The legions of Johnny Depp fans forced to wait another six weeks to see his performance as the Earl of Rochester in THE LIBERTINE can derive some contentment from reading Charles McGrath’s insightful article about the film in today’s New York Times. Praising the accuracy of Laurence Dunmore’s vision of Restoration London, McGrath offers a lively recap of the facts of John Wilmot’s life. “Johnny Depp plays Wilmot as a kind of fallen archangel, a prince of arrogance and self-loathing, and we watch him rot before our eyes,” McGrath writes. “Some of his biographers have suggested that there was something principled about Wilmot’s libertinism – that in an age of hypocrisy and false piety, he was heroic in his unbelief and his scorn for convention. In the movie’s portrayal, which includes elements of Jim Morrison and Iggy Pop (for whom Mr. Depp used to open), he’s more nearly a rock star ahead of his time, whose dark glamour comes from burning himself out.”

The Zone thanks sleepy and FANtastic JD for posting the McGrath article on our News & Views forum. You can read it HERE. To see a larger version of our thumbnail, click HERE.