Themes: Fired or Laid-Off, Age Disparity Romance, Self-Destructive Romance
Main Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman, Ed Harris, Gary Sinise, Wentworth Miller
Release Year: 2003
Country: US
Run Time: 106 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
For his first film since 1998's Twilight, acclaimed director Robert Benton helmed this tense drama written by Fatal Attraction co-scribe Nicholas Meyer and based on the novel of the same name by Philip Roth. Set in the late '90s at the height of the Clinton sex-scandal, The Human Stain stars Anthony Hopkins as Coleman Silk, a respected professor at a New England college who suddenly finds his life unraveling after a comment he makes about some African-American students is misinterpreted as a racial slur. As the scandal heats up, Nathan Zuckerman (Gary Sinise), a writer researching a biography of Silk, begins to dig deeper and deeper into Silk's life. Eventually, matters are made worse when an affair with a young married janitor named Faunia Farley (Nicole Kidman) is exposed. But amid the controversy, Silk must struggle to keep his greatest secret, a secret he's held for the majority of his life, from becoming public. Ed Harris, who previously worked with Benton in 1984's Places in the Heart, also stars. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
Review
Few titles convey unspecific malaise as well as The Human Stain, and few films address that malaise with such enviable starkness. Director Robert Benton brings to bear a career's worth of exploring the complexity of human relationships, and the top-to-bottom stellar cast backs him up nicely in a film that flew under the radar, but shouldn't have. Anthony Hopkins may not be far afield from his typical stately intellectual, but Nicole Kidman gives a harrowing demonstration of her range in the role of a dead-end divorcée, and Ed Harris exudes frightening menace as a war veteran whose instabilities might manifest themselves in any way, at any time. Not only does each of the main characters -- who include Gary Sinise as a withdrawn cancer survivor -- get enough screen time to struggle with their very different and very personal injuries, but a healthy stretch of Nicholas Meyer's adroit screenplay delves into the distant past, seamlessly. It's in this portion that the film develops a new, richer layer of meaning that couldn't be divined from either the trailers or the casting of the actors. Yet the film's present tense is also dense with currency and insight, smartly set during the Monika Lewinsky scandal as a means of criticizing our guilt-by-accusation society. That Hopkins' professor could be ruined over his correct usage of a term that's been bastardized into a racial slur echoes several prominent real-world instances of political correctness gone haywire. Although perhaps a little thematically obvious, setting the film in perpetually wintry conditions reminds a viewer of other powerful films involving emotional scarring, such as Affliction or The Ice Storm. The Human Stain is well worthy of joining their ranks. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
Jacinda Barrett - Steena Paulsson; Harry J. Lennix - Mr. Silk; Clark Gregg - Nelson Primus; Anna Deavere Smith - Mrs. Silk; Lizan Mitchell - Ernestine; Kerry Washington - Ellie; Phyllis Newman - Iris Silk; Margo Martindale - Psychologist; Ron Canada - Herb Keble; Mili Avital - Young Iris; Danny Blanco-Hall - Walter; Kristen Blevins - Young Ernestine; Anne Dudek - Lisa Silk; Mimi Kuzyk - Professor Delphine Roux; John Finn - Louie Borero; John Cenatiempo - Boxer; Deano Clavet - Boxing Coach; Peter "Sugarfoot" Cunningham - Boxer; Allison Pratt Davis - Diner on the Train; Laurent Imbault - Administrative Officer; Richard Mawe - Doc Chizner; Jeff Perry - Tennis Player; Tom Rack - Bobcat; Danny Stone - Tennis Player; Vlasta Vrana - Solly Tabak; Russell Yuen - Chinese Waiter; Terry Haig - Police Officer #2; Philip Pretten - Record Store Manager; Rick Snyder - Tennis Player; Brea Asher - Primus' Secretary; Charles W. Gray - Minister; Richard