"Quills"
"Best Film of 2000" -- National Board of Review
    
Visit the official site for more info and the trailer!

"What is the cost we pay by attempting to silence extreme factions of the country? Is it ultimately greater than simply tolerating their art?" Quills creator Douglas Wright

"Witty, seductive and deliciously sinister, 'Quills' is at once an erotic love triangle, a compelling portrait of three men obsessed with their own passions and morality and a highly entertaining exploration of freedom of expression."

"Look for Oscar nominations for its literate, sexually charged screenplay and sterling cast." Ruthe Steine, San Francisco Chronicle

"Kate Winslet is the glue that holds the movie together, spread in her yearnings between the honor of the young priest who runs the asylum where Sade is kept and the sensual power of unfettered honesty of which Sade wreaks. There may be no better actress of this generation when it comes to these efforts to grow on screen. Winslet is forever seeking truth."  David Poland, Rough Cut

"Kate Winslet is like a breath of fresh air to the asylum, like a ray of light in the darkness, but she also plays someone who is excited by the randy, bawdy tales that de Sade has to tell. She's easily the most balanced of all of the people in the movie, and probably whom most of us are most likely to relate to. " Greg Dean Schmitz, Upcoming Movies



Release Dates:
November 22, 2000 (limited) -- US; Dec 15, 25 (expands)
January 19, 2001 -- UK
January 26, 2001 -- Denmark
February 2, 2001 -- Iceland
February 14, 2001 -- Belgium
February 15, 2001 -- Netherlands
March 1, 2001 -- Australia
March 15, 2001 -- Germany
March 16, 2001 -- Austria
March 23, 2001 -- Italy


Cast:
Geoffrey Rush as the Marquis de Sade
Kate Winslet as Madeleine LeClerc
Joaquin Phoenix as Abbe de Coulmier
Michael Caine as Doctor Royer-Collard

Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Produced by: Julia Chasman, Peter Kaufman, Nick Wechsler
Director: Philip Kaufman
Screenplay: Doug Wright (based upon his play of the same name)
Music Score: Stephen Warbeck
Cinematography: Rogier Stoffers
Edited by: Peter Boyle
Production Design: Martin Childs
Costume Design: Jacqueline West

MPAA Rating: R (for strong sexual content including dialogue, violence and language)

Synopsis [from Upcoming Movies]: The setting is an insane asylum in Paris, 1807, and infamous author and sexual maven Marquis de Sade (Rush) is treated for insanity by a doctor (Caine) hired by de Sade's wife. A priest (Phoenix) is asked to meet with de Sade, which sets the two into a battle of wills over the debate of morality and sin. Added to the mix is de Sade's maid (Winslet) who is able to visit him frequently and smuggle out what will become his last writings.

The Shoot: Production on this movie began on August 5th, 1999 in England. It was filmed in London at Pinewood Studios, in Oxfordshire and at Luton Hoo Mansion.


From the press kit provided by Fox Searchlight:

Some of Rush's most intimate scenes take place when he seduces the virginal laundress Madeleine, played by Kate Winslet, into his chamber. Winslet had the challenging task of thrilling to the Marquis' ripping yarns while dodging his physical advances. "The wonderful thing about Madeleine is that while the Marquis imagines himself this sinister and savage guy, she just brushes him off. She sees right through him," explains Philip Kaufman. "Kate Winslet brings all this to life with an extraordinary believability. To think Kate is just 23 is amazing because she has such worldliness, such articulateness, such an astounding ability to express the depths of feelings and ideas. And the word beautiful isn't nearly strong enough to describe what she brings to the screen."

Adds producer Julia Chasman: "We were truly fortunate to have Kate as the moral center of the movie because you empathize with her completely. It's hard to imagine the film without her."

To Winslet, Madeleine provides the true middle ground between the extremes of the Marquis and Dr. Royer-Collard, and is the one true tragedy of the tale. "Madeleine is a simple girl, who grew up knowing the difference between right and wrong," she explains, "and the Marquis can't change that. She admires and respects the Marquis as a fiercely intelligent man, but she isn't in love with him. She loves the Abbe, this wonderful man who gives so much. The Abbe is the reason she stays at the Asylum, despite everything."

Winslet spent weeks reading texts about the lives of working class women in post- Revolutionary France to learn more about her character's struggles - and strengths in a time when such women were generally invisible to history. "I love doing that kind of research," she admits. "It was really fascinating and gave me an insight into what Madeleine's life would be like, how she would talk and what she would dream about for herself."

Read more info from the Press Kit!