Love In The Time Of Cholera – DVD Review

Film, Reviews

lovecholera
Available at Amazon.com

Love is one of those things that is the best thing to ever happen to someone and also the most confusing all at the same time. One can go through their entire lives falling for person after person and always thinking they love them, but never finding that one true love. Then there are those that can find a special someone and know they are the “one.” It’s hard to say which is worse, never being able to be with your true love after finding them or never finding them. Either way, that is a love worth fighting for and if you don’t; then perhaps you never really wanted them in the first place.

Florentino Ariza is a messenger and nothing more. Yet he has an eye for some of the finer things in life that he isn’t necessarily supposed to have. The biggest object of his affection that is out of his grasp is the lovely, wealthy, and beautiful Fermina. Florentino has pledged his ever-lasting love to her since the moment he laid eyes upon her and vowed to be with her one day. Working his way through the system and around her father’s watchful eyes, Florentino managed to get his letters of devotion to Fermina and made her fall deeply in love with him as well.

Soon though Fermina’s father finds out about their little hidden relationship and puts an end to it immediately. He ships her away and even promises her hand in marriage to another man. Thinking about and realizing he is right; Fermina goes through with the wedding and ends up married to a doctor named Juvenal Urbino. Over time though, she realizes that her marriage is one of complete unhappiness and not what she expected it to be. Meanwhile, Florentino has continued to hold true to his true love and even though his body has ventured down different paths, his heart has stayed aimed at one. His love to be, Fermina.

Ok, maybe this is the film I should have viewed before seeing Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men because my view is now rather skewed. After seeing him in No Country as a psychopathic killer; watching him as the love-sick Florentino makes me not care much for his character that seems like nothing more then a smitten pansy. It is really quite beautiful that he holds his love true for Fermina over so many years, but you’d rather see him stick to his guns and fight for the woman he wants so badly. Just go after her instead of sitting back and biding your time until hopefully she is free again some day. It was so frustrating at times seeing him put his all into it when she was near by, but once she was taken away, he just sat back and waited.

Love In The Time Of Cholera suffers from trying to be too many things all at once. It has a lot of drama to it which is rather evident from the way the story unfolds. It is a love story that is reminiscent of The Notebook in hoping and feeling that true love can never quite die. But then all the things you would come to expect to happen don’t so you’re confused. Then all of a sudden they are about to happen and you wonder why the characters did what they did at all instead of just making it easy on themselves. Sounds confusing doesn’t it? Well, I don’t mean to make it seem that way because it isn’t confusing, just bothersome.

The film is shown in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen format and it is absolutely beautiful. Colors are bright and vibrant making for some gorgeous scenes and just all around natural beauty.

The film is heard in Dolby Digital 5.1 Stereo Sound and also paves a clear path for elegantly spoken dialogue and a fantastic musical score.

Audio Commentary – Director Mike Newell is alone on commentary and goes into great detail about his film and also everything left out. He goes on about how it was working with so many talented actors and dealing with some of the extreme conditions they were all put through while filming. It really is a worthwhile track if you care to watch the film again, which you probably will.

The Making Of Love In The Time Of Cholera – This thirty minute featurette showcases the director and all the actors discussing how it was while filming. The heat, the shooting locations, prosthetics, and just their overall strong feelings for the work they were doing are discussed. More is said about the expensive props and filming shots including the restoration of the steamboat used late in the film. It is quite informative and very entertaining.

Deleted Scenes – There are seventeen deleted scenes here that look to range from the beginning of the film clear to the end. A lot of them could have and should have been left in, but there are a few which would have had no impact left in or taken out as they are. Optional commentary by editor Mike Audsley is available for all of them.

Theatrical Trailer

TrailersPride And Glory, Run Fatboy Run, Silk, Rails & Ties, and La Vie En Rose


It works yet it doesn’t. Never before has an explanation been more appropriate for a film then for Love In The Time Of Cholera. There is so much potential for it to be a predictable, yet beautiful love story. Florentino is the poor man’s man that falls in love with the daughter of a wealthy tyrant. Looking to keep his family’s reputation intact, the father takes her away from the vagrant, but that doesn’t end their love. Florentino vows to be with his love and do it now so they can spend their lives together. Nice huh? Not what you’ll see here though I’m sorry to say. Odd how much I wanted this film to work and succeed while watching it, and yet I’m not sure why considering I’m not a love story kind of guy. Sometimes I’m not anyway.

The special features are few but still very decent. The “making of” featurette and numerous deleted scenes make things a little better, but don’t make up for how irritating the feature film was. Try for a rental and see if you feel differently. Usually my point of view is different then most as I love when films don’t go through the normal blueprint and change things up, but this is one time that traditional would have been so much better.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………




New Line presents Love In The Time Of Cholera. Directed by: Mike Newell. Starring: Javier Bardem, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Benjamin Bratt, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Live Schreiber, and more. Written by: Ronald Harwood. Running time: 129 minutes. Rating: R. Released on DVD: March 18, 2008. Available at Amazon.com