Henry & June


Henry & June is a 1990 American biographical drama film directed by Philip Kaufman, and starring Fred Ward, Uma Thurman, and Maria de Medeiros. It is loosely based on the posthumously published 1986 Anaïs Nin book of the same name, and tells the story of Nin's relationship with Henry Miller and his wife, June.
The film was nominated for Best Cinematography at the 63rd Academy Awards.
It was the first film to be given an NC-17 rating by the MPAA.

Plot

In 1931 Paris, writer Anaïs Nin lives comfortably with her husband, the engraver and filmmaker Ian Hugo, but feels emotionally and creatively unfulfilled. While seeking inspiration for her writing, she meets American novelist Henry Miller, who is struggling to finish his first major work. Nin becomes fascinated by his raw energy and bohemian lifestyle and is soon introduced to his wife, June Miller, whose beauty and mercurial temperament captivate her as well.
As Nin spends more time with the couple, she becomes drawn into their turbulent relationship. She begins an affair with Henry and develops a complicated attraction to June, drawn to both their artistic passions and their self-destructive impulses. The three become entangled in a web of jealousy, desire, and creative ambition set against Paris’s avant-garde literary scene.
Nin encourages Henry’s writing and provides emotional and financial support as he works on his novel Tropic of Cancer. Their relationship deepens, but the affair also accelerates the Millers’ separation and forces Nin to confront her own conflicted loyalties. Ultimately, Henry’s success as an author coincides with the dissolution of their affair. Nin returns to her husband, changed by her experiences and by the realization that her search for passion has also exposed her to pain and self-discovery.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was arranged by Mark Adler, consisting of period popular songs.
  1. Jean Lenoir, "Parlez-moi d'amour"
  2. Claude Debussy, Six épigraphes antiques: Pour l'égyptienne
  3. Francis Poulenc, "Les chemins de l'amour"
  4. Debussy, Petite Suite: "Ballet"
  5. Harry Warren, "I Found a Million Dollar Baby"
  6. Erik Satie, "Gnossienne No. 3"
  7. Satie, "Je te veux"
  8. Debussy, "Sonata for Violin and Piano"
  9. Frédéric Chopin, List of compositions by Frédéric Chopin| Nocturne No. 1 in C Major
  10. Georges Auric, "Sous les toits de Paris"
  11. Jacques Larmanjat, lyrics by Francis Carco, "Le doux caboulot"
  12. Debussy, "La plus que lente"
  13. "Je m'ennuie"
  14. "Coralia"
  15. Irving Mills, "St. James Infirmary Blues"
  16. Francisco Tárrega, "Gran Vals"
  17. Joaquin Nin-Culmell, "Basque Song"
  18. Vincent Scotto, lyrics by George Koger and H. Vama, "J'ai deux amours"

Reception

Upon release, Henry & June received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly graded the film a B-, writing that "Kaufman, trying to deepen the erotic explorations of Unbearable Lightness, ends up with a triangle movie that's watchable but also arty and rather stilted."
Janet Maslin of The New York Times noted that the film's erotic imagery was "delicately photographed" yet "self-consciously bold," concluding that it ultimately "lacked daring."
On review aggregators, the film holds a 60% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 25 reviews; the site's consensus reads, "Henry & June celebrates sensuality and passion, though the portentous filmmaking drags it down by a large degree."
Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 62 out of 100 based on 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
Henry & June was also the first motion picture to receive the newly created NC-17 rating from the Motion Picture Association, replacing the former X rating.
The film grossed $11.6 million in North America.

Rating

Henry & June was the first motion picture to receive the newly created NC-17 rating from the Motion Picture Association, replacing the former X rating. NC-17 was intended to signify serious, non-pornographic films with more violence or sexual content than would qualify for an R rating. The inclusion of the postcard Nin views at the start of the film, and some scenes of le Bal des Beaux Arts contributed to the NC-17 rating.
The film was given a more lenient M rating in Australia and an uncut 18 in the United Kingdom. Conversely, it was banned in South Africa. The ban has since been lifted. The film was given an R18 rating in New Zealand and was later lowered to M rating in late 2023.