After sitting through Razor Blade Smile, I had to watch something else to lift my bleak spirits. Let's face it, that movie was a real horror, and not of the nice sort either. Needing something that was entirely different, I slipped my copy of Kama Sutra into the dvd player and gave it a spin.

The Kama Sutra has become a rather infamous sexual manual in the West, but for those of you who are determined and can lay your hands on a complete copy, it's a manual for living peacefully and how to get yourself much better acquainted with your partner.

Directed and written by Indian director Mira Nair, it's a tale set in the past of India, a time of rajahs and women bartered about as concubines, servants and peace treaties. In a lovely palace, there lives two children, both of them girls. Tara (played by Sarita Choudhury) is a princess, proud and yet unsure of herself enough to feel envy. She takes some of that unhappiness on her companion, Maya (Indira Varma), who is lovely and doe-eyed, and despite the fact that she has food and shelter in a land of great contrasts and poverty, is still proud enough to feel some resentment at receiving Tara's hand-me-downs of discarded ornaments and clothing. Add into the mix that Tara's brother Viki, who is a hunchback and not exactly attractive to a young girl, is hopelessly enamoured of Maya, and you have the beginnings of disaster.

When Tara is to be married to the Rajah of a neighboring kingdom, (Naveen Andrews), Maya finally finds a way to revenge herself on Tara and turn the tables on the princess by giving her a hand-me-down of her own - namely the Rajah himself. At the wedding celebrations Maya places herself in the path of the bridegroom, and is seduced by him into loosing her virginity. This king, despite his handsome appearance, is a rather unlikeable sort, with a taste for opium and young women, and more than willing to leave the ruling of his country to his ministers so he can pursue his pleasures.

When Tara finds out on the day of her departure of what Maya has done, her rage is furious. And even Viki turns on Maya, driving her away from the palace, to wander the world by herself, with nothing to support her, and throwing a string of bells at her, to 'let people know that a wh*re is coming.' Friendless, Maya takes to the road, until she meets a sculptor by the name of Jai Kumar (the exotic Ramon Tikaram) who befriends her and introduces her to a teacher of the Kama Sutra, Rasa Devi (Rekha). And as fortune's wheel turns, so does Maya re-enter the lives of Tara and her Rajah, but this time there will be plenty of heartache and anguish.

Despite the title and subject matter, this is a beautiful film to watch. Women in jewels and silks float like flowers throughout the scenery, sunsets and feasts are filled with luminous reds and golds. Lotus and offering float in the water, and women dance without any effort at all. The art direction and costumes evoke India with all of its color and exoticism, and does it very well. Add in a soundtrack that uses traditional Indian music, and you've got a delight for all your senses.

However, this film is very frank in its exploration of sex and the relationship between the sexes. It is not for children of any age, and most adults will not be comfortable with it either. The characters are not very likeable at first, especially the Rajah. Full frontal nudity. Skinny dipping. Women kissing. Sex. One execution. Head in a box. Suicide. Some really odd stunts. Brothel sequence.

If you can handle the adforementioned, then by all means, check this one out. For visuals at least, it is certainly lovely to look at.

The DVD version has additional features, as well as both full screen and widescreen viewing formats. A commentary by the director, Mira Nair. Theatrical trailer, along with Spanish and French subtitles. Filmographies of the cast. The DVD is also Unrated, and would probably get either a NC-17 or heavy R rating.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age