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[solitaire]

I was never really into Phillip Roth.....g.ranted I only read "Portney's complaint",which bored me to tears. So I guess I can't really judge his entire body of work. I never even read "The Human Stain". I now wish I had,and I plan to in the future. If it's half as good as the film,i'll be more than satisfied.

What a coward,self loathing prick,racist sellout Coleman Silk was.....but I liked him. These are just some of the conflicting emotions that raced through my mind as I watched this film. I still have mixed feelings. This film functions as a piece of the story of race in america,and all the dualities and contradictions that entails.

Anthong Hopkins plays Coleman Silk,a professor of classics at a small northeast college. He is accused of a racist remark by two students who we never see. He used the term "spooks" to illustrate the fact that neither of the students have ever been to his class. An inquiry is called,and outraged he decides to resign is post of Dean. On telling his wife the news...she promptly dies in his arms. Months later he meets and befriends a reclusive writer played by Gary Sinise,and they become fast friends. He also drifts into a passionate affair with the school janitor played understated emotion by Nicole Kidman. Seeing the two them rolling around in bed naked was surprisingly natural. I think this is due to Nicole Kidman's brave performance. Her emotional nakedness almost made you forget charisma and star power....almost. She has to have played the worlds most beautiful janitor. Both of these people come together out of lonliness and emotional trauma. They also each have deep secrets. Nicole is more forthcoming,and she soon confesses her true origins,which were decidedly more blueblood than her current occupation would suggest. Coleman is a tougher nut to crack.....but then again his secrets are much profound and older. Coleman's secret is that he's really black,and he's been masquerading as a jew for over 40 years. This is all explained in flashbacks.

I'll always tresure the collective gasps that trickled through the audience when young Coleman was shown going home to his black family. My friend and I just looked at each other and smiled. The young Coleman was played by british actor Wentworth Miller,who has'nt realized he's my new boyfriend. He's biracial,but could totally pass a walking Abercrombie and Fitch ad.....which now makes me wonder about those Abercrombie boys. I thought he gave a wonderfuly measured performance. His young love played by Jacinda Barret was amazing. When he took her home to meet his mother,and she discovered he was black....the look on her face was priceless. I have to say I thought it was a bit cruel of him to keep his racial identity from her,and just spring it on her like that. She ran for the hills...figuratively speaking. This was a turning point for him,and from that moment on he chose to "pass" as a white man. On a personal level I felt I could relate,since I have memebers of my family who have passed into white society,and never looked back. I try not to make judgements on what black people had to do in the past to survive. It's hard though. Good or bad we all live in an extremely race conscious world,and denying it won't make it go away.

I suspended my disbelief that Anthony Hopkins was black,when I accepted and understood that he was playing someone living so deep in the world of lies that he created,that he really did'nt see himself as black. I also forgave the british accent....it was all a part of his theatre of lies. I'm sure that's what Anthony Hopkins was going for,and he brilliantly pulled it off. Gary Sinise and Ed Harris were wonderful as usual in their supporting roles,and the cinematography was breathtaking.

I highly reccommend this film to anyone looking for a first rate story with great acting. I expect to see this film get many nods during Oscar season.

Let the race begin.