Based on the characters by George Clayton Johnson and Jack Golden Russell, Ocean’s 8 is a spin-off film of the Ocean’s trilogy from the 2000s in which Danny Ocean’s sister Debbie leads a group of women to take part in a big heist at the Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Directed by Gary Ross and screenplay by Ross and Olivia Milch from a story by Ross, the film is a heist film in which eight different women take part in a heist as it play an event that is attended by celebrities where lots of riches are at. Starring Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Rihanna, Awkwafina, Helena Bonham Carter, James Corden, and Richard Armitage. Ocean’s 8 is an exhilarating and enjoyable film from Gary Ross.
After being released on parole from serving five years in prison over a con game gone wrong, Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) teams up with her former partner-in-crime Lou (Cate Blanchett) with five other women to take part in a heist at the Met Gala that is hosted by actress Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway). It’s a film that is sort of a revenge film but it’s really a heist film that play into a group of women wanting to get rich and steal a diamond necklace that is worth more than $150 million. The film’s screenplay by Gary Ross and Olivia Milch follows Ocean’s plan to rob the Met Gala to get this ultra-expensive necklace from Cartier that is to be worn by Kluger yet knows she can’t pull this off by herself as she had a plan for this heist for years. Especially after what happened to her the night she got arrested and her then-lover in arts dealer Claude Becker (Richard Armitage) put her in jail.
The film does have a unique structure as the first act is about the planning of the heist where Ocean and Lou gather a group of people for the heist including the jewelry maker Amita (Mindy Kaling), the street hustler/pickpocket Constance (Awkwafina), the hacker Nine Ball (Rihanna), the disgraced fashion designer Rose Weil (Helena Bonham Carter), and an old friend of Ocean in Tammy (Sarah Paulson) who is a suburban mom that still fences good at her home. The second act is about the actual heist that takes place at the Met Gala where there is a lot that is happening but also things that do play into what isn’t being shown and where the players are at in the roles they’re in for the heist. The film’s third act is about the aftermath as well as a twist into the heist that revolves around other people who might know what happened.
Gary Ross’ direction is stylish as it play into the idea of the heist as he focuses more on the planning and the players involved as well as their contributions to this heist at the Met Gala. Shot on location in New York City, the film does use the locations as well as being able to shoot at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where the Met Gala is held annually as there is this element of realism that Ross would create in the direction that has characters be at the actual event with real celebrities. There are some wide shots in some of the locations in the city yet Ross would take great advantage of the interiors at the museum including scenes during the Met Gala where it is this lavish and enchanting world where the elite eat the finest foods and look at the rare pieces of art and jewelry. There are also some medium shots and close-ups that play into the characters interacting with one another as well as the attention to detail as it add to some of the intrigue as well as this need for repetition of certain scenes where there is something else that is happening that integral to the story.
Ross’ direction also play into some of the low-key events as it relates to Ocean’s own thirst for revenge towards Becker as well as her history with Lou and Tammy who also knew about Ocean’s affiliation with her brother Danny who is presumed to be dead. The status of Danny remains ambiguous as there’s a couple of cameos from members of his gang who appear yet the film does remain a women’s gang as it relates to the heist as well as an aftermath that raises question into how this necklace got stolen. Even as it also reveal more about Kluger’s role in the heist as someone who was a target but also seems to know more about what was going on. Overall, Ross crafts a witty yet adventurous film about a group of women stealing a diamond necklace at the lavish Met Gala.
