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Restoration (1995 film)

December 29, 2022

Restoration is a 1995 American historical drama film directed by Michael Hoffman. It stars Robert Downey Jr. as a 17th-century medical student exploited by King Charles II. The film, which is based on the 1989 novel of the same title by Rose Tremain, was filmed in Wales[1] and won the Academy Awards for art direction and costume design.[2]

Restoration
DVD cover
Directed byMichael Hoffman
Screenplay byRupert Walters
Based onRestoration
by Rose Tremain
Produced byCary Brokaw
Andy Paterson
Sarah Black
Starring
CinematographyOliver Stapleton
Edited byGarth Craven
Music byJames Newton Howard
Distributed byMiramax Films
Release date
  • December 29, 1995 (1995-12-29)
Running time
117 min.
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$19 million
Box office$4 million

Plot

A young doctor, Robert Merivel, enters the service of King Charles II of England after having saved the King's favorite spaniel. Merivel finds himself enjoying a life of debauched pleasure and popularity at court, until the King informs him that he has arranged for Merivel to wed Celia, the King's favorite mistress. The purpose of the arranged marriage is to fool another of the King's mistresses. Merivel is given an estate named Bidnold in Suffolk, and Celia is installed in a house in Kew where the king can visit her secretly. Merivel lives a life of debauchery there, but also finds pleasure in restoring the house to its former beauty with the support of Will Gates, the man who runs the estate. However, things become complicated when Merivel breaks the King's cardinal rule by falling in love with Celia. Elias Finn, a painter commissioned by the King to paint a portrait of Celia, tricks Merivel into revealing his romantic feelings for Celia, who does not return Merivel's affections. After finding out about Merivel's romantic feelings toward Celia, the King banishes him from court back to his life as a physician.

Merivel rejoins his old friend, John Pearce, who has opened a Quaker sanitarium. There, Merivel meets Katherine, a troubled young woman whose husband walked out on her after their daughter drowned in the river. Merivel and Katherine become lovers. Pearce falls fatally ill with consumption, and while Merivel is tending to his dying friend, they discover that Katherine is pregnant with Merivel's child. After the death of Pearce, Merivel and Katherine leave.

The pair returns to London just as the Great Plague has hit. Katherine gives birth to a daughter, Margaret, via Caesarean section, but dies in the process as there is no way to ward off infection once the body has been cut open. In her dying moments, Merivel promises Katherine that he loves her, and will care for Margaret.

As the plague continues to kill the people of London, Merivel feels compelled to do what he can as a physician. He leaves Margaret with a wet nurse who promises to care for her in his absence, and goes out into the city, separating the sick from the well, who have all been quarantined together, and does what he can to ease the suffering of the dying. When someone asks for Merivel's name, he says he is John Pearce, as a tribute to his friend. Under this misnomer and in disguise, Merivel is once again summoned to the palace. The King fears that Celia has contracted the plague. Merivel soon assures him that she does not have the plague, but rather has a treatable fever and is with child. With this, Merivel realizes the life he has now is more rewarding and fulfilling than the life and loves at the court he left behind.

Suddenly, the court is notified that the city is ablaze, and Merivel races back to the city to retrieve his infant daughter from the flames. He is unable to find her, and falling through burning wood, Merivel lands in a small row boat, unconscious, and is floated by the river current away from the city. When he awakens, he is being cared for by Will Gates back at Bidnold. As Merivel recovers from his fall, he cannot recover from his failure to protect his young daughter from harm, when suddenly the King arrives at the house with his entourage. He informs Merivel that he has discovered the doctor's true identity, and that he was impressed with the man Merivel had become. With that, the King steps aside to reveal a nurse holding Margaret safely in her arms. For his courage and good work done in treating the victims of the plague, the King once again gives Bidnold to Merivel, stating that this time it will never be taken away. The film ends with Merivel returning to London, to set up a new hospital with help from the King.

