Australis I have read the preceding reviews which offer good summaries and some thoughtful insights into the movie which I agree is beautiful visually and has a fascinating and challenging plot. I am surprised that no-one has mentioned the poems of Andrew Marvell(1621-1678) which I believe permeate the film, especially "The Garden" and "To His Coy Mistress". I probably missed some references myself but there were actually quotes from at least one of these poems. For example "Let us roll all our strength and all/Our sweetness up into one ball/And tear our pleasures with rough strife/Thorough the iron gates of life;/Thus though we cannot make our sun/Stand still, yet we will make him run." The other poem, "The Garden" , though too long to quote here could well stand as a model for major themes in the film and there are also some echoes of the Mower poems of Marvell. A minor comment relating to Ewan McGregor's character Chrome is that, although he is clearly identified as Dutch, reviewers unanimously call him Meneer Chrome as if that is his given name rather than mijnheer, Dutch for mister or sir. Finally, is is too far fetched to identify the reflexive symbol of the serpent's kiss with the fate of Fitzmaurice who, after being essentially the instigator of all the action, inadvertently poisons himself.

Amy Adler Thomas (Pete Postlethwaite) and his beautiful wife, Julianna (Greta Scacchi) live in England around the beginning of the 19th century. They used to reside in town but have since moved to a large estate in the country. This has upset Julianna, as she loves company, games, and excitement. To help smooth things over, Thomas plans to have a gorgeous formal garden installed near the house for Julianna'e enjoyment and as a place for her to entertain guests. He hires Meneer (Ewan McGregor) to plan the gardens, at almost unlimited expense. Secretly, however, Meneer is not the famous gardener he is supposed to be but, rather, an impostor. A cousin of Julianna's (Richard E. Grant) has arranged for Meneer to pose as the horticulture expert because he wants the young gardener to bleed the finances of Thomas dry, to settle old scores. Thomas and Julianna have a beautiful only child, a daughter, Anna (Carmen Chaplin), for since Anna's birth, Julianna has been barren. Anna is decidedly independent and outspoken and often chooses to walk the grounds by herself. This causes her father to believe she may have mental problems and he subjects Anna to a doctor's unusual and unorthodox treatments. Anna has strong feelings, too, about whether the natural beauty of the grounds should be sacrificed for a contrived showplace of formal gardens. So, how will this garden grow? Will Meneer complete his mission or will he be found out? This is a lovely film, with a nice cast and a terrific, unusual story. Although set back in time, the tale shows quite well how human nature changes very little over the years. Money lust, deceit, and revenge are as natural as breathing, for some folks, causing suffering to those around them. As the main heavy, Grant is wonderfully evil while Postlethwaite, Scacchi, and McGregor fulfill their roles nicely. Chaplin, however, although very pretty, gives a rather weak performance overall. As for the scenery and the costumes, they are of the finest caliber, making for a view that is visually compelling, and the direction is faultless. Why not kiss off the mundane entertainment choices, of an evening, and watch this captivating, gorgeous, extraordinary film instead? You will most likely pat yourself on the back for doing so.

Amashelle As an independent period flick, the movie supports a decent set and accurate costumes. The acting is, more or less, well done (Ewan McGregor is, as usual, brilliant, Carmen Chaplin made a smashing debut, and the rest of the cast was easy to watch).The plot of the movie, however, must be watched carefully, or you'll miss the subtle dynamics of the characters, and the beautiful undertones of the themes. If you go into it with expectations, you'll be disappointed. While the main love story is not at all original, I can't see this movie being a box-office hit, or at all popular with main-stream viewers.I guess the main thing you need to know when going into this movie is, while the plot is an important factor, the real reason I would give for watching it is to see the wonderful way the characters interact with each other. Like so many independent films, The Serpent's Kiss relies on its script and characters more than events and elaborate sets.

hedgiewan I really really want to like this; it just doesn't seem right that you can make a movie with Ewan McGregor, Pete Postlethwaite, and Richard E. Grant and have it be that bad, but bad it is. Imagine a Peter Greenaway wannabe with an IQ of 67 attempting to produce a Jane Austen short story as a darkly melodramatic full-length movie. You have better things to do with your time than watching this film.