Venus

Are the British alone in their ability (or, for that matter, interest) to make films about elderly characters who hold on to their dignity by living their lives with the same passion as younger folk? Peter O'Toole wears the deep lines and sagging flesh of his face proudly as the aging actor Maurice. The once dashing leading man and inveterate womanizer has earned these scars of age. Director Roger Michell and screenwriter Hanif Kureishi put that into the forefront of their story of an old man infatuated with the youth, sexuality and unfocused energy of a self-absorbed young woman (Jodie Whittaker) sent to care for his best friend. But under his desire to partake of life's pleasures is a man who faces up to his past as he confronts his mortality. O'Toole earned an Oscar nomination for his performance and Leslie Phillips, Richard Griffiths and Vanessa Redgrave co-star. The DVD features commentary by director Roger Michell and producer Kevin Loader, the featurette "'Venus' : A Real Work of Art" and deleted scenes.