Cast

Reception

Restoration won Academy Awards for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration for Eugenio Zanetti and Best Costume Design for James Acheson.[2] The film was also entered into the 46th Berlin International Film Festival.[3] According to the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 71% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 34 reviews, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Restoration spins an engaging period yarn out of its bestselling source material, brought to life through the efforts of an eclectic ensemble cast led by Robert Downey Jr."[4] At Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100 based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[5]

Peter Travers, in a favorable review for Rolling Stone, praised the film for its timely AIDS parable and described Ryan as miscast in the role of the troubled Katherine.[6] In her review for The New York Times, Janet Maslin wrote, "Restoration crams in more research and period detail than it can comfortably digest, but its story is not overwhelmed by such overkill".[7]

Rose Tremain, author of the novel on which the film was based, said of the film that it had a beautiful texture to it. She was however disappointed with the film's storytelling, and said the story has no logic and so does not move the audience. The disappointment led her to take up scriptwriting herself.[8][9]

Soundtrack

Restoration: Music From The Miramax Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by
James Newton Howard
Released1996
GenreSoundtrack
Length58:47
LabelMilan Records
ProducerMichael Mason, Shawn Murphy

Composer James Newton Howard's main theme is based on the music from The Fairy-Queen by Henry Purcell.

Track listing

  1. "If Love's A Sweet Passion (From the Fairy Queen)" 1:31
  2. "Main Titles" 2:57
  3. "Frost Dance In C (From King Arthur)" 1:34
  4. "A Night With Lulu" 1:21
  5. "Minuet In G (From Abdelazer)" 0:53
  6. "Here The Deities Approve (From the Ode welcome to all the Pleasures)" 2:28
  7. "A Creature Of The New Age" 1:09
  8. "Overture In D (From the Fairy Queen)" 1:26
  9. "The Wedding" 1:39
  10. "Hornpipe In D Minor (From the Fairy Queen)" 1:26
  11. "Arrival In Bidnold" 1:08
  12. "The Cabinet Of Curiosities" 2:54
  13. "The Land Of Mar" 1:11
  14. "The Lie" 1:19
  15. "A New Ground (In E Minor)" 0:52
  16. "Merivel Woos Celia" 2:26
  17. "Katharine Sleeps" 3:23
  18. "Taking Bidnold Back" 1:35
  19. "Muzette 1 In A Minor (From 3e Livre De Pieces De Viole)" 2:56
  20. "The Right Knowledge" 2:06
  21. "The Plague" 2:09
  22. "Katharine's Death" 4:37
  23. "Night Sweats" 3:03
  24. "Hospital" 2:54
  25. "Doctor Merivel" 1:50
  26. "Listening To Celia's Heart" 1:39
  27. "The Fire" 3:18
  28. "Allegro From Sinfonia (Act II) (From the Indian Queen)" 1:19
  29. "Your Child I Believe" 1:13
  30. "Newcastle (Traditional)" 0:38
  31. "2nd Overture In D (From King Arthur)" 1:27

References

  1. ^ "Lights, camera, action: Welsh film and TV locations". VisitWales. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  2. ^ a b "The 68th Academy Awards (1996) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 2011-08-05.
  3. ^ "Berlinale: 1996 Programme". berlinale.de. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
  4. ^ "Restoration (1995)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 2021-10-07.  
  5. ^ "Restoration Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
  6. ^ Travers, Peter. "Movies: Restoration: Directed by Michael Hoffman" Rolling Stone 726 (25 January 1996) p. 67
  7. ^ Maslin, Janet. "The King's Vet, Beard and Cuckolder" New York Times (29 Dec 1995) C3
  8. ^ "Книжная витрина - Роуз Тремейн: "Хочу успеть сделать еще многое, до того как ускорение выйдет из-под моего контроля"". Top-kniga.ru. Archived from the original on 2007-11-11. Retrieved 2011-09-19.
  9. ^ Dedukhina, Elena (October 13, 2006). "Interview with Rose Tremain". Knizhnaya Vitrina (Wisdom and Sense). Retrieved August 28, 2011.

