H9510 THE HUMAN STAIN (USA, 2003)

Credits: director, Robert Benton ; writer, Nicholas Meyer ; novel, Philip Roth. Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman, Gary Sinese, Ed Harris. Summary: Melodrama set in contemporary New England with flashbacks to the 1940s. A story of two different kinds of passing: crossing the race line, and the class line. Which is more difficult? Coleman Silk (Hopkins) is a respected professor at a New England college who suddenly finds his life unraveling after a comment he makes about some African-American students is misinterpreted as a racial slur. Rather than defend himself, he resigns in a rage. His rage is fueled by his secret: he is an African American himself though the world believes he is Jewish. As the scandal heats up, Nathan Zuckerman (Sinese), a writer researching a biography of Silk, begins to dig deeply into Silk’s life. Eventually, matters are made worse when Coleman’s affair with a young married janitor named Faunia Farley (Kidman) is exposed. Farley’s abusive ex-husband (Harris) is a Vietnam veteran.

Arnold, Gary. “Filmmaker wrote book on adapting novels” Washington times (Oct 31, 2003), Show, p. D01. Booth, Michael. “A dramatic turn: Two actresses leave the lighthearted romantic side of films in roles that put them on a new track; Actor’s skill puts polish on multi-themed ‘Stain’” Denver post (Oct 31, 2003), p. F01. Burr, Ty. “ ‘Stain’ misses the mark, despite Hopkins” Boston globe (Oct 31, 2003), p. C1. Corliss, Richard. “Loving while living a lie” Time 162/17 (Oct 27, 2003), p. L74. Covert, Colin. “Heavy-duty “Stain’ doesn’t wash” Star tribune [Minneapolis, MN] (Oct 31, 2003), Freetime, p. 12E. Dargis, Manohla. “Vital ideas are lost in the translation; As a novel, ‘The human stain’ attacks secrecy and sanctimony. As a movie, it asks too much of both actors and audience, stretching credulity until it snaps” Los Angeles times (Oct 31, 2003), Calendar, p. 4. Gallo, Bill. “Black like me? One man’s deceptions help to highlight our own flaws in ‘The human stain’” SF weekly (Oct 29, 2003), p. ? Germain, David. “At the movies: ‘The human stain’” Associated Press (Oct 27, 2003), BC cycle Gilmore, Michael T. “Secrets and lies; ‘The human stain’ and the American compulsion to expose” Boston globe (Nov 2, 2003), p. G5. Harrison, Eric. “ ‘The human stain’ leaves too many ‘what ifs’ unanswered” Houston chronicle (Oct 31, 2003), Friday, p. 3. Hoberman, J. “Telling lies in America” Village voice (Nov 4, 2003), p. 67. Howe, Desson. “ ‘Human stain’ can’t solve its identity crisis” Washington post (oct 31, 2003), Weekend, p. T43. Hunter, Stephen. “ ‘The human stain’: Out, out damn spotlight” Washington post (Oct 31, 2003), p. C01. LaSalle, Mick. “ ‘Human stain’ doesn’t quite wash; Philip Roth adaptation a nice effort but ultimately unbelievable” San Francisco chronicle (Oct 31, 2003), Daily datebook, p. D5. Lippman, John. “Weekend journal: Hollywood report: Will ‘Stain’ disappear? Miramax’s ‘Human stain’ hits snag in Oscar race; Nicole Kidman cleans up” Wall Street journal (Oct 24, 2003), p. W10. Macdonald, Moira. “ ‘The human stain’; Anthony Hopkins portrays a man with a secret past” Seattle times (Oct 31, 2003), Ticket, p. H19. Macnab, Geoffrey. “First night: Even with the Viagra, Kidman and Hopkins fail to hit the spot; ‘The human stain’ Venice Film Festival” The independent [London] (Sep 1, 2003), p. 5. Meyer, Carla. “Keeping ‘The human stain’ intact on the screen; Benton focuses on heart of Philip Roth’s 2000 novel” San Francisco chronicle (Oct 26, 2003), Movies, p. O1. Pevere, Geoff. “Literary adaptation mired in seriousness” Toronto star (Oct 31, 2003), p. D3 Puig, Claudia. “Tedium seeps into ‘The human stain’” USA today (Oct 31, 2003), Life, p. 6E. Rickey, Carrie. “ ‘Stain’ falls a bit short of spotless adaptation” Philadelphia inquirer (Oct 31, 2003), Weekend, p. 4, 15. Ringel Gillespie, Eleanor. “A trio to reckon with: Nicole Kidman gives a limited character humanity in ‘The human stain’” Atlanta journal constitution (Oct 31, 2003), p. 1E. Sachs, Adam. “Lit flick” New York 36/30 (Sep 8, 2003), p. 56. Scott, A. O. “A unified theory of Nicole Kidman” New York times (Nov 2, 2003), sec. 2A, p. 1. Sterritt, David. “ ‘Stain’ comes out in a wash” Christian Science monitor (Oct.31, 2003), p. 17. ______. “Ticket to the past” Christian Science monitor (Sep 5, 2003), p.13. Stratton, David. “The human stain” Variety (Sep 8, 2003), p. 31. Taylor, Charles. “The human stain” Salon.com (Oct 31, 2003) Thompson, Anne. “Assessing a film that lost momentum” New York times (Nov 4, 2003), sec. E, p. 1. Travers, Peter. “The human stain” Rolling stone no. 933 (Oct. 16, 2003), p. 95. Weiskind, Ron. “Miscast roles put blemish on ‘Human stain’” Pittsburgh post- gazette (Oct 31, 2003), p. 16. Wilonsky, Robert. “Nobody’s fool; He has three Oscars, co-wrote ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ and Paul Newman digs him. So why don’t you know Dallas-born filmmaker Robert Benton?” Dallas observer (Oct 30, 2003), p. ?