Cinematographer Eigil Bryld does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as much of the exterior lighting in the daytime is straightforward with some low-key interior lighting for the scenes at the main base for the gang to the interiors of the Met Gala inside the Museum of Modern Art. Editor Juliette Welfling does brilliant work with the editing as it is stylized with its montages, jump-cuts, split-screens, and rhythmic cuts that help play into the film’s energetic and comedic tone. Production designer Alex DiGerlando, with set decorator Rena DeAngelo and supervising art director Chris Shriver, does amazing work with the look of the home base that Ocean, Lou, and the gang work at as well as the design of the presentation of the Met Gala in the middle of the museum. Costume designer Sarah Edwards does incredible work with the costumes as it is largely stylized to play into the personality of the characters including the gowns that they would wear at the Met Gala
Makeup artists Joanna and Louise McCarthy, along with hairstylist Liliana Meyrick, do fantastic work with the look of the gang with the disguise that Ocean would have as well as the hairstyle that Nine Ball and Weil would sport. Visual effects supervisors Jiwoong Kim, Vico Sharabani, and Asaf Yeger do terrific work with some of the set dressing for scenes at the Met Gala along with the 3D printing design of the jewels. Sound editor Paul Hsu does superb work with the sound as it is straightforward along with the mixes of the atmosphere of the Met Gala with its crowds. The film’s music by Daniel Pemberton does wonderful work with the film’s music with its mixture of electronic music along with playful organ backgrounds that add to the film’s energetic tone while music supervisors Gabe Hilfer and Devoe Yates provide a soundtrack of a wide array of music from Sammy Davis Jr., Eamon, the Notorious B.I.G., Kelis featuring Too $hort, Dorothy Ashby, Sofi Tukker with Nervo, Alisa Ueno, the Knocks, Patti Page, Amy Winehouse, and Nancy Sinatra.
The casting by Shayna Markowitz and Debra Zane is great as it feature cameo appearances from Elliott Gould and Qin Shaobo reprising their respective roles in Reuben Tishkoff and “The Amazing” Yen who were part of Danny’s gang. Other notable small roles include the quartet of Elizabeth Ashley, Dana Ivey, Marlo Thomas, and Mary Louise Wilson as four old ladies who were hired by Ocean for a crucial role in the heist, Nathanya Alexander as Nine Ball’s younger sister Veronica, and Dakota Fanning as a young starlet that Weil would be pictured with to rouse jealousy in Kluger. James Corden is terrific as the insurance fraud investigator John Frazier who plays a key role in the third act as someone trying to find out who stole the necklace as he suspects Ocean. Richard Armitage is superb as the arts dealer Claude Becker as a former lover of Ocean who betrayed her and put her in prison as he becomes a target for revenge as he would attend the Met Gala as Kluger’s date.
Awkwafina and Rihanna are fantastic in their respective roles as the street hustler/pickpocket Constance and the hacker Nine Ball with Awkwafina providing a comical and lively performance as Constance and Rihanna being low-key yet cool as Nine Ball. Mindy Kaling and Sarah Paulson are excellent in their respective roles as the jewelry maker Amita and the suburban mom/fence Tammy with Kaling providing some humor and determination as a woman desperate to leave the shadow of her family while Paulson is more straightforward as a woman secretly doing criminal stuff to fund her lifestyle as she would take a job working at the Met Gala to help with the heist. Helena Bonham Carter is brilliant as Rose Weil as a disgraced fashion designer whose is in serious debt as she is looking for a break as she joins the gang to pay off her debts but also revive her name as it’s a mixture of comedy and drama.
Anne Hathaway is amazing as actress Daphne Kluger as the host of the Met Gala who is full of herself and bitchy towards people as she is someone that is an obvious target but there’s a lot more to her as it play into a woman that is just dealing with the world she’s in. Cate Blanchett is incredible as Lou Miller as Debbie’s girlfriend/partner-in-crime who works at restaurants and such as she is eager to renew her relationship with Ocean as well as be someone is also a mastermind in the world of crime knowing that it can help her financially. Finally, there’s Sandra Bullock in a remarkable performance as Debbie Ocean as the sister of the famed thief Danny Ocean who had just been released in prison on parole as she is seeking revenge for the man that put her in prison but also hoping to get a major payday through the one thing she and her family are good at as it’s a performance full of charm and wit.
Ocean’s 8 is a marvelous film from Gary Ross. Featuring a great ensemble cast, fantastic locations, a cool music soundtrack, and lots of fun and exciting moments. It’s a film that never takes itself seriously while taking the time to create a heist as well as focus on the players who are involved. In the end, Ocean’s 8 is a remarkable film from Gary Ross.
Gary Ross Films: (Pleasantville) – (Seabiscuit) – The Hunger Games - (Free State of Jones)
Related: Ocean's Eleven - Ocean's Twelve - Ocean's Thirteen
© thevoid99 2019
Directed by Sarah Gavron and written by Abi Morgan, Suffragette is the story of a laundress who takes part of the Suffragette movement in the 1910s in the hopes that she and other women would have the right to vote. The film is a historical drama set in the real-life period of women’s suffrage in Great Britain before World War I. Starring Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne-Marie Duff, Brendan Gleeson, Natalie Press, Ben Whishaw, Romola Garai, and Meryl Streep. Suffragette is a compelling yet evocative film from Sarah Gavron.