External links

December 29, 2022
restoration, 1995, film, restoration, 1995, american, historical, drama, film, directed, michael, hoffman, stars, robert, downey, 17th, century, medical, student, exploited, king, charles, film, which, based, 1989, novel, same, title, rose, tremain, filmed, wa. Restoration is a 1995 American historical drama film directed by Michael Hoffman It stars Robert Downey Jr as a 17th century medical student exploited by King Charles II The film which is based on the 1989 novel of the same title by Rose Tremain was filmed in Wales 1 and won the Academy Awards for art direction and costume design 2 RestorationDVD coverDirected byMichael HoffmanScreenplay byRupert WaltersBased onRestorationby Rose TremainProduced byCary BrokawAndy PatersonSarah BlackStarringRobert Downey Jr Sam Neill Meg Ryan David Thewlis Polly Walker Ian McKellen Hugh GrantCinematographyOliver StapletonEdited byGarth CravenMusic byJames Newton HowardDistributed byMiramax FilmsRelease dateDecember 29 1995 1995 12 29 Running time117 min CountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBudget 19 millionBox office 4 million Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Reception 4 Soundtrack 4 1 Track listing 5 References 6 External linksPlot EditA young doctor Robert Merivel enters the service of King Charles II of England after having saved the King s favorite spaniel Merivel finds himself enjoying a life of debauched pleasure and popularity at court until the King informs him that he has arranged for Merivel to wed Celia the King s favorite mistress The purpose of the arranged marriage is to fool another of the King s mistresses Merivel is given an estate named Bidnold in Suffolk and Celia is installed in a house in Kew where the king can visit her secretly Merivel lives a life of debauchery there but also finds pleasure in restoring the house to its former beauty with the support of Will Gates the man who runs the estate However things become complicated when Merivel breaks the King s cardinal rule by falling in love with Celia Elias Finn a painter commissioned by the King to paint a portrait of Celia tricks Merivel into revealing his romantic feelings for Celia who does not return Merivel s affections After finding out about Merivel s romantic feelings toward Celia the King banishes him from court back to his life as a physician Merivel rejoins his old friend John Pearce who has opened a Quaker sanitarium There Merivel meets Katherine a troubled young woman whose husband walked out on her after their daughter drowned in the river Merivel and Katherine become lovers Pearce falls fatally ill with consumption and while Merivel is tending to his dying friend they discover that Katherine is pregnant with Merivel s child After the death of Pearce Merivel and Katherine leave The pair returns to London just as the Great Plague has hit Katherine gives birth to a daughter Margaret via Caesarean section but dies in the process as there is no way to ward off infection once the body has been cut open In her dying moments Merivel promises Katherine that he loves her and will care for Margaret As the plague continues to kill the people of London Merivel feels compelled to do what he can as a physician He leaves Margaret with a wet nurse who promises to care for her in his absence and goes out into the city separating the sick from the well who have all been quarantined together and does what he can to ease the suffering of the dying When someone asks for Merivel s name he says he is John Pearce as a tribute to his friend Under this misnomer and in disguise Merivel is once again summoned to the palace The King fears that Celia has contracted the plague Merivel soon assures him that she does not have the plague but rather has a treatable fever and is with child With this Merivel realizes the life he has now is more rewarding and fulfilling than the life and loves at the court he left behind Suddenly the court is notified that the city is ablaze and Merivel races back to the city to retrieve his infant daughter from the flames He is unable to find her and falling through burning wood Merivel lands in a small row boat unconscious and is floated by the river current away from the city When he awakens he is being cared for by Will Gates back at Bidnold As Merivel recovers from his fall he cannot recover from his failure to protect his young daughter from harm when suddenly the King arrives at the house with his entourage He informs Merivel that he has discovered the doctor s true identity and that he was impressed with the man Merivel had become With that the King steps aside to reveal a nurse holding Margaret safely in her arms For his courage and good work done in treating