Words and Pictures

Director Fred Schepisi’s Words and Pictures is one of the great finds of the year. 

Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche play rival teachers of Advanced English and Advanced Fine Arts at a prep school in Maine.  Their rivalry concerns what is more important to humanity, words or pictures?

 

Spoiler alert: they both are, but not just words and pictures, but music and feelings, as well.  But, knowing that doesn’t ruin anything.  The words supplied by Screenwriter Gerald Di Pego are witty and wise, the paintings supplied, surprisingly, by Binoche are world-class, the music by Composer Paul Grabowsky is spot-on and the chemistry between Owen and Binoche is pure magic. 

If you want to have cinematic fun without guns and digital effects, Words and Pictures is for you.

The only tragedy is that this battle between words and pictures is not being waged in both public and private schools throughout the nation.

I give Words and Pictures a 4+ out of 5.