August 1, 2001 -- "Quills" is a story based on the last months of the life of a man in the Charenton lunatic asylum. Donatien Alphonse François, comte de Sade, commonly known as the Marquis de Sade, was sentenced to death in 1772 for a series of sexual crimes. After escaping to Italy, he was arrested again in 1777. He served time in several prisons, including two stints in Charenton, the last beginning in 1803. He died there in 1814. His books, based on his own sexual experiences, were considered so obscene they were banned until the 20th century. The term sadism, used to describe a psychological disorder in which sexual gratification is derived from inflicting pain on another, is named after him.

From this brief description you can probably guess that de Sade is the hero of this film and that church and civil authorities are made to look bad in comparison to him. After all, de Sade was an artist, at least according to the film, and has gotten a fair amount of support in the artistic community over the years. Perhaps someday someone will make a movie with a similarly sympathetic portrayal of another author and artist, the guy who wrote Mein Kampf. De Sade is played by Geoffrey Rush, who won a best actor Oscar a few years back, and may win another for this great performance. Rush's de Sade is powerful, self-assured and charming. The only thing he attacks are hypocrites, and there are plenty of those at Charenton.

Coulmier (Joaquin Phoenix of "Gladiator"), a cleric in charge of Charenton, has a rather enlightened notion that best way to treat de Sade is to give him creative outlets, including plays staged at the asylum. Little does he know, however, that one of his fans, Madeleine (Kate Winslet of "Titanic"), a maid at the asylum, is helping de Sade to smuggle manuscripts to publishers. The renegade books have aroused the wrath of Napoleon. He wants de Sade stopped, killed if necessary. Dr. Royer-Collard (Michael Caine of "The Cider House Rules"), a master of sadistic treatment, is brought in to oversee de Sade's treatments.

Rather than immediately torturing de Sade, Royer-Collard is content to sit back and manipulate others, including Coulmier. Complex undercurrents are set into motion at Charenton, and de Sade is at the center of everything. Royer-Collard is brutal to his pretty young wife, who in turn becomes a fan of de Sade's writings. Coulmier, who is smitten with Madeleine, teaches her to read, but her favorite reading material is produced by de Sade. A play, written and directed by de Sade takes direct aim at Royer-Collard's cruelty, and his sexual inadequacies.

De Sade's creativity and virility (the film features full frontal nudity) overpowers everyone else. He is portrayed as the only one true to himself, the only one willing to tell the truth (as he sees it), willing to go to any lengths to keep writing his books and plays. Coulmier and Royer-Collard keep trying more and more desperate measures to censor de Sade. Their attempts to control de Sade, who represents the forces of chaos, is classic comedy. Their motives are not pure. The results are predictably comic and tragic.

The Marquis de Sade seems to be a man who was way ahead of his time, in fact, he's probably ahead of us in the third millenium. While many sexual taboos have been weakened over the last 200 years, there are still some, like child pornography, that can make ordinarily sane people go crazy, particularly in this country. Even now, I doubt many would accept the notion advanced in "Quills," that you can't be virtuous without experiencing vice. We're still unforgiving. We're quite willing to burn the Constitution when it comes to certain sex crimes. In a sense, things have changed very little in the last 200 years, and virtually no one believes that treatment makes any difference at all. It would have been a beautiful irony if this movie had been directed by Roman Polanski.

The movie is brilliantly scripted by Doug Wright, adapted from a play. It is well-directed by Philip Kaufman ("Henry and June") and the acting is first-rate by everyone. This is the second outstanding performance in the year 2000 by Joaquin Phoenix after his Oscar-quality turn as a mad Roman emperor in "Gladiator." Here, he plays a well-intentioned man who is pushed into barbaric behavior by internal and external forces. Kate Winslet turns in perhaps her best performance ever as a washerwoman who likes to play with fire. The old pro, Caine, plays it cool, but menacing, as the self-serving, manipulative doctor. This is one of the best films of 2000. It rates an A.

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