VIDEO CRACK THAT WHIP THE LATER YEARS OF THE MARQUIS DE SADE MAKE FOR STIMULATING DRAMA IN 'QUILLS'.

Byline: Rob Lowman Entertainment Editor

Making a film with such an odious figure as the Marquis de Sade as your central character seems rather risky. The libertine whose life inspired the word sadism was so reprehensible that even the screenwriter for ``Quills,'' Doug Wright, said that when he first read de Sade's writings, his initial instinct was that they should be banned.

But Wright saw de Sade's life (1740-1814) as fodder for bigger questions beyond whether he was obscene or not. The risks that he, director Philip Kaufman and the cast headed by Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix and Michael Caine took paid off in a provocative, intelligent and finely acted film. While many critics picked up on censorship as an obvious theme of ``Quills,'' which arrives on video and DVD on Tuesday, the film also tackles a topic of a more insidious nature - the impact of words.

Based on Wright's play of the same name, this fictionalized account of the marquis' life is set around de Sade's confinement at the Charenton Asylum (the play ``Marat/Sade'' was also set there). The marquis has been sent to the institution because his erotic novels, though widely popular, had been proven an embarrassment to both his family and the government. There, de Sade (Rush) is indulged by a compassionate young priest, Coulmier (Phoenix), who believes that the marquis can somehow be redeemed. But when a new de Sade novel is smuggled out of the asylum by a virginal laundress, Madeleine (Winslet), and becomes the rage of Paris, the government dispatches a hard-liner, Dr. Royer-Collard (Michael Caine), to take over the institution.

As the ``good doctor,'' using the latest medical devices (most of which would in reality be better suited for a torture chamber), tries to stifle de Sade and his creativity, the marquis continues to find ways to express himself. (He is like that line of ants that still finds its way into your house no matter how hard you try to prevent it.)

Ultimately, everyone pays the price for the censorship of the marquis - Royer-Collard's repressive ways end up hurting him where he least expects it, while Coulmier's uninformed liberal meddling is his undoing. And they attempt to silence de Sade in the most hideous ways.

While watching the tortures, some may find sympathy for this de Sade - brilliantly played by Rush, who imbues the marquis with the foppish air of a fading rock star - but he is hardly guiltless, hardly a victim. He is a sociopath, charming until he pounces on his prey. And his words - like the quills that he writes with, pointed and sharp and capable of inflicting pain - are, when falling upon the wrong ears, dangerous.

Kaufman and Wright are not arguing for censorship. Instead, they are examining both sides of the question, which means that words - whether in ads or rap music or in the hands of politicians or, worse, hatemongers - do have their consequences, sometimes disastrous ones.

In ``Quills,'' those consequences take the form of a gruesome death. Since the event unfolds as almost a lark, turning humor into tragedy, it makes the killing even more grotesque. The last part of ``Quills'' is operatic in its horrors. For this reason many (particularly women) may find ``Quills'' difficult to watch. But thanks to Kaufman's measured direction (``Quills'' had the potential to spin wildly out of control), this edgy, finely crafted film deserves an audience, which it failed to find during its theatrical release.

ON A LIGHTER NOTE: Sandra Bullock is an easy target for critics and audiences. They either find her charming or ditsy. Personally, I find her charmingly ditsy. In ``Miss Congeniality,'' out on video and DVD this week, Bullock displays her comedic talents. The story of a dowdy FBI agent who goes undercover as a contestant in a beauty pageant is a bit of fluff but an enjoyable one.

Luckily, Bullock, who also produced the film, doesn't try to push it. She seems content, at the moment, in her romantic/comedic niche. But then, we thought that about another actress who excelled in those types of roles, Julia Roberts, and look what happened - she won an Oscar.

``Quills'' (Fox) is priced for rental on VHS at $107.99. It is $29.98 on DVD, which includes three featurettes - ``Marquis on Marquee,'' ``Creating Charenton,'' ``Dressing the Part'' - and commentary by Wright. ``Miss Congeniality'' (Warner) is $22.98 on VHS and $26.98 on DVD, which includes commentary by Sandra Bullock, co-screenwriter Marc Lawrence and director Donald Petrie, and two behind-the-scenes documentaries.

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Geoffrey Rush brings a rock star's charisma to his portrayal of the Marquis de Sade in ``Quills,'' available on video and DVD this week.