Russo - Faculty Committee Member; Robert Higden - Jeff Silk; Luc Morisette - Street Photographer; Pierre LeBlanc - Naval Recruiter; Neville Edwards - Coleman's Cornerman; Jude Beny - Sally; Jimmy Chang - Chinese Restaurant Owner; Vito DeFilippo - Mark Silk; Sylvain Dore - St. Nicholas Referee; Kim Gandol Ferenczi - Rally Protester; Andrew Forge - Faculty Committee Member; Phillip Collete Gervais - Train Conductor; Steven Grise - Rally Protester; Edward Lafferty - Rally Protester; Sylvain Landry - Maitre D; Nwamiko Madden - Young Man on the Porch; Frank Proctor - Announcer; Bill Rowat - Swift; Jessica Shutle - Student; Kate Whitney - Mrs. Primus; Lydia Zadel - Nature Center Girl; Stella Arroyave - Faculty Committee Member
Credit
Peter Rogness - Art Director, Zoe Sakellaropoulo - Art Director, Andy Schmetterling - Boom Operator, Francis Péloquin - Boom Operator, Avy Kaufman - Casting, Deborah Aquila - Casting, Lucie Robitaille - Casting, Robin D. Cook - Casting, Tricia Wood - Casting, Patricia Birch - Choreography, R.J. Broadhurst - Consultant/advisor, Marie-Claude Couture - Consultant/advisor, Ross Danielson - Coordinator, David Snell - Conductor, Mario Ohoven - Co-producer, Rita Ryack - Costume Designer, Carolyn Schnitzer - Costume Designer, Kendall Errair - Costume Designer, Heather Holbrook - Costume Designer, Aimee McCue - Costume Designer, Ron Bozman - First Assistant Director, Robert Benton - Director, Christopher Tellefsen - Editor, Andre Lamal - Executive Producer, Ron Bozman - Executive Producer, Bob Weinstein - Executive Producer, Harvey Weinstein - Executive Producer, Eberhard Kayser - Executive Producer, Rick Schwartz - Executive Producer, Michael Ohoven - Executive Producer, Steve Hutensky - Executive Producer, Evan Edelist - Executive Producer, Dana Ross - Executive Producer, Ron Stein - Fights Choreographer, Paul LeBlanc - Hair Styles, Kerry Warn - Hair Styles, Benjamin Robin - Hair Styles, Wyatt Belton - Hair Styles, Milton Buras - Hair Styles, Jerry Dicarlo - Hair Styles, Andre Duval - Hair Styles, Mark Fitzgerald - Location Manager, Benoit Mathieu - Location Manager, Philip R. Reilly - Lighting, Robert Cuddy - Lighting, Daniel Hutchison - Lighting, Jean-Francois Abran - Lighting, Dave Cambria - Lighting, Thomas Keenan - Lighting, Jack McPhee - Lighting, Charles Proulx - Lighting, William Ted Ross - Lighting, Patrick Ruth - Lighting, Stephane Tanguay - Lighting, Marco Venditto - Lighting, Rachel Portman - Composer (Music Score), Dondi Bastone - Musical Direction/Supervision, Terry Claybon - Martial Arts Instructor/Coordinator, Robert McCann - Makeup, Benjamin Robin - Makeup, Gillian Chandler - Makeup, Tricia Heine - Makeup, Donald J. Mowat - Makeup, Joe Rossi - Makeup, Jim McConkey - Camera Operator, David Gropman - Production Designer, Jean-Yves Escoffier - Cinematographer, Tal Meirson - Production Manager, Tom Rosenberg - Producer, Gary Lucchesi - Producer, Scott Steindorff - Producer, Harry Higgins - Recording, Lucie Tremblay - Set Designer, Raynald Langelier - Set Designer, Kyra Friedman - Set Designer, Claude Leclair - Set Designer, Lucille Parenteau - Set Designer, James McQuaide - Special Effects, Moon Against Man - Special Effects, Danny Michael - Sound Mixer, Claude La Haye - Sound Mixer, Bill Allen - Sound/Sound Designer, Jason Cavalier - Stunts, Benoit Gautier - Stunts, Minor Mustain - Stunts, David Rigby - Stunts, Stéphane Lefebvre - Stunts, Annie Carignan - Stunts, Jean Frenette - Stunts Coordinator, Jim McConkey - Stunts Coordinator, Payam Shohadai - Special Effects Supervisor, Cecilia Kate Roque - Unit Production Manager, Karl Archambault - Unit Production Manager, Nicholas Meyer - Screenwriter, André Beaudry - Production Assistant, Bruno Bienvenue - Production Assistant, Daniel Charbonneau - Production Assistant, Martin Couture - Production Assistant, Alex Curzi - Production Assistant, Marco Grégoire - Production Assistant, Yannick Henrico - Production Assistant, Frédéric Jougla - Production Assistant, Jean-Denis Neveu - Production Assistant, Éric Peissard - Production Assistant, Annie Rhodes - Production Assistant, Jean Cardinal - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, Rob Harris - Unit Publicist, Woody Bell - Grip, Jean-Yves Denis - Grip, Bill Flanagan - Grip, Remi Giroux - Grip, Eric Komar - Grip, Robert Lacroix - Grip, Michel St-Martin - Grip, Darrell Temple - Grip, Donald J. Mowat - Makeup Supervisor, Suzana Peric - Music Editor, John Lenehan - Musical Performer, James McQuaide - Post Production Supervisor, Sofie Handfield - Production Coordinator, Meryl Emmerton - Production Coordinator, Martin Handfield - Properties Master, Martin Lasowitz - Properties Master, Lee Dichter - Re-Recording Mixer, Michael Barry - Re-Recording Mixer, France Lachapelle - Script Supervisor, Joan Bostwick - Second Assistant Director, Takashi Seida - Still Photographer, Abbot Genser - Still Photographer, Warren Shaw - Supervising Sound Editor, Jacinthe Demers - Costume/Wardrobe, Josee Boisvert - Costume/Wardrobe, Tony Martinez - ADR Editor, David Boulton - ADR Mixer, Charlene Richards - ADR Mixer, Bobby Johanson - ADR Mixer, Bob Baron - ADR Mixer, Michael Miller - ADR Mixer, Stanley Oda - ADR Mixer, Robert Spano - ADR Mixer, Jean Morin - Assistant Art Director, Bernard April - Assistant Chief Lighting Technician, Carlos Bermudez - Assistant Chief Lighting Technician, Tom Dolan - Assistant Chief Lighting Technician, Brian Pitts - Assistant Chief Lighting Technician, Lynn Beaudin - Assistant Location Manager, Michel Léonard - Assistant Location Manager, Luke Ramsey - Assistant Location Manager, Sandra Joubeaud - Assistant Production Coordinator, Wendy Mooradian - Assistant Production Coordinator, Robert Pierre Cote - Assistant Properties, Marie Cailhier Chartrand - Assistant Properties, Danica Chipman - Assistant Properties, Mike Zadrosny - Assistant Properties, Christopher Hills-Wright - Assistant Sound Editor, Dan Ward - Assistant Sound Editor, Simone Leclerc - Buyer, Jessica Daniels - Casting Assistant, Megan Wright - Casting Assistant, Jennifer Smith - Casting Associate, Maria Tortu - Casting Associate, Mauren Whaler - Casting Associate, Jaymie Fortune - Chief Lighting Technician, Sylvain Berneir - Chief Lighting Technician, Dan Korintus - Dialogue Editor, Julie Breton - Extra Casting, Kevin Fennessy - Extra Casting, Kent Blocher - First Assistant Editor, Marko Costanza - Foley Artist, William Sweeny - Foley Editor, Jim Kent - Leadman, Winnie Cheng - Post Production Accountant, Robert Topol - Scenic Artist, Mario Barriere - Scenic Artist, Walter Byrns - Scenic Artist, Jean Desroches - Scenic Artist, Luc Gagnier - Scenic Artist, Sebastien Gervais - Scenic Artist, Nicolas Godbout - Scenic Artist, Narmand Laveaux - Scenic Artist, Paul-François Sampson - Scenic Artist, Tony Trotta - Scenic Artist, Greg Principato - Second Assistant Camera, Alain Rousseau - Second Assistant Camera, Paul Richards - Set Dresser, Sophie Beasse - Set Dresser, Richard Brunet - Set Dresser, John Capron - Set Dresser, Jennifer Engel - Set Dresser, Jim Schneider - Set Dresser, Ryan Webb - Set Dresser, Stéphane Dovon - Set Production Assistant, Elizabeth Lawrence - Set Production Assistant, Kristin Kubiak McConkey - Set Production Assistant, Chuck Moya - Set Production Assistant, Emily Palmer - Set Production Assistant, Danny Turgeon - Set Production Assistant, Douglas Webster - Set Production Assistant, Payam Shohadai - Visual Effects, Artaya Boonsoong - Visual Effects, Justin Johnson - Visual Effects, Ian Noe - Visual Effects, Phil Pham - Visual Effects, Thana Siripopungul - Visual Effects, Matt Steele - Visual Effects, Rob Meyers - Visual Effects, Philip Roth - Book Author, Catherine Bellazzi - Cable Person, Kelly Doran - Cable Person, George A. Lara - Foley Recordist, Mark Casey - Generator Operator, Jean Decarie - Generator Operator, Brendan Keffe - Generator Operator, Mary Nelson-Fraser & Associates - Negative Cutter, Marie-France Long - Production Secretary, Genevieve Hamel - Runner, Martin Lebrun - Runner, Deborah Clapp - Set Medic/First Aid, Mario Trépanier - Set Medic/First Aid, Loopers Unlimited - Voice Casting, Bruce Winant - Voice Casting, Marie-Claude L'Heureux - Art Department Coordinator, Nancy Allen - Assistant Music Editor, Construction BFG - Carpenter, Atelier Nina Gauvin - Carpenter, Stephen R. Craig - Painter, Jean Larose - Painter, Isabelle Rousseau - Painter, Stephen Craig - Painter, Kristian Girard - Assistant Unit Manager, Annie Tremblay - Assistant Unit Manager
