I recently saw George Hickenlooper's "The Big Brass Ring" at the Toronto Int'l Film Festival, and was generally disappointed. I should have been wary of a film based on an unproduced Orson Welles script. William Hurt, Miranda Richardson and Nigel Hawthorne give solid performances, working with what they have. Irene Jacob is horribly miscast, however. The film is essentially a reworking of 'The Man in the Iron Mask' with references to two brothers with divided fates, and a floating night club called the "Louis Quatorze." There are hints of the late master's genious. However, the plot is ultimately muddled - perhaps in the adaptation, and the film is amateurishly directed. I wonder if this film will see the light of day before it inevitably ends up on cable tv.
Review of The Big Brass Ring
