There are a lot of people out there who despise so-called "art house" movies. They find them boring and pretentious and would rather watch a Bruce Willis action movie any day of the week.
It's because of movies like "Bride of the Wind" that these people hate art house movies. The true story of Alma Mahler (Sarah Wynter) is beautiful on the surface, but there is nothing beneath it.
Set in turn of the century Vienna, Alma was a brilliant musician who became more famous for who she slept with than her music.
Among Alma's many lovers were composer Gustav Mahler (Jonathan Pryce), architect Walter Gropius (Simon Verhoeven), painter Oskar Kokoschka (Vincent Perez) and writer Franz Werfel (Gregor Seberg).
Alma marries the much older Gustav when she is very young. He is a tortured genius, like all of the men Alma is with, and asks that his wife give up on her own dreams of composing to take care of him and their children.
She tries but feels trapped and begins an affair with Gropius. Of course, his love isn't enough either, so she becomes the lover of Kokoschka as well. Finally, she beds Werfel.
"Bride of the Wind," directed by Bruce Beresford ("Driving Miss Daisy" and "Double Jeopardy"), practically begs the viewer to admire Alma for her beauty, independence and talent. Because she is "free-spirited" we are supposed to forgive her for sleeping with half of the men in Vienna and being a horrible, neglectful mother.
The biggest problems with the movie are the casting of Wynter and the script, by Marilyn Levy. Wynter is given a completely unsympathetic character to play, and there's not much she can do with it. She's too limited an actress to transcend the poorly written role and generate an Alma the viewer can care about. Wynter lacks charm and grace and it's hard to see why anyone fell for her.
Levy's screenplay and the movie itself try to cover way too much ground in only 99 minutes. It never stays in one place very long. This makes the movie feel rushed, incoherent and incomplete. We get bits and pieces but nothing of substance. It doesn't add up to anything.
The only things "Bride of the Wind" has going for it are the lush cinematography from Peter James ("Driving Miss Daisy," "Meet the Parents") and Herbert Pinter's production design. It's breathtaking to look at and it's too bad their work is wasted on this film.
Alma Mahler must have been a fascinating person. But you leave "Bride of the Wind" knowing little about her and what made her tick. It's like reading the Cliff's Notes of a classic novel, but not the book itself.
Grade: C-
"Bride of the Wind" started Fri., July 6 at the Downer Theatre.
