X
- 1990
- NC-17
- Universal Pictures
- 2 h 16 m
- 1990
- NC-17
- Universal Pictures
- 2 h 16 m
Summary Anaïs Nin meets the American writer, Henry Miller, in Paris in 1931. She keeps a diary of her sexual awakening which includes Henry and his wife, June.
Directed By: Philip Kaufman
Written By: Anaïs Nin, Rose Kaufman, Philip Kaufman
- 1990
- NC-17
- Universal Pictures
- 2 h 16 m
- 1990
- NC-17
- Universal Pictures
- 2 h 16 m
Henry & June
62
6.0
Summary Anaïs Nin meets the American writer, Henry Miller, in Paris in 1931. She keeps a diary of her sexual awakening which includes Henry and his wife, June.
Directed By: Philip Kaufman
Written By: Anaïs Nin, Rose Kaufman, Philip Kaufman
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 24 Critic Reviews
62
50% Positive
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
50% Mixed
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 24 Critic Reviews
62
50% Positive
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
50% Mixed
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Henry & June is a difficult, uncompromising work whose best qualities are not likely to be appreciated by all filmgoers. But it is, quite simply, the most overwhelming film about ultimate freedom to reach us in years. [19 Oct 1990, p.12]
A beautiful movie, probably more erotic than any mainstream film ever made and yet never remotely pornographic, at other times hilariously funny. [05 Oct 1990, p.3F]
Henry & June, a portrait of two pioneers in prose, accomplishes its own kind of pioneering on screen and not merely because it's unapologetically erotic: it effortlessly pairs that oddest of all couples, sexual desire and cerebral activity. It is, as a friend commented in a phrase Nin and Miller would have loved, "an erection for the mind." [05 Oct 1990]
Henry & June is a sumptuous film, more deeply shaded and richly appointed than Kaufman's The Unbearable Lightness of Being. While it fails to capture the lovers' emotional evolution, it does project their individual concerns. [05 Oct 1990, p.6]
One thing it's not, despite the several lesbian love scenes that earned the film its NC-17, nee X, is "steamy." Nor is it provocative or even, Kaufman's best intentions notwithstanding, particularly erotic. It's a handsome bore. [05 Oct 1990, p.G5]
In its depiction of Depression Paris and sexual candor, Henry & June succeeds. The central performances of Fred Ward, as the cynical, life-loving Miller, and Maria de Medeiros, as the beautiful, insatiable Anais, splendidly fulfill the director’s vision. Pic is less successful in gaining audience sympathy for these hedonists. Also, the character of June (Uma Thurman) is ill-defined.
The characters' sexual abandon is so complete that it robs the story of any shape.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 4 User Ratings
6.0
50% Positive
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
50% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 4 User Ratings
6.0
50% Positive
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
50% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA
• 2 Nominations
Yoga Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
