"Depp, a dazzling chameleon:" VOGUE reviews THE LIBERTINE

John Powers reviews THE LIBERTINE in the January 2006 issue of VOGUE (U.S.), and finds much to praise about Johnny Depp’s portrayal of the dissolute earl. Powers writes, “[Director Laurence] Dunmore’s impressive debut offers an unsentimental portrait of a London whose coffee-stained hues and devouring shadows hint at the spiritual corruption that made Wilmot more famous for his licentiousness than his art. What saves this from being a grim morality play is Depp, a dazzling chameleon whose sole flaw is that he hides himself so far inside his characters that we don’t feel the humanity within. Wilmot’s cynical detachment clearly speaks to something deep in this superb actor, inspiring his most expansive work since his larky turn as Captain Jack Sparrow in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN. With his long, wavy tresses and frilly garb, Depp’s Wilmot may look every inch a man of the past, but his disillusionment feels utterly modern. He’s a Restoration pop idol bored with his own power to thrill.”

Thanks to Donna B. for posting the Powers review; you can read it in its entirety on our News & Views forum. Thanks also to FANtasticJD for sharing the gorgeous French poster for THE LIBERTINE on our Recent Pics forum. To see a larger version of our thumbnail of the poster, click HERE.

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