Set in 1912 Britain after many attempts to get the right for women to vote, the film is about a young laundress who finds herself being part of the Suffragettes movement where she eventually becomes an active member. It’s a film that follows a woman who is lured into a movement she is reluctant to be part of yet is unable to ignore the treatment that she has endured working in the laundry factor as she notices the teenage daughter of a Suffragette activist is being sexually harassed by her boss. Even as she also realizes that she doesn’t have the legal right to determine the future of her own son which prompts her to not only take part full-on but also learn what it means to stand up for herself and other women. Abi Morgan’s screenplay doesn’t just follow the journey of this young woman in Maud Watts (Carey Mulligan) but also the women she would meet as she takes part in this movement.
While she would get herself into some trouble as well as risk losing her son who is forced to be cared by his father Sonny (Ben Whishaw), Maud would find a purpose about what to do as she thinks about the women in the future. Still, she and the other Suffragettes would face numerous challenges and obstacles as they’re seen by those in the government including authority figures such as Inspector Steed (Brendan Gleeson) who is this unconventional antagonist of sorts. Notably as he actually cares about the women yet is aware of the job he has to do while he becomes disgusted with the tactics of those he works for. One aspect of the script that is underwhelming is the appearance of Suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst (Meryl Streep) as she is this mysterious figure who makes her appearance in the second act for a big speech and then she is gone as her character would disappear.
Sarah Gavron’s direction is quite simple in terms of the compositions that are created as it also has some ambition for the fact that it is shot on location in London and in studios to recreate some of the old buildings. The usage of the wide and medium shots play into the locations as well as the tense and grimy atmosphere of the factories where Maud and Sonny work at as it feels repressive and hard. By the time the film hit the streets, Gavron’s direction definitely becomes richer where it does play into this sense of time where protests are happening as well as a very intimate scene where Maud testifies to the government about her own experience as it would lead to a key moment in her development. There are these moments of violence in how the women are beaten by police as well as do small guerilla-style warfare by blowing up mailboxes. Gavron’s usage of close-ups are definitely entrancing as it play into the anguish that Maud endures as well as what she would have to sacrifice. Notably in the climax as it would play into a real-life key moment that would be the catalyst for the Suffragette movement as it would end with images of a real-life event of the movement. Overall, Gavron creates a fascinating and riveting drama about a young woman joining the Suffragettes movement in their right to have a say in the world.
Cinematographer Eduard Grau does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the usage of low-key lights for the interior scenes at the factory as well as what London looked like at night including a key scene involving the bombing of a Parliament member‘s home. Editor Barney Pilling does nice work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some rhythmic cutting to play into some of the intense moments in the film. Production designer Alice Normington, with art directors Jonathan Houlding and Choi Ho Man and set decorator Barbara Herman-Skelding, does amazing work with the look of the factory as well as the buildings that were prevalent in those times as well as a church where Maud would stay during her time as a Suffragette. Costume designer Jane Petrie does brilliant work with the costumes from the fancy dresses in those times as well as the ragged look of the women during that period of protest and activism.
Hair/makeup designer Sian Grigg does fantastic work with the look of the women in the hairstyles they had as well as some of the burns and scars in Maud‘s skin from years working as a laundress. Visual effects supervisor Simon Hughes does terrific work with the visual effects as it is mostly set-dressing to help create that look of 1912 London in its exterior setting. Sound editors Stephen Griffiths and Andy Shelley do superb work with the sound as it play into the frenzy of the crowd and the protests as well as in the sparse yet eerie moments at the prisons where some of the women would go for their actions. The film’s music by Alexandre Desplat is wonderful for its orchestral-based score with its lush string arrangements that play into the drama as well as some of the intense moments in the film while music supervisor Karen Elliot create a soundtrack that play into the music of the times.
