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Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix, Michael Caine, Billie Whitelaw ... see more see more... , Patrick Malahide , Pauline McLynn , Stephen Moyer , Amelia Warner , Jane Menelaus

The Marquis de Sade was a man who liked to stir up trouble, at a time when his native France was in a state of tremendous political turmoil, and this historical drama examines how much controversy he ... read more read more...could cause even under repressive circumstances. In the aftermath of the French Revolution, the Marquis de Sade (Geoffrey Rush) manages to narrowly escape execution during the Reign of Terror, and instead is sentenced to the Charenton Asylum for the Insane. Coulmier (Joaquin Phoenix), the priest who heads the asylum, is sympathetic to the political machinations that have put the Marquis in his care, and allows him not only to write what he pleases, but to stage theater pieces using the other patients as actors. Royer-Collard (Michael Caine), a tyrannical doctor overseeing the mental institutions of Napoleonic France, is as outraged as the emperor when he reads Justine, a scabrous volume the Marquis penned while an inmate at Charenton, and he demands that de Sade be stopped. But Royer-Collard soon learns that stopping the Marquis from writing is not so simple; when de Sade's quills and ink are taken from him, he uses wine and even his own blood to write his stories. When these options are no longer available, he dictates his work with the help of Madeline (Kate Winslet), a laundry girl working at the asylum, who is fascinated by the notorious de Sade, though she declines his frequent requests to satisfy his notorious sexual appetites. Based on the play by Doug Wright (who also penned the screenplay), Quills was directed by Philip Kaufman, who previously documented the line between eroticism and literature in Henry and June and The Unbearable Lightness of Being. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

80% liked it

44,054 ratings

Critics

75% liked it

119 critics

R, 2 hr. 3 min.

Directed by: Philip Kaufman

Release Date: December 25, 2000

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DVD Release Date: May 8, 2001

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Stats: 2,398 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,398)

  • theunknownhobo
    September 22, 2011
    theunknownhobo
    My love for this film runs very deep indeed. As a fan of the Marquis de Sade and everything spawned after his name, as well as an advocate for the the uncensored underbelly of the literary greats, this film possessed everything someone such as myself could hope for. Moments of ge... read morenuine hilarity blunted by the brutish historical truth, every single character in this film has a role to play and plays it magnificently. Rush is a superbly talented actor who never fails to keep my eyes on the screen and even Phoenix is acceptable as a preist with a naughty streak. A truly magnificent film.
  • StarCrossedVoyager
    September 20, 2011
    StarCrossedVoyager
    With a brilliant cast I did expect more from this. I'm unsure if she was going for a some sort of style, but Winslet looked like she couldn't act. Maybe that was just her character. Rush did a fantastic job as usual. I would have liked a better explanation to the beginning part. ... read moreIt seemed out of place compared to the rest of the film.
  • garyX
    January 21, 2011
    garyX
    An adaptation of the play based on a chapter of the life of the infamous Marquis De Sade whose lascivious writings scandalized post revolutionary France. Set within the walls of a church-run lunatic asylum where the Marquis was incarcerated to avoid the ignominy of prison, he is ... read moreshown as a rebel using his literature to infuriate the religious establishment. Geoffrey Rush clearly relished the role and is ably supported by Joaquin Phoenix as the asylum's governor, a good man trapped within the framework of an intolerant heirarchy and Kate Winslett as the common serving girl who helps the Marquis distribute his works. Michael Caine is a little less convincing, probably because of his casting against type as the cruel, sadistic tyrant who is dispatched to "cure" him. It has shades of both Amadeus and The Madness Of King George, although the characterisation and drama of those films is not quite matched here, but it's an interesting and well made historical drama that's worth seeing for Rush's performance alone.
  • MeetMeinMontauk
    December 6, 2010
    MeetMeinMontauk
    I am not one for egregious sex. When semi graphic sex/ nudity or innuendo is used in a film, I wonder if it has real value or if it's more sexy or shock and awe. However, there wasn't a moment in this film that made me think that. And I actually laughed (during the play of course... read more). Visually beautiful, witty and inventive. Not to mention jam packed with hypocrisy. Love it. Completely gorgeous performances by every principle. As expected really.
  • 76Majikat
    November 23, 2010
    76Majikat
    Quills is quite an unusual film, considering the period covered and it's Erotic Literature theme. It's a bit of a strange watch, because it varies between intriguing and boring at times. The characters were really made individual and developed well. I have to say I've not watc... read morehed anything to date withGeoffrey Rush that I have enjoyed, but happy to say this film is an exception.
  • FrizzDrop
    August 3, 2010
    FrizzDrop
    One word: Debauchery. Amazing performances, true to all the ideals of the Marquis de Sade.
  • FiLmCrAzY
    April 24, 2009
    FiLmCrAzY
    This is a really brilliant grafted and acted movie and really interesting to watch with surprising consequences and actions really worth a watch!
  • dreamfaeries
    September 22, 2008
    dreamfaeries
    Insane, the man was insane...
  • YLOWBSTARDreturns
    February 9, 2008
    YLOWBSTARDreturns
    Quite disturbing, and quite great.
  • gor41
    August 9, 2007
    gor41
    Witty script and fine performances from all the cast make for a gripping battle of wills between societal norms and freedom of expression

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Critic Reviews

Joe Baltake
December 26, 2000
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

The most entertaining and appallingly funny anti-censorship movie since Milos Foreman's The People Vs. Larry Flynt. Full Review

Desmond Ryan
December 22, 2000
Desmond Ryan, Philadelphia Inquirer

More heavy-handed than memorable.

Matt Wolf
December 22, 2000
Matt Wolf, Associated Press

The material benefits from a top-rank cast that fleshes out what could seem merely an exercise in philosophy.

Jay Boyar
December 22, 2000
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel

Kaufman is one of the great, underappreciated maestros of the movies, and his work here is indeed masterly.

Steven Rosen
December 15, 2000
Steven Rosen, Denver Post

A rare Hollywood movie that is about the nature of eroticism without being afraid of its own power to arouse. Full Review

Eric Harrison
December 15, 2000
Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle

It breathes, it twirls, it prances right up into your face. It swirls over the top sometimes, but there never is any doubt you're watching a movie about something. Full Review

Roger Ebert
December 15, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Kaufman ... finds a tone that remains more entertaining than depressing, more absorbing than alarming. Full Review

Desson Thomson
December 15, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Geoffrey Rush plays this rascal to the magnificent hilt. Full Review

Stephen Hunter
December 15, 2000
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

It argues its case fairly, acknowledging the implicit dangers in its position, and dramatizing the price that inevitably will be paid for its cherished goal of untrammeled personal expression. Full Review

Jane Sumner
December 14, 2000
Jane Sumner, Dallas Morning News

The Gothic tale grabs the eyeballs and keeps them transfixed to the screen. Full Review

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Quills Trivia

  • Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, and Joaquin Phoenix all acted together in what movie?   Answer »
  • which actor/actress was in all of these movies? titanic hideous kinkey the holiday jude inigma quills  Answer »
  • Joaquin Phoenix was inlove with Kate Winslet in which movie?  Answer »
  • Kate Winslet was in the movie Quills but who is the lead male in the movie?  Answer »
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