STAND BY YOUR 1500S MAN.Byline: Evan Henerson Staff Writer No matter what the century or the nationality of the sufferer, jealousy's a real bear. Consider the 16th-century ruler Joan of Castile, heir to the throne of Aragon and wife to Philip the Handsome of Austria. Looking to subvert her power, Joan's political enemies join with her husband in proclaiming her mad. But poor Joan isn't really living la vida loca. Rather she pines insanely for the affections of her inconstant in·con·stant adj. 1. Changing or varying, especially often and without discernible pattern or reason. 2. Relating to a structure that normally may or may not be present. husband, a man who doesn't really deserve that kind of attention. At least that's writer/director Vicente Aranda's interpretation of history in ``Mad Love'' (``Juana La Loca'') the stylized styl·ize tr.v. styl·ized, styl·iz·ing, styl·iz·es 1. To restrict or make conform to a particular style. 2. To represent conventionally; conventionalize. biopic bi·o·pic n. A film or television biography, often with fictionalized episodes. biopic Noun Informal a film based on the life of a famous person [bio(graphical) + pic(ture)] of Queen Joan. ``Mad Love'' sees itself as a character study, albeit one peopled with actors who wouldn't look out of place gracing the covers of trashy romance novels. The film may occasionally feel like a political science lesson brought to soap-operatic life, but it's well acted and artfully done. And for once, the lady doesn't end up beaten down. Not entirely, that is. We first encounter Joan of Castile (played by Pilar Pilar strong-minded female leader of a group of guerrillas in the Spanish Civil War. [Am. Lit.: Hemingway For Whom the Bell Tolls] See : Female Power Pilar Lopez de Ayala de Ayala may refer to:
Philip must have had some prowess, because from that point on, Joan turns into an insatiable, suspicious green-eyed mess. She also matures quickly, from court-bedazzled innocent to self-possessed monarch who can deliver her own child while on the toilet and sever the umbilical cord umbilical cord (ŭmbĭl`ĭkəl), cordlike structure about 22 in. (56 cm) long in the pregnant human female, extending from the abdominal wall of the fetus to the placenta. with her teeth. The 23-year-old de Ayala presents Joan's turmoil in vivid detail. Steely or borderline deranged de·range tr.v. de·ranged, de·rang·ing, de·rang·es 1. To disturb the order or arrangement of. 2. To upset the normal condition or functioning of. 3. To disturb mentally; make insane. , this is not a lady to be tangled with. Joan, as you might suspect, is viewed as ``different'' from within her husband's political inner circle. Philip's roving eye coupled with his wife's arresting displays of jealousy - she's particularly concerned that her handmaidens not be too beautiful - cause the prince's advisers to start spreading rumors that the lady is mad. Not a bad ploy once Queen Isabella dies, since empire builders like De Vere (Giuliano Gemma) want Philip, not Joan, to inherit the thrones of Aragon and Castile. De Vere isn't the only power-hungry figure. Moorish princess Aixa (Manuela Arcuri) deftly worms her way into Philip's bed - where, apparently, she'll have to take a number - and later into Joan's trust. Aranda doesn't treat Joan's saga as a love story despite Joan's inexplicable devotion to her feckless feck·less adj. 1. Lacking purpose or vitality; feeble or ineffective. 2. Careless and irresponsible. [Scots feck, effect (alteration of effect) + -less. husband. An elderly and apparently quite sane Joan tells the story in flashback flash·back n. 1. An unexpected recurrence of the effects of a hallucinogenic drug long after its original use. 2. A recurring, intensely vivid mental image of a past traumatic experience. , starring at Philip's portrait and eagerly anticipating the day she'll be able to join him in the afterlife. Life alone may be unpleasant, but apparently it trumps jealousy. At least, it does for Juana La Loca. MAD LOVE - Three stars (R: sex, nudity, language, adult situations) Starring: Pilar Lopez de Ayala, Daniele Liotti, Manuela Arcuri, Giuliano Gemma, Rosana Pastor. Director: Vicente Aranda. Running time: 1 hr. 57 min. Playing: Landmark Westside Pavilion. In a nutshell: Spanish royalty faces a positively ``Hamlet''-like dilemma: Is their queen crazy or not? CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Pilar Lopez de Ayala, center, and Rosana Pastor, right, in ``Mad Love.'' |
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