The Human Stain (2003)

Director:

Robert Benton

Writers (WGA):

Philip Roth (novel)
Nicholas Meyer (screenplay)

Release Date:

29 October 2003 (France)

Genre:

Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

How far would you go to escape the past?

Plot:

When a disgraced former college professor has a romance with a mysterious younger woman haunted by her dark twisted past, he is forced to confront a shocking secret about his own life that he has kept secret for 50 years.

Plot Keywords:

Professor | Writer | Janitor | Nervous Breakdown | Haunted By Past

Awards:

2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Anthony Hopkins	...	Coleman Silk
Nicole Kidman	...	Faunia Farley
Ed Harris	...	Lester Farley
Gary Sinise	...	Nathan Zuckerman
Wentworth Miller	...	Young Coleman Silk
Jacinda Barrett	...	Steena Paulsson
Harry Lennix	...	Mr. Silk
Clark Gregg	...	Nelson Primus
Anna Deavere Smith	...	Mrs. Silk
Lizan Mitchell	...	Ernestine
Kerry Washington	...	Ellie
Phyllis Newman	...	Iris Silk
Margo Martindale	...	Psychologist
Ron Canada	...	Herb Keble
Mili Avital	...	Young Iris

Also Known As:

Der menschliche Makel (Germany)
La couleur du mensonge (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and sexuality/nudity.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA | Germany | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Malaysia:18PL | South Korea:15 | Netherlands:12 | Australia:MA | Canada:14A | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R | Hong Kong:IIB

Filming Locations:

Canada

Company:

Miramax Films

Trivia:

In a 2003 op/ed piece in The New York Times, writer Brent Staples reported that Philip Roth's inspiration for the Coleman Silk character was the New York Times literary critic Anatole Broyard, who "passed" for white for the last 40 years of his life, and perpetuated his deception so completely that even his two children did not know their father was black until just before his death.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The camera used to tape the interview is a Sony PD-150, a camera that didn't exist in 1998.

Quotes:

Nathan Zuckerman: [voiceover] 1998 was the summer of sanctimony. After the fall of Communism and before the horrors of terrorism, there was a brief interlude when the nation was preoccupied by cock sucking.

Movie Connections:

References "The Oprah Winfrey Show" (1986)

Soundtrack:

Day Dream

I don't see whats so bad

There has been a lot of bad press about this movie, and, to a point, I don't understand why. Of course, I think that both Hopkins and Kidman were miscast in their respective roles, but at least Kidman trounced her miscasting and turned in a very strong, artistically nuanced performance.

This movie, to me anyways, seemed to be a bit theatrical. The camera shots are often distant, not allowing us to see the actors close up. The script is very loose, allowing for the actors to take the roles and make them their own. Also, most of the actors give very broad, exaggerated ( but not too much) performances. I consider this to be good. We live in an age when theatre is losing its popularity and the director of this film seems to have found a way to bring theatre into cinema.

There are some slight flaws in the movie. Hopkins speaks with a Weslh accent for no apparent reason. The ending is a tad bit drawn out, not terribly so.

Above all though, I consider this film to be a work of art. It certainly made me think about my own life; it's very powerful.