by Frank Calvillo
If the early buzz is to be believed, then Johnny Depp’s recent streak of infusing a set of already wild characters with a larger than life persona has come to an end thanks to glowing reviews for the actor’s work as real-life gangster Whitey Bulger in the gangster docudrama Black Mass.
The film represents a return to form for Depp, who was originally praised for his ability to disappear into virtually any character, but who in the past few years has opted for a steady string of flamboyant performances which border on parody.
One such time when Depp dared to to take on a decidedly outrageous character, yet still play him in a terribly earnest fashion, was when he starred opposite Marlon Brando in the 1995 romantic comedy/drama Don Juan DeMarco.
In the film, Brando plays Dr. John Mickler; a well-respected psychiatrist who is a week and a half away from retirement. As his final case, he is presented with a delusional young man (Depp) who believes himself to be the fictional romancer Don Juan DeMarco. The more his colleagues are baffled by Don Juan, the more John is intrigued by the young man, who recounts tale after tale of his travels through exotic lands and romantic adventures which have made him one of the greatest lovers of all time. Don Juan’s passion for life and love soon begin to rub off on John as he begins to look differently at his longtime marriage to wife Marilyn (Faye Dunaway).
Though it may be as unconventional as they come, Don Juan DeMarco is also as romantic as they get. It isn’t necessarily the love that exists between any two characters which makes the film a standout within the genre, but rather it’s the overall celebration of love flowing throughout both storylines which makes Don Juan DeMarco a true pleasure to absorb.
Films with dual love stories are typically hit and miss, but executive producer Francis Ford Coppola and writer/director Jeremy Leven have crafted two distinct, yet equally involving love stories.
Through flashbacks we see Don Juan’s childhood, which is full of an education in all the ways of love thanks to his time in a harem and his ascent as one of the greatest lovers who ever lived. Leven paints Don Juan as one of the original playboys, charming every woman who comes his way while clinging to a philosophy which states: “Women are the closest thing a man will ever get to God, and sex is the ultimate form of worship.” When he genuinely falls in love with the married Dona Ana (Geraldine Pailhas), Don Juan finally realizes true love as well as heartbreak when he learns his true love cannot leave her husband for him. It’s more than a bit poetic to see how Don Juan’s attitude on love has changed, especially when he muses thoughts such as: “Have you ever met the woman who inspires you to love until your every sense is filled with her?”
In the present, we see Jack cautiously, yet continuously intrigued by Don Juan. What starts off as one last professional challenge ends up being a revelation for the soon to retire psychiatrist as he begins allowing himself to carefully slip further and further into his eccentric patient’s world. It is through escaping into Don Juan’s world that Jack is finally able to rediscover his relationship with passionate love in spite of a long marriage full of content and tranquil moments. Jack is a man who loves his wife, but he’s forgotten why he began loving her in the first place. One of the film’s most touching final scenes sees Jack proclaiming to his wife: “I want to know what your hopes were, what your dreams were that got lost along the way.” In one of those moments that reminds you what good cinema is, Marilyn lightly laughs as she tearfully responds: “I thought you’d never ask.”
When you have two of the most unique acting voices in the history of cinema sharing the same screen, the result is almost always magical, if not fascinating. Every time Brando and Depp share a scene, there’s an undeniable chemistry as the two step up their game to match each other. In their own scenes apart, Brando and Depp deliver the same level of integrity to the material as if they were still acting opposite one another. Brando gives his most sensitive latter-day screen portrayal as a man unexpectedly forced to re-evaluate his life and Depp is simply mesmerizing as an eternally lovesick casanova.
Though saddled with the wife role, Dunaway brings an elegant grace and beauty to the part of Marilyn, perfectly capturing the essence of a woman waiting years for her husband to truly say “I love you” to her.
Don Juan DeMarco was more or less loved by the critics who really took to the dual storyline and what both had to say about love and romance. Meanwhile the cross-section of fans for both of Don Juan DeMarco’s leading men ensured that the film turned enough of a profit to be considered a moderate hit. The film’s success was also bolstered by its sweeping closing theme, “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?” which proved a hit for singer/songwriter Bryan Adams who received Grammy, Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations as a result.
By the time the film’s end rolls around, you’re never quite sure just how real or imagined Don Juan’s world full of romance actually is. And to be honest, there’s no reason to be. Don Juan DeMarco isn’t about the reality of the world in which its story exists, but rather it’s about the boundless reach and surprising power of love.
