Originally published September 14, 2007 at 12:00 AM | Page modified September 14, 2007 at 2:04 AM

Movie review

"Silk" all comes unraveled

It takes less time to read Alessandro Baricco's slender 1996 novel, "Silk," than it does to watch the vapid movie version.

By John Hartl

Special to The Seattle Times

Movie review

"Silk," with Michael Pitt, Keira Knightley, Sei Ashina, Alfred Molina. Directed by François Girard, from a screenplay by Girard and Michael Golding, based on the novel by Alessandro Baricco. 97 minutes. Rated R for nudity. In English and Japanese. Seven Gables, Uptown.

It takes less time to read Alessandro Baricco's slender 1996 novel, "Silk," than it does to watch the vapid movie version. Faithful to the book but much less stylish, it succeeds only in demonstrating that Michael Pitt can cause anyone's eyelids to droop when he's handed the leading role.

Best-known for playing Kurt Cobain in Gus Van Sant's "Last Days," Pitt barely seems conscious through much of "Silk." Miscast as a European silkworm merchant who travels to Japan, he fails to generate the chemistry needed to awaken the character's wife (Keira Knightley) or a Japanese concubine (Sei Ashina).

Director François Girard ("32 Short Films About Glenn Gould") gives the picture a lush 19th-century look, and he's lucky to have the wide-awake Alfred Molina on-board as Pitt's boss. But his is a supporting role, and it fails to connect with the story's romantic plot twist.

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