Mr. F.X. Feeney's comments on the film

I just want to point out that buried in the user comments on this
great (if slightly flawed) film are interesting insights and
rationale offered by the film's (co)writer, film critic F.X. Feeney.
(He only gave the film 7 stars!) I wouldn't be so humble; it is
a brilliant screenplay, and as Feeney said, the acting is stunning
all around from the leads to the smallest supporting characters.
I am partial to this film, one of my favorite American films of the
90s, partly because of the cast: I am the biggest fan of Irene Jacob,
whose empathy and soulfulness as the outsider and observer is so
crucial to the film; but it is Miranda Richardson who gave perhaps
the performance of her career here. She is so good it is scary.
And the words come out so beautifully from Hurt and Hawthorne's mouths.
I've seen this film at least half a dozen times, which I can declare
without embarrassment, is far more times than I've seen _Citizen Kane_.
There used to be a long article written by Feeney about the origins
of his involvement of the film; I don't know if it is still available
but admirers of _The Big Brass Ring_ should check out too. The DVD
commentary track is a bit dominated by Hickenlooper and his discussions
of how each shot resembles Welles'; I don't think the film is as well
shot as it could have been, and that's my minor quibble with it, but
oh, the words and the screenplay are so memorable; they are nothing
that Feeney should