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Movies / On DVD / The Human Stain
The Human Stain

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The Human Stain (2003)

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Reviews Counted:144

Fresh:59

Rotten:85

Average Rating:5.4/10

Consensus: Though the acting is fine, the leads are miscast, and the story is less powerful on screen than on the page.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] sexuality, nudity, and language

Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Oct 31, 2003 Limited

Box Office: $5,311,526

Synopsis: Director Robert Benton brings Philip Roth's 2000 novel THE HUMAN STAIN to the screen in this lavish production, with expert cinematography from Jean-Yves Escoffier. Coleman Silk (Anthony Hopkins)... Director Robert Benton brings Philip Roth's 2000 novel THE HUMAN STAIN to the screen in this lavish production, with expert cinematography from Jean-Yves Escoffier. Coleman Silk (Anthony Hopkins) is a light-skinned African-American college professor who has kept his true racial identity secret for the majority of his life. His career comes to a sudden halt when he makes a comment that is misinterpreted as a racial slur. Soon after he is fired, Silk hooks up with young Faunia Farely (Nicole Kidman), a local janitor. The affair with Farely, who is almost half Silk's age, becomes small-town gossip, and attracts the attention of Farely's psychotic ex-husband, Lester (Ed Harris). As Lester seeks vengeance, still angry at his ex-wife, Silk must make some tough decisions about his affair with Farely, leading to the film's nail-biting conclusion. Benton draws incredibly convincing performances from his two lead actors. Hopkins ably transcends his Caucasian ethnicity to play an African American. And Kidman fully embraces her character as a downtrodden janitor who is determined to rise beyond her humble beginnings. The two actors conquer the difficult subject matter, offering fascinating commentary on racial mores and relationship issues. [More]

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Anthony Hopkins, Gary Sinese, Ed Harris

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Anthony Hopkins, Gary Sinese, Ed Harris, Wentworth Miller, Jacinda Barrett

Director: Robert Benton

Director: Robert Benton
Screenwriter: Nick Meyers
Producer: Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Scott Steindorff
Composer: Rachel Portman
Studio: Miramax Films

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Release:

Jul 20, 2004

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • The Human Stain
  • Academy Award(R) winners Anthony Hopkins (1991 Best Actor, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS) and Nicole Kidman (2002 Best Actress, THE HOURS) along with Gary Sinise (FORREST GUMP) and Ed Harris (THE HOURS) star in the provocative mystery THE HUMAN STAIN. Coleman Silk (Hopkins) has a secret. A terrible 50-year-old secret that the esteemed college professor has kept hidden from everyone ? including his wife, his children, and his down-and-out young lover (Kidman) ? and it's about to ruin his entire life.
  • Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for The Human Stain

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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Eclipse Magazine | comment Comment
    10/18/08
    Michelle Alexandria
    Michelle Alexandria
    Eclipse Magazine
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
    10/18/08
    Urban Cinefile Critics
    Urban Cinefile Critics
    Urban Cinefile
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Newsweek | comment Comment
    11/01/07
    David Ansen
    David Ansen
    Newsweek
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Casting a stain.

    Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
    09/18/07
    Christopher Smith
    Christopher Smith
    Bangor Daily News (Maine)

    Both Nicole Kidman and Anthony Hopkins are vastly miscast in Robert Benton's poor adaptation of Philip Roth's poignant novel, one of the few works about contempo academic battlefields.

    Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
    08/02/07
    Emanuel Levy
    Emanuel Levy
    EmanuelLevy.Com

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
    04/01/06
    Empire Magazine
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    02/09/06
    Derek Adams
    Derek Adams
    Time Out

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
    12/06/05
    Film Threat

    The acting is phenomenal (especially Harris), and the film will be a nice challenge for those in search of one.

    Full Review Source: FromTheBalcony | comment Comment
    06/20/05
    Bill Clark
    Bill Clark
    FromTheBalcony

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: NYC Film Critic | comment Comment
    03/05/05
    Ethan Alter
    Ethan Alter
    NYC Film Critic

    One of the most underrated pictures of 2003.

    Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | comment Comment
    12/17/04
    Forrest Hartman
    Forrest Hartman
    Reno Gazette-Journal

    The film's frame groans in its attempt to contain such a complex story, and its actors ask us to accept implausible things... but it's ultimately rewarding.

    Full Review Source: Looking Closer | comment Comment
    12/06/04
    Jeffrey Overstreet
    Jeffrey Overstreet
    Looking Closer

    A tricky adaptation of an unlikely novel that nevertheless goes almost as wrong as possible...prey to the most amateur varieties of structural and tonal errors.

    Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | comment Comment
    08/28/04
    Nick Davis
    Nick Davis
    Nick's Flick Picks
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
    08/07/04
    Peter Rainer
    Peter Rainer
    New York Magazine
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    ...a potboiler disguised as a work of art.

    Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
    07/11/04
    John J. Puccio
    John J. Puccio
    DVDTown.com

    In an obvious stretch, Kidman’s acting calls attention to itself, especially with her broad gestures.

    Full Review Source: Film-Forward.com | comment Comment
    04/09/04
    Kent Turner
    Kent Turner
    Film-Forward.com
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
    04/09/04
    Guardian [UK]

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Sunday Times (Australia) | comment Comment
    03/16/04
    Sunday Times (Australia)

    It is a well-dressed, good-looking wax dummy of a film.

    Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
    03/02/04
    Xan Brooks
    Xan Brooks
    Sight and Sound

    a well-acted misfire...

    Full Review Source: Lowell Sun | comment Comment
    02/28/04
    Austin O'Connor
    Austin O'Connor
    Lowell Sun
     
     
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