Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9780792852063
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
ISBN: 0792852060
Label: MGM (Video & DVD)
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: MGM (Video & DVD)
Region Code: 1
Release Date: March 19, 2002
Running Time: 118 minutes
Sales Rank: 36363
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Theatrical Release Date: January 26, 1996
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Editorial Review:
Description:
Mark Rylance, Kristin Scott Thomas and Patsy Kensit star in this 'mesmerizing' (The New York Times) story of a scientist who marries the woman of his dreamsonly to find himself entangled ina nightmarish web of dark intrigue and shocking secrets! With stunning performances and breathtaking visuals, Angels and Insects is 'tantalizing, hypnotic and seething with sexuality' (Playboy). Taken in by a wealthy family after a failed expedition to the Amazon, biologist William Adamson (Rylance) wins the hand of his benefactor's daughter (Kensit) and believes his dreamsof fame and fortune may finally come true. But a servant (Thomas) has secret knowledge about his new family, and his visions of grandeur tarnish in light of an erotic decadence and illicit passion beyond his darkest fears.
Amazon.com:
Angels and Insects, an ambitious costume drama, tells the tale of William Adamson, a buttoned-down Victorian explorer (Mark Rylance) who returns to England penniless and dependent on the kindness of his sponsor, Sir Harald Alabaster (Jeremy Kemp). Adamson's intelligence and lower social class endear him to the old man, but Sir Harald's son, Edgar, seems annoyed by his presence. Nevertheless, Adamson falls in love with Sir Harald's daughter, a shy sex kitten (Patsy Kensit), and offers to marry her. A web of sexual politics, true love, and class struggle develops, even as the explorer begins an intriguing study of a nearby ant colony. With encouragement from a dirt-poor Alabaster cousin (Kristin Scott Thomas), Adamson begins to write about the insects, never realizing the parallels with his own life. The film is a puzzle to solve while savoring the beauty of flesh and outlandish, vibrant costumes. Rylance, unknown to most American audiences, is a perfect hero to root for, with his impeccable manners and soothing Scottish tones. Another curious winner from filmmakers Philip and Belinda Haas (The Music of Chance). --Doug Thomas
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Angels and Insects
My husband and I watched Angels and Insects when it first hit the movie theaters and thought it was an excellent movie. We wanted to see it again and bought the DVD. We have not changed our view of the movie. Two thumbs up, it was worth watching again.
Rating:  - Don't Buy This
This is not a review of the movie, per se, since I did not get past the first 10 minutes. The DVD is lousy. First off, it is not a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. It is letterboxed, and the figures on screen come off as being somewhat distorted/stretched, as though one stretched a 4:3 aspect ratio movie into widescreen. The biggest problem, though, is that the video is somewhat out of focus and blurry, and it is so distracting that I could not watch anymore than a few minutes before turning it off. I am sending it back for a refund.
Rating:  - Period piece yes, but too predictable
Mark Rylance is very good in his role, Kristin Scott Thomas too. But the movie in general is only good (there is the book). A lot of the story suffers because of Patsy Kensit. I remember that she was "HOT" at the time so she probably was given this role for that reason. An extremely unattractive woman and even more so here. You learn to dislike her character but never as much as disliking her in the role. Too much commentary from me could spoil the movie, but you will figure it out yourself at least by the time they are at the ball.
Rating: - A Significant Film
Angels and Insects [Region 2] This extraordinarily fine film is artistically significant in its use of color and its use of symbols to evoke mood and meaning. It is historically and socially significant in its use of self-indulgence and incest to portray the decadence of the English Victorian upper class in contrast to the intellectual and moral honesty of the middle class scientist and governess.
Rating: - Fluttering among angels and insects
"Angels and Insects" was an artistic breakthrough for director Philip Haas. Based on AS Byatt's novella "Morpho Eugenia","Angels" is a lush,sensual movie. Set in repressed Victorian England, it's a period piece that's at once campy and tasteful,elegant and melodramatic. It gained notoriety for its fleeting male nudity-but stands on its own.
"Angels" opens in the Amazon rainforest. The naturalist William Adamson (Mark Rylance) is dancing with the naked,painted natives. Like "Forbidden Dance",the natives are dancing sensually in their forest idyll. The action moves to a refined waltz. There, William meets the hysterical Eugenia Alabaster (Patsy Kensit) Her father,Sir Harold,is a vicar struggling with the concept of evolution while his wife is constantly eating or pregnant. William romances Eugenia. There's also Maddie Crompton (Kristin Scott Thomas,made to look plain&drab),with whom he studies local insects. Maddie is independently minded;she's also into socialism.
William marries Eugenia. They have a passionate wedding night. One moment,she's repressed,the next moment,she can't wait to get her husband into bed. During her pregnancies,she secludes herself,leaving William suspicious. In the meantime, William and Maddie are studying an anthill in the forest. Their attraction is intellectual. William also has to deal with his obnoxious brother in-law Edgar,who's obsessed with "pure bloods." Edgar is a nasty character. He believes in hereditary aristocracy,using it as an excuse ... Read More
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