The casting by Fiona Weir is remarkable as it feature some notable small roles from Adam Michael Dodd as Maud and Sonny‘s son George, Grace Stottor as Violet‘s teenage daughter Maggie, Finbar Lynch as Edith‘s loyal husband Hugh, Geoff Bell as the factory foreman Taylor whom Maud dislikes, Samuel West as a government official, and Adrian Schiller as Parliament minister David Lloyd George. Ben Whishaw is terrific as Maud’s husband Sonny as a man that is trying to maintain his role as a man while struggling to take care of his son when Maud isn’t around. Natalie Press is superb as Emily Davidson as a passionate activist who does a lot to herself for the cause as well as be the one person who would make a major sacrifice towards its climax. Romola Garai is fantastic as Alice Haughton as the wife of a government official who is trying to support the Suffragettes any way she can as well as get them to meet with the government. Meryl Streep is excellent in her brief role as Suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst as she does have this great presence about her though it’s a role that is just merely a cameo that doesn’t do enough to establish the character.
Brendan Gleeson is amazing as Inspector Steed as a law enforcer whose job is to watch out for the Suffragettes as he is trying to do his job yet is someone that is sympathetic into what these women do as he tries to get them to do less time and such while becoming disgusted with the tactics of his government. Anne-Marie Duff is brilliant as Violet Miller as a woman who had just worked at the laundry factory as she is also quite committed to her work as a Suffragette inviting Maud into the action until she would deal with things beyond her control forcing her to take a step back. Helena Bonham Carter is great as Edith Ellyn as a pharmacist who is one of the organizers of the movement as she is also someone who gives Maud some perspective about what happens if women don‘t get a say about matters into the world. Carey Mulligan is incredible as Maud Watts as this young laundress who is trying to do her role as she is sucked into the world of the Suffragettes where she realizes what it means to her as it‘s performance filled with determination and anguish as it‘s one of Mulligan‘s finest performances to date.
Suffragette is a remarkable film from Sarah Gavron. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, and some strong themes about women’s right to vote and say something about the world. It is a film that captures a moment in time that shows what women can do in a world that is afraid of change. In the end, Suffragette is a marvelous film from Sarah Gavron.
Sarah Gavron Films: (This Little Life) - (Brick Lane)
© thevoid99 2016
Based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club is the story of a troubled white-collar corporate worker who meets a mysterious man where the two form a fight club as an outlet for their rage. Directed by David Fincher and screenplay by Jim Uhls, the film is a study of a man becoming discontent with his world as he turns to violence as a way to act out only for things to get more complicated. Starring Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter, Jared Leto, and Meat Loaf Aday. Fight Club is a gripping and intense film from David Fincher.
The film is an exploration of a man whose life as a white-collar corporate worker has made him unhappy until he meets a mysterious man where they form a secret fight club where the two and several other men engaging in fights under a bar. There, they live this life in secrecy where it would eventually morph into something bigger that would make the film’s unnamed protagonist (Edward Norton) uneasy. It’s a film that isn’t just about this growing discontent with a world that has become corporate but also filled with ads and the need to consume products where this man who is also its narrator. It’s also about a man’s reaction where he would get the help of this mysterious man named Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) who is this very odd yet intelligent figure that represents this idea of anarchy and nihilism that the narrator needs in a world that has stifled him.
Jim Uhls’ screenplay has this unique approach to not just the narration in how the narrator doesn’t just react to his situation but also deal with the fact that he lives in this ultra-consumerist world which is nearly soul-crushing and also unsatisfying. The first act is about the narrator’s life and how he got himself into these group meetings with people suffering cancer and all sorts of disease where he would also see this woman named Marla Singer (Helena Bonham Carter) doing the same as the two reluctantly make a deal. Singer would be this character that would pop up in the narrator’s life as she would later be integral to the film’s second act as she sleeps around with Durden and then wonder what these two guys are doing. The second act isn’t just about the formation of fight club but also its evolution into something that becomes this haven for men who are disgusted with this ultra-corporate and ultra-consumerist world where they fight as well as antagonize the status quo.
There is also a lot of ambiguity that occurs as it relates to the narrator’s friendship with Durden where it does start off as two men dissatisfied with the ways of the world but Durden is the one who is doing something. It’s that sense of action that intrigues the narrator who needs something as he had lost his home in a fire and starts to act out against his own boss (Zach Grenier). The film’s third act isn’t just about the fight club’s evolution but also in Durden’s view of the world as it evolved into something bigger in an act against the world of capitalism. The result would lead to a lot of things but a view that has made the narrator uneasy as well as deal with these men who had become this community that are all about chaos.
