Venus

Venus is a perfectly charming little film that sits upon the very large shoulders of its lead actor, Peter O'Toole. Without his performance I'm sure it would have come and gone completely unnoticed. It is also a film that hits very near the bone for me.

O'Toole plays Maurice, an actor who is now deep in the declination of old age. His body is a worn-out husk, with a face full of lines and sag and an unruly mop of gray hair. Within, though, is a spark that burns, and his wit and charm can not be extinguished. He lives a shabby life in an apartment right next to a railroad track, and hangs out with his friends, most notably Ian, played by Leslie Phillips, another codger who is a hyponchondriac. Ian has hired his great-niece to be a caretaker for him, and looks forward to her doing things for him like cooking fish.

What he gets is a different story. Jessie is a sullen, loutish girl from the country who harbors an absurd dream of being a model. Ian is appalled, and thinks her vile, but Maurice is instantly smitted. Why? Because she is young. He enjoys spending time with her, doing just about anything, because it rejuvenates him. He has long been a man who appreciates women, and even though he has one foot in the grave and prostate surgery has rendered him impotent, he still loves to smell a young woman's neck.

To some this is a rather icky thing, and the filmmakers understand this. Seeing a decrepit old man moon over a pretty young girl turns many stomachs. When I had dinner after the film I sat near a couple who had evidently just seen the same show I had. The woman in the couple was very clear of her opinion: "He was just a dirty old man." Certainly she is right, but should her view be so harsh? Is it wrong for a man to still appreciate beauty? Maurice gives Jessie a nickname, Venus, after a painting. He tells her that a woman's body is the most beautiful thing most men will ever see.

I'm a little more sympathetic to this view because, if I should live so long, I would be the same guy as Maurice. No matter how old I get, if I ever stop admiring young women there will be something seriously wrong with me. Acting on these desires is more problematic, and when they are done in a position of power is wrong. But desire should have no age limit.

O'Toole is heartbreakingly brilliant in the role. Surely he does not have the verve and energy he brought to roles like Lawrence of Arabia or Henry II in Becket or Lion in Winter. But the embers are still there. There is a scene where he has drawn Jessie a bath, and as she bathes he sits on the other side of a closed door and recites Shakespeare's "Shall I compare thee to a summer day?" sonnet. Now, who wouldn't be moved by that? As I watched him perform I thought of what my nonagenarian grandmother has said to me on numerous occasions, "It's hell getting old."

Jodi Whittaker plays Jessie. It is a difficult part. She is not Eliza Doolittle, and he is not Henry Higgins. This is not about an ugly duckling turning into a swan. She is a typical, unschooled young woman, attractive but not beautiful. But I liked the way Maurice wore her down. As he tells Ian, when asked what can he do for her at his age, Maurice says "I'm nice to her." Clearly Jessie is not used to this, and even though the dispenser of kindness is old enough to be her grandfather, she appreciates it just the same.

I have now seen all five of the Best Actor nominees, having seen Ryan Gosling in Half Nelson last night and, as good as Gosling was, I would vote for O'Toole, a testament to the talent that can not be diminished by the ravages of time.