In the late 1990s, writer Nathan Zuckerman has settled in a lakeside New England cabin following his second divorce and a battle with prostate cancer. His idyllic life is interrupted by Coleman Silk, a former dean and professor of classics at local Athena College, who was forced to resign after being accused of making racist remarks in class. Coleman's wife died suddenly following the scandal, and he wants to avenge his loss of career and companion by writing a book about the events with Nathan's assistance. The project is placed on the back burner when Coleman falls into an affair with considerably younger and semi-literate Faunia Farley, who supports herself by working at menial jobs. Their relationship is threatened by the faculty members who forced Coleman from his job and by Faunia's stalker ex-husband Lester, a mentally unbalanced Vietnam War veteran who blames her for the deaths of their children in an accident. Flashbacks reveal to the audience Coleman's secret - he is an African American who has passed as a Jewish white man for most of his adult life.
In his review in the New York Times, A.O. Scott called it "an honorable B+ term paper of a movie: sober, scrupulous and earnestly respectful of its literary source . . . The filmmakers explicate Mr. Roth's themes with admirable clarity and care and observe his characters with delicate fondness, but they cannot hope to approximate the brilliance and rapacity of his voice, which holds all the novel's disparate elements together. Without the active intervention of Mr. Roth's intelligence . . . the story fails to cohere . . . At its best - which also tends to be at its quietest - The Human Stain allows you both to care about its characters and to think about the larger issues that their lives represent. Its deepest flaw is an inability to link those moments of empathy and insight into a continuous drama, to suggest that the characters' lives keep going when they are not on screen." [2]
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times observed, "We have to suspend disbelief over the casting, but that's easier since we can believe the stories of these people. Not many movies probe into matters of identity or adaptation. Most movie characters are like Greek gods and comic book heroes: We learn their roles and powers at the beginning of the story, and they never change. Here are complex, troubled, flawed people, brave enough to breathe deeply and take one more risk with their lives." [3]
In the San Francisco Chronicle, Mick LaSalle called it "a mediocre movie . . . [that] falls victim to a fatal lack of narrative drive, suspense and drama. Kidman and Hopkins are wrong for their roles, and that, combined with a pervading inevitability, cuts the film off from any sustained vitality. The result is something admirable but lifeless." [4]
David Stratton of Variety described it as "an intelligent adaptation of Philip Roth's arguably unfilmable novel powered by two eye-catching performances . . . A key problem Benton is unable to avoid is that Hopkins and Miller don't look (or talk) the least bit like one another. Miller, who gives a strong, muted performance, convinces as a light-skinned African-American in a way Hopkins never does, which is not to suggest that the Welsh-born actor doesn't give another intelligent, powerful portrayal. It's just that the believability gap looms large." [5]
In Rolling Stone, Peter Travers said, "Hopkins and Kidman . . . are both as mesmerizing as they are miscast . . . The Human Stain is heavy going. It's the flashes of dramatic lightning that make it a trip worth taking." [6]
The Times called it "sapping and unbelievable melodrama . . . an unforgivably turgid lecture about political correctness." [7]