the victims of the plague the King once again gives Bidnold to Merivel stating that this time it will never be taken away The film ends with Merivel returning to London to set up a new hospital with help from the King Cast EditRobert Downey Jr as Robert Merivel Sam Neill as King Charles II David Thewlis as John Pearce Polly Walker as Celia Clemence Meg Ryan as Katharine Ian McKellen as Will Gates Hugh Grant as Elias Finn Ian McDiarmid as Ambrose Mary MacLeod as Midwife Mark Letheren as Daniel Sandy McDade as Hannah Andrew Havill as Gallant film debut Rosalind Bennett as Eleanor Willie Ross as Man with Visible Heart David Gant as Chiffinch Benjamin Whitrow as Merivel s Father Neville Watchurst as Latin Doctor Bryan Pringle as Watchman Roy Evans as Fleeing Man John Quarmby as The Chancellor John Dallimore as The Secretary Roger Ashton Griffiths as Mr Bung Bridie amp Hannah Rees Davies as Twin BabiesReception EditRestoration won Academy Awards for Best Art Direction Set Decoration for Eugenio Zanetti and Best Costume Design for James Acheson 2 The film was also entered into the 46th Berlin International Film Festival 3 According to the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes 71 of critics have given the film a positive review based on 34 reviews with an average rating of 6 3 10 The site s critics consensus reads Restoration spins an engaging period yarn out of its bestselling source material brought to life through the efforts of an eclectic ensemble cast led by Robert Downey Jr 4 At Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100 based on 16 critics indicating generally favorable reviews 5 Peter Travers in a favorable review for Rolling Stone praised the film for its timely AIDS parable and described Ryan as miscast in the role of the troubled Katherine 6 In her review for The New York Times Janet Maslin wrote Restoration crams in more research and period detail than it can comfortably digest but its story is not overwhelmed by such overkill 7 Rose Tremain author of the novel on which the film was based said of the film that it had a beautiful texture to it She was however disappointed with the film s storytelling and said the story has no logic and so does not move the audience The disappointment led her to take up scriptwriting herself 8 9 Soundtrack EditRestoration Music From The Miramax Motion Picture SoundtrackSoundtrack album by James Newton HowardReleased1996GenreSoundtrackLength58 47LabelMilan RecordsProducerMichael Mason Shawn MurphyComposer James Newton Howard s main theme is based on the music from The Fairy Queen by Henry Purcell Track listing Edit If Love s A Sweet Passion From the Fairy Queen 1 31 Main Titles 2 57 Frost Dance In C From King Arthur 1 34 A Night With Lulu 1 21 Minuet In G From Abdelazer 0 53 Here The Deities Approve From the Ode welcome to all the Pleasures 2 28 A Creature Of The New Age 1 09 Overture In D From the Fairy Queen 1 26 The Wedding 1 39 Hornpipe In D Minor From the Fairy Queen 1 26 Arrival In Bidnold 1 08 The Cabinet Of Curiosities 2 54 The Land Of Mar 1 11 The Lie 1 19 A New Ground In E Minor 0 52 Merivel Woos Celia 2 26 Katharine Sleeps 3 23 Taking Bidnold Back 1 35 Muzette 1 In A Minor From 3e Livre De Pieces De Viole 2 56 The Right Knowledge 2 06 The Plague 2 09 Katharine s Death 4 37 Night Sweats 3 03 Hospital 2 54 Doctor Merivel 1 50 Listening To Celia s Heart 1 39 The Fire 3 18 Allegro From Sinfonia Act II From the Indian Queen 1 19 Your Child I Believe 1 13 Newcastle Traditional 0 38 2nd Overture In D From King Arthur 1 27References Edit Lights camera action Welsh film and TV locations VisitWales Retrieved 2020 09 05 a b The 68th Academy Awards 1996 Nominees and Winners oscars org Retrieved 2011 08 05 Berlinale 1996 Programme berlinale de Retrieved 2012 01 01 Restoration 1995 Rotten Tomatoes Fandango Retrieved 2021 10 07 Restoration Reviews Metacritic CBS Interactive Retrieved 2019 04 16 Travers Peter Movies Restoration Directed by Michael Hoffman Rolling Stone 726 25 January 1996 p 67 Maslin Janet The King s Vet Beard and Cuckolder New York Times 29 Dec 1995 C3 Knizhnaya vitrina Rouz Tremejn Hochu uspet sdelat eshe mnogoe do togo kak uskorenie vyjdet iz pod moego kontrolya Top kniga ru Archived from the original on 2007 11 11 Retrieved 2011 09 19 Dedukhina Elena October 13 2006 Interview with Rose Tremain Knizhnaya Vitrina Wisdom and Sense Retrieved August 28 2011 External links EditRestoration at IMDb Restoration at AllMovie Restoration at Rotten Tomatoes Restoration at Box Office Mojo Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Restoration 1995 film amp oldid 1122892824, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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