Quills

Meet the Marquis de Sade. The pleasure is all his.

QUILLS (18)

D: Philip Kaufman

20th Century Fox/Fox Searchlight/Industry (Julia Chasman, Nick Wechsler & Peter Kaufman)

US/UK/Germany 2000

123 mins

Biopic/Drama

W: Doug Wright [based on his play]

DP: Roger Stoffers

Ed: Peter Boyle

Mus: Stephen Warbeck

PD: Martin Childs

Cos: Jacqueline West

Geoffrey Rush (Marquis de Sade), Kate Winslet (Madeleine LeClerc), Joaquin Phoenix (Abbé de Coulmier), Michael Caine (Dr. Royer-Collard), Billie Whitelaw (Madame LeClerc)

Geoffrey Rush delivers a fantastic performance as the Marquis de Sade during his imprisonment in Charenton asylum, where he overcomes all attempts to prevent him writing.

This film's strengths not only lie in the fantastic performances on display, but also the meticulous attention to period detail, which make it thoroughly convincing that this is a work of fantasy rather than fact.

7/10