The Bachelor

Stars: Keith Carradine (Nashville, The Moderns, The Ballad of the Sad Cafe), Miranda Richardson (The Crying Game, Damage, Enchanted April), Max Von Sydow (Needful Things, The Exorcist, Pelle the Conqueror), Kristin Scott-Thomas (A Handful of Dust, Under the Cherry Moon), Sarah-Jane Fenton. A nicely filmed Victorian drama, The Bachelor stars Keith Carradine as Dr. Emil Grasler, a reserved physician who is shocked out of his routine existence when his sister commits suicide. Throwing himself into his plans to buy and head up a new sanitarium, he is pursued by a patient's (Max Von Sydow) daughter (Kristin Scott-Thomas) who uses the old-fashioned method of sending billets-doux, apprising the doctor of her willingness to wed, should he feel the urge to pop the question. Not surprisingly, the timid doctor is thrown into a tizzy, and flees. Before long, he is entangled in the lives of two other women: the lovely Katarina and a rather overbearing widow (superbly played by Miranda Richardson). In the long run, The Bachelor does turn out to be a fairly interesting psychological portrait, featuring fine acting and an engaging score by legendary composer Ennio Morricone. However, the film is awfully slow, especially during the first half, when Dr. Emil is a totally emotionless automaton with a stethoscope. Although the pace picks up in the second half, it's safe to say that the Under Siege crowd won't be around to witness it. Audience: Fans of Howard's End will probably enjoy this, though it lacks the universal themes (sex and violence) to really appeal to a wider audience.