Love in the Time of Cholera is directed by Mike Newell (Mona Lisa Smile), and stars Giovanna Mezzogiorno (Nobel), John Leguizamo (Super Mario Bros, The Pest), Benjamin Bratt (Traffic, Catwoman), and Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men.) The film is based on the 1985 Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel. ***

Love in the Time of Cholera follows a love triangle, spanning half a century. In the late 19th century, a man has fallen for a woman, but her father forces her into marrying a less-than-desirable partner who drags her into a not-so-great marriage. Exiled but vowing to never give up on his one true love, her pre-marriage partner hangs in there the best he can, using numerous affairs to maintain his sanity, on a quest to get back the only woman he ever truly loved. ***

You can't turn a novel spanning 50 years into a 2 hour film. Period. ***

Marquez's novel is one of the masterpieces of romantic literature, and it deserves the lofty reputation so many have flung upon it. Unfortunately, this film adaptation doesn't do the source material justice. The project feels rushed (cramming half a century into a time period of 2 hours just doesn't work), and despite some solid performances, the whole thing just falls flat. ***

The biggest problems with Love in the Time of Cholera lie not in the actors' performances, but in attempting to bring a lengthy, time-spanning novel to the big screen. The experience tends to lose a lot in its translation from novel to film, and never seems to capture the feel of the story on which it is based. In two hours we meet a lot of characters, but we never really bond with anyone. Considering the enormous length of time the book spans, this story probably would have been better relegated to a lengthier visual format, like a television mini-series. Cramming everything into such a limited time frame just doesn't work…. And even considering the fairly limited time the film takes up considering the source material, I STILL found myself looking at my watch. ---

Image And Sound:

The DVD transfer was done very well. Cinematography was one of the greatest strengths of the film, and Warner Bros. has given us image quality that captures that aspect beautifully. There are no visual blemishes or glitches that will detract from the viewing experience. Equally impressive is the sound quality. Naturally, most of the sound here is just dialogue, but it all comes across clear and loud, the way it was meant to be heard.

The extras on the disc are a bit limited, but what little was included is definitely worth checking out if you enjoyed the film. There is a director's commentary track provided, which tends to jump back and forth between info about the production, and about the actors involved with the product. There are a number of deleted scenes on the disc, and these have optional commentary by the film editor. It isn't hard to see why they were cut from the movie, but they're worth watching at least once. The true stand-out amongst the bonus features here, though, is the making-of, behind-the-scenes documentary. It gives a detailed look at what went on to get the film made, and in many ways, the story behind-the-scenes is even more compelling than the film itself. I only wish this featurette were longer, half an hour left me wanting more.

Final Words: