller as vulgar, unrefined and almost macho in his attempt to show New World rawness and working class as alternative to decadence of aristocratic Europe. Ward nevertheless manages to make his character vulnerable at the same time, at first by simple trick when his character constantly wears hat in order to hide baldness. Richard E. Grant as Ninn’s husband, on the other hand, plays aristocratic character that were quite typical for his career. The rest of cast is also good and some hard core cinephiles would notice French porn star Brigitte Lahaie (also known for her work in Jean Rolin’s exploitation films) in the role of prostitute that performs lesbian show for Ninn and her husband. Gary Oldman, Uma Thurman’s husband at the time, appear in cameo role as one of June’s sugar daddies.
Kaufman, however, has a serious problem that he didn’t solve in script co-written by his wife Rose. There isn’t much plot in the film; love triangle, due to libertine ways of the characters can’t provide much of a tension. Miller’s and Ninn’s literary work, which is supposed to be centrepiece of the film in provide two authors’ different approaches to sexuality, isn’t handled well on the screen and their differences are shown only through some uninspired dialogues. Kaufman, on the other hand, tried to justify his film with the content that would ultimately get fame and notoriety – both quite unjustified. Kaufman decided to fill more than two hours of running time with explicitly erotic content, something increasingly prudish Hollywood at the time was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with.
Few months before the premiere of Henry & June, another film, Peter Greenaways art drama The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover got in trouble with MPAA censors over large amounts of nudity, making distributors releasing it unrated rather than be branded with “X” rating, at the time associated with pornography. Influential critic Roger Ebert suggested that the problem could be solved by having new rating for “serious adult” like that, and MPAA listened to it by rebranding “X” into “NC-17”. Henry & June, which featured plenty of scenes featuring nude women and explicit sexual activity, became first film to receive and be distributed under such rating. From today’s perspective, Henry & June looks rather tame and its erotic content is in the same league as similar scenes on cable television, including some of the most popular shows like Game of Thrones. Unfortunately for art cinema aficionados in America (and, consequently, the rest of the world), distributors and, later, Blockbuster Video, treated NC-17 in the same vein as old X rating, forcing studios to start eliminating explicit erotica in order to avoid toxic rating. Ironically, film dedicated to people defying censorship in one medium helped establishing it in another.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
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