"Henry & June" (1990) Drama Running Time: 136 minutes Written by: Philip Kaufman and Rose Kaufman Directed by: Philip Kaufman Featuring: Fred Ward, Uma Thurman, Maria de Medeiros, Richard E. Grant and Kevin Spacey June Miller: "I've done the vilest things - the foulest things - but I've done them... superbly." There are films that become notorious because of their subject matter, films that earn their reputation through genuine artistic achievement, and films that occupy an intriguing space somewhere between the two. Philip Kaufman’s Henry & June belongs firmly in the third category. Released in 1990, this ambitious period drama explores the intertwined lives of writers Anaïs Nin and Henry Miller and Miller’s wife, June, against the bohemian backdrop of 1930s Paris. It became a landmark in American film history as the first motion picture to receive the MPAA’s NC-17 rating, a distinction that inevitably drew attention to its erotic content while sometimes overshadowing its more interesting artistic ambitions. Imprint Films’ limited-edition Blu-ray offers collectors an opportunity to revisit this unconventional work in high definition, with a presentation that gives the film’s atmospheric cinematography and carefully constructed period detail a welcome home-video showcase. The Australian boutique label has included a new interview with leading actress Maria de Medeiros, alongside the theatrical trailer and a television spot. The package is attractive, although the supplementary material is relatively modest for a film with such a fascinating production history and cultural legacy. The film: desire, literature and the search for identity Set in Paris in 1931, Henry & June follows Anaïs Nin, a married woman whose outwardly comfortable existence conceals a growing dissatisfaction with her life. Her marriage offers stability, but she yearns for something more intellectually stimulating, emotionally liberating and creatively fulfilling. Her introduction to the American writer Henry Miller opens a door into a world of artistic rebellion, sexual experimentation and unconventional relationships. Miller represents a particular kind of bohemian freedom. He is ambitious, provocative, frequently selfish and seemingly unconcerned with conventional respectability. His writing is raw and confrontational, reflecting a personality that challenges social expectations as readily as it challenges literary conventions. Through him, Anaïs encounters possibilities that her previous existence has largely kept at a distance. …
