Kattiera Nana I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Flyerplesys Perfectly adorable

Sharkflei Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

tomsview People obviously went to a lot of trouble to make this movie. Shot on location, it has an authentic look. It went straight to video, and although there is much to like, I can see why it didn't make a bigger impression. To paraphrase a classic line, "It could have been a contender".In 1936, a new British colonial officer, John Truscott (Hugh Dancy), begins duty as an administrator of the Iban people of Sarawak. His superior, Henry Bullard (Bob Hoskins), the Governor of the district, initiates him into the ways of his office, which includes sleeping with an Iban woman, Selima (Jessica Alba), who will teach him the language – she is his Sleeping Dictionary.Truscott begins to fall in love with her at about the same time that he meets the governor's daughter, Cecelia (Emily Mortimer), a kind-natured woman who falls in love with him. With class and racial barriers against marrying Selima, Truscott makes a decision that causes unhappiness for nearly everyone, but all is resolved before the end.Writer/director Guy Jenkins journeys into Somerset Maugham territory with this story, which is often witty and captivating, but he doesn't have Maugham's radar for human frailty. Where Maugham or even George Orwell in the not dissimilar "Burmese Days" invariably opt for tougher outcomes, towards the end of "The Sleeping Dictionary", Jenkins takes his foot off the gas, and instead of a finale born out of the conflict he has created, he settles for consensus by all concerned – it's too neat – he lets our emotions off the hook. A harsher approach may have elevated this from the safely romantic to a searing drama you would be unlikely to forget.Bob Hoskins and Hugh Dancy, deliver believable performances and Emily Mortimer's is a poignant one as she realises her husband doesn't really love her. Although Jessica Alba said she didn't like her performance, she is perfect. Well, she is a bit of a perfect person after all, so beautiful it's ridiculous. Her performance is quite understated, which seems right for the part. Noah Taylor as Neville Shipperly is wasted as a strictly by-the-numbers villain.Simon Boswell's score is an odd amalgam. I suspect that in part the movie was temp-tracked with Jerry Goldsmith's brilliant music for "Under Fire", and it influenced about half the final score. The other half is a syrupy love theme, which tends to bring the film into the realm of a Hallmark romance. I can't help feeling that an opportunity was missed to create a unique work incorporating more of the traditional instruments of Sarawak."The Sleeping Dictionary" captures a feeling for the period, and is enjoyable on a number of levels, especially the cast. It's just a pity that the film's second half doesn't deliver on the brilliance of the first half.

silent_siren-1 I LOVE this movie! This movie took me on a roller-coaster of emotions. It made me laugh and cry, I really had a good cathartic cry towards the end. Jessica Alba is AMAZING as Selima, she really shines! I found myself thinking about the characters long after the movie was over. There should be a sequel because the end leaves some unanswered questions lingering on my mind. This movie is a perfect romantic date movie, just cuddle up on the loveseat with a big bowl of buttery popcorn & an ice cold drink...suspend your disbelief for the time being ('cause it's only a movie, not the History Channel)...and travel back in time to "when England ruled the world." I really like the lush and exotic scenery/background; it really takes me away to a faraway jungle/tropical paradise. The movie brings up several issues, I'm not going to discuss them all, just a few. It makes one question exactly what defines "savages," "indigenous peoples," "primitive locals." You can observe the well-to-do, proper Englishmen/Englishwomen and compare their behavior to the "uncivilized natives" and see who behaves as a savage and who behaves as a member of the human race. How do we define what is or is not taboo? This movie really touches my heart...similar to Frances Hodgson Burnett's "A Little Princess" & "The Secret Garden," Alex Haley's "Queen," and "Anna & the King."SPOILER ALERT!!! SPOILER ALERT!!! SPOILER ALERT!!! SPOILER ALERT!!! PLEASE DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING UNTIL AFTER YOU HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE!!!Another issue I truly enjoy masticating on is the issue of Selima and her (relationship with held) Cecilia. Cecilia was sent away to boarding school at the tender age of 5 years old. Her mother, Aggie never came to see her, not even on Christmas (Scroogey, isn't it?). Aggie was too concerned about her husband, Henry, and his love affair with his "sleeping dictionary" to worry about her own daughter. Cecilia did not have the time she felt cheated of to spend with her parents. Cecilia grew up to be quite an independent woman because of this. Selima on the other hand was right there in the same little village as Henry, who lived in a great big home upstream (uphill - reminiscent of Alex Haley's "Queen" and the big plantation house that Queen's biological father lived on). Even though she lived so close to him she was just as far away as Cecilia was in boarding school back in England. Selima's father told her mother, his sleeping dictionary, to tell little 4 year old Selima that he had gone back to England. She always remembered her dear old dad...eventually she figured out on her own.. (Luke Skywalker...Darth Vader..."I AM your father...") OOOh..Aggie is a character I love to despise. She is truly a savage beneath her vapid visage. In the end Cecilia did what her mother could not do...let go. Sometimes you just have to L.I.G. it (let it go), like Ice Cube said on Next Friday. When you really love someone you can let them go. Unrequited love is no love at all and it is sometimes better to be alone than to be with someone who is in love with someone else. I do believe that Cecilia will be a better mother to her child than Aggie ever was towards Cecilia. Cecilia seems more focused on what truly should be her priorities than Aggie. So what if John runs off with the "head-huntress," she has her baby to live for. She deserves to have the same love and passion as Selima & John have for one another.

gjwr-1 This was never released but went straight to DVD and I can't figure out why. The movie could be classified as a "Date" movie, one part romance novel, one part drama. I was really drawn to this movie by Jessica Alba, if nothing else she's jut fine to look at and it's fun to see her grow as an actress. Yes, grow, she's improving with each film she's in. It was a huge bonus that the movie itself is very good. I was very surprised at the fine actors aboard. Bob Hoskins, Emily Moritmer and Brenda Blethyn let alone the native tribesmen. The movie has a first class look to it, well I expected this to be shot on a back lot but it was shot on location which you just don't see on a direct to DVD release. This is one of those movies that are a joy to discover. There's very few explosions, action scenes are not longer than 1 minute long, all that's left is a simple story about love that works for me. I would suggest another "gem" with Emily Morimer in it, 'Dear Frankie', it's a very good movie also.

akrein9 The Sleeping Dictionary is about a British man named Truscot who went to explore the land of Sarawak. Truscot didn't know how to speak their language called Iban, So A Sleeping Dictionary named Selima (Jessica Alba) taught him how to speak the language and sleep together at the same time. While tutoring and having sex, Truscot and Selima were in love and wanted to get married, But the explores that went with Truscot didn't allow him to marrie Selima. The Sarawak Tribe didn't allow the marrige ethier and Selima and Truscot were banned from seeing each other or they would be killed. For the rest of the story, please buy or rent the movie to see what happened. For a suggestion, I rented my DVD from Hollywood Video.