David Fincher’s direction is quite stylish but also very daring for the fact that he’s making a Hollywood studio picture that is about anarchy and anti-corporatism, anti-capitalism, and anti-consumerism. The film opens with Durden putting a gun into the narrator’s mouth as much of the film is told in a reflective narrative of sorts where it plays into the narrator coping with his life and what it had become. Shot on location in Los Angeles, the film plays into this world that is very modern as well as very consumerist where it is overwhelming in how ads and products are being shown to create something that is scary. Fincher’s usage of wide and medium shots help play into the world while he would also create some unique camera angles and movements to play into some of the chaotic elements including the fights.
The fights do have this air of brutality but also a beauty that is presented underneath its ugliness and graphic violence. There are also scenes that are quite surreal as it relates to some sex scenes involving the narrator and Marla where the former isn’t sure if he really had sex with her. One key moment during the second act is where the narrator sees the many jobs that Durden does including being a film projector where there is a moment where the fourth wall is broken. There’s also these little moments early in the film that serves as a sense of foreshadow where there’s a strange object that emerges on a frame as it plays into the narrator’s growing disdain towards his environment. The film’s third act is quite intense but also displays a lot into aspects of surrealism into the world that the narrator is in and what Durden is about to do forcing the two to have a showdown. Overall, Fincher creates a rapturous yet haunting film about a man’s disdain with the world of consumerism and capitalism that forces him to team with another man and form a fight club.
Cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth does amazing work with the film‘s very stylized yet somewhat de-colored cinematography the intentionally bland look of the narrator‘s life in his semi-posh condo and the office he works at to the more grimy look for many of the interior/exterior scenes at night as well as the home that he shares with Durden. Editor James Haygood does fantastic work with the editing in not just creating some unique rhythmic cuts and stylish usages of jump-cuts and slow-motion cuts but also in the way these mysterious objects would pop up early in the film. Production designer Alex McDowell, with set decorator Jay Hart and art director Chris Gorack, does brilliant work with the look of the condo that the narrator lived in to the dilapidated and decayed home that Durden lives in as well as the basement in the bar where many of the fights at the fight club happens. Costume designer Michael Kaplan does nice work with the costumes from the bland look of the narrator early in the film to the stylish clothes that Durden and Marla wear to play into their anti-conformist attitude
Special makeup effects supervisor Rob Bottin does excellent work with some of the makeup from the design of the big breasts that one of the narrator‘s friends in Bob sports to look of some of the people that are beaten up at fight club. Visual effects supervisors Kevin Tod Haug and Kevin Mack do superb work with some of the visual effects in not just some of the set dressing but also in some eerie scenes at relates to how soap is made and other surreal moments in the film. Sound designer Ren Klyce and sound editor Richard Hymns do incredible work with the sound in the way some objects sound as well as the atmosphere in the fight club. The film’s music by John King and Mike Simpson, aka the Dust Brothers, is phenomenal for its mixture of drone-heavy electronic music with some industrial and ambient textures to play into the drama and violence while the soundtrack features music from Tom Waits, Marlene Dietrich, and the Pixies.
The casting by Laray Mayfield is wonderful as it features some notable small roles from Zach Grenier as the narrator’s boss, Rachel Singer as a cancer-stricken women at a group meeting, Peter Iacangelo as the bar owner who is from the mob that isn’t keen on having the fight club in his basement, Thom Gossom Jr. as a detective who investigates the arson of the narrator’s apartment, Pat McNamara as the police commissioner, Joon Kim as a convenience store cashier Durden threatens to kill, and Jared Leto in a small yet terrific performance as a fight club member whom Durden takes a liking to late in the film. Meat Loaf Aday is excellent as Bob as a man with massive man-breasts who deals with the loss of his testicles as the narrator befriends him during a meeting as he would also become part of the fight club.
Helena Bonham Carter is fantastic as Marla Singer as a troubled woman who attends to a lot of group meetings for strange reasons as well as be someone who is also an addict as she befriends Durden while somewhat antagonize the narrator. Brad Pitt is remarkable as Tyler Durden as this mysterious soap maker who is the embodiment of complete and absolute anarchy where is he also quite intelligent about the ways of the world and how consumerism has ruined the world as Pitt just owns the part with his charm and the ability to be cool. Finally, there’s Edward Norton in a tremendous performance as this unnamed narrator as this white-collar corporate worker for an automobile corporation who suffers from insomnia and depression who finds himself taking part in a world where he gets into fights and stands up for himself only to deal with the severity of what he and Durden created as it’s a very grounded and visceral performance from Norton.
