Heat and Dust Reviews

Here's HEAT AND DUST--less heat than dust. Julie Christie is cast as Anne, grandniece of Olivia (Greta Scacchi), an Englishwoman living in India 60 years earlier. Anne follows in Olivia's footsteps in an attempt to discover why her great-aunt was the subject of a scandal in the 1920s. The stories of the two women are intercut, inter-weaving the different time periods. Olivia traveled to India, married an Indian, and became pregnant by him. The local population objected, especially when she decided to abort the child--a Western custom. Anne's personal history parallels that of her aunt in many respects. What could have been an interesting exploration of the mystical and seductive atmosphere of India is never realized; the film concerns itself with propriety more than exotic culture. It's a waste of the striking talents of these two lovely actresses, particularly the highly selective Christie.