Helen Mirren and Franco Nero star in Painted Lady, a British mystery murder series which eventually played on Masterpiece Theatre in the U.S. Mirren plays Maggie Sherridan, an aging 1960s blues-singer, who lives on the estate of a benefactor. When the benefactor is killed and some paintings are stolen, Maggie, with the help of her art historian sister and her husband, goes under cover as an art dealer to find a painting done by Artemisia Gentileschi. To carry off the assignments, Mirren has to go into high fashion and assume the role of Polish countess.
Perhaps the most jarring affectation of the director is his use of several famous paintings (such as the Death of Marat and the Slaying of St. Sebastian as tableaux with the actors frozen long enough for the viewer to go, "I know that painting!")
Mirren makes the film interesting, but ultimately it is pretty forgettable.
Painted Lady (1997) DVD ***
Perhaps the most jarring affectation of the director is his use of several famous paintings (such as the Death of Marat and the Slaying of St. Sebastian as tableaux with the actors frozen long enough for the viewer to go, "I know that painting!")
Mirren makes the film interesting, but ultimately it is pretty forgettable.
Painted Lady (1997) DVD ***
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