Brush With Fate (2003)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Features:

• Cast and crew credits
  
• Biographies
  
• Production notes
  

Released by: Artisan
Region: 1
Rating: NR
Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format.

My Advice: Rent it.

Based upon the novel by popular contemporary author Susan Vreeland, Brush with Fate is unusual in that it is more the biography of a painting and the lives that work has touched than strictly a tale of humans. The painting in question is a "lost" Vermeer masterpiece, "Girl in Hyacinth Blue," and its purpose seems to be bringing a jolt of pure beauty to the lives it touches, and perhaps teaching them to let it go.

The acting in the film is quite good. Close is marvelous as the disturbing, creepy Cornelia, and the use of a mainly Dutch cast is wonderful. If Close had been in more scenes, her persona would have been a bit overpowering, but as it is, she's just right.

The disc's features are also surprisingly extensive. The disc provides multiple pages of text production notes that are not only interesting, but informative. There is also a passel of biographies, including bios for the lead actors, the novelist, the scriptwriter, the director, and the producers. In addition, there's a nice listing of credits for cast and crew, par for the course for most discs. The only glaring omission is a Vermeer gallery or bio--considering how the artist is supposed to be at the center of this, some more information there would have been nice.

The audio and video quality are on par with quality made-for-TV films. For a film depending so much upon the idea of art and beautiful colors, this film suffers only slightly from the limitations of the television medium: the painting at the center of the narrative is always filmed in the best light, and as the story cycles closer to the beginning and the actual creation of the piece, the colors get a bit richer and more poignant.

This movie is not immune from the usual imperfections of film, especially made-for-TV movies. Condensing a novel into approximately one hundred minutes means that some things have to be left out, and the result, unless you are paying strict attention, can be confusing at times. The most puzzling aspect of the film, however, is exactly why the Close character, Cornelia Englebrecht, chooses to reveal her story and the painting to a relative stranger; the assumption is because Richard displays a true appreciation for art combined with her own guilty conscience and pride in the painting. This, however, should have been made much more explicit at some point in the film. Additionally, while the evil of the Nazis cannot be denied, their inclusion in the film and the revelation of the truth behind Cornelia's odious father is a bit jarring as is, and simply looks like a cheap attempt to make Richard and the painting all the more glorious by comparison. Instead, it leaves the viewer wondering if only tainted souls need to be touched by art, and if art really has any power to help such persons at all.

All in all, however, this is a fascinating look at what "provenance" really means. If you are at all interested in art or art history, you will appreciate this movie for what it is: a demonstration of the power of art and how art can brighten even the darkest life, or touch the darkest heart. Without being didactic or heavy-handed, Brush With Fate (which should have been left with the title of the novel, i.e. the title of the painting) shows rather than tells and displays neatly the importance of beauty, art, forgiveness, and hope in every human life.