Fight Club is a magnificent film from David Fincher that features incredible performances from Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, and Helena Bonham Carter. Featuring an inventive script, dazzling visuals, and an eerie score, the film is truly a dark yet intense film that explores anarchy and nihilism at its most profane. It is also a film that manages to critique this world of corporate and consumerist culture that has take hold of humanity in the worst ways. In the end, Fight Club is an outstanding film from David Fincher.
David Fincher Films: Alien 3 - Se7en - The Game - Panic Room - Zodiac - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - The Social Network - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011 film) - Gone Girl
Related: 15 Essential Videos by David Fincher - The Auteurs #61: David Fincher
© thevoid99 2016
Based on the fairy tale by Charles Perrault, Cinderella is the story of a young woman whose quaint and loving world is shattered by the death of her family as she is treated cruelly by her stepmother and stepsisters until a ball is announced where she would be able to go with a little help from magic. Directed by Kenneth Branagh and screenplay by Chris Weitz, the film is a lavish interpretation of the fairytale that also features elements from the 1950 Disney animated version with Lily James in the titular role. Also starring Richard Madden, Derek Jacobi, Stellan Skarsgard, Ben Chaplin, Hayley Atwell, Holliday Grainger, Sophie McShera, Nonso Anozie, Helena Bonham Carter, and Cate Blanchett as the stepmother Lady Tremaine. Cinderella is a dazzling and heartwarming film from Kenneth Branagh.
The film is a unique take on the fairy tale about how this young woman who lived under the cruelty of her stepmother and stepsisters where she is forced to serve them until a ball is announced where she would standout and capture the heart of the prince in her land through magic and a glass slipper. It’s a story that’s been told many times yet what director Kenneth Branagh and screenwriter Chris Weitz does is provide some back story for some of the characters but also add some offbeat humor into the story. The film begins with the life of Cinderella as a child where she was known as Ella who lived in a happy home with her family and servants until the death of her mother (Hayley Atwell) and her father (Ben Chaplin) eventually remarrying years later to Lady Tremaine until he would die tragically. It would set the events of what would happen where Tremaine and her stepdaughters would treat Ella cruelly and fire all the staff forcing Ella to become their servant. For all of the cruelty she endures, Ella maintains a strong front as she made a vow to her mother to be kind and have courage.
Branagh’s direction definitely plays to a very lavish style where it is largely fantasy as opposed to elements of intense reality. Shot largely in Britain, the film is set during medieval times but from a world where there isn’t much conflict nor poverty where everything is great but not perfect. Once Lady Tremaine comes in, she represents a woman who likes to live lavishly and with excess just like her own daughters who are full of themselves and expect to be treated as elite while Ella is a woman who is generous and uses whatever she can to live or sleep on with the aid of mice. Upon meeting the Prince (Richard Madden) during a horseback ride as the Prince claims to be an apprentice, it is clear that Branagh wanted to provide more depth to these character as the Prince isn’t some typical prince but rather a young man coping with what is ahead of him. Especially as the Duke (Stellan Skarsgard) wants him to marry another princess for political reasons rather than for love.
Branagh’s approach to compositions with its wide and medium shots get a good view of the landscape as well as the world that the Prince lives in along with the lifestyle that Tremaine and her daughters crave for. Branagh would also use some medium shots and close-ups to play into the life of Ella and how she would cope with the living situations in her life as well as the cruelty she endures. Once the Fairy Godmother (Helena Bonham Carter) arrives, the film lightens up where Branagh goes for some offbeat comedy as some of it is childish but also manages to be very funny. Even in the way Branagh portrays the stepsisters as buffoons manage to be entertaining while not losing sight into the story itself. Especially the message as it plays into the idea of depth and what one must endure in a world that is often very cruel and unforgiving. Overall, Branagh crafts a fantasy film that manages to be entertaining as well as enchanting.
Cinematographer Haris Zambarkoulos does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography with the usage of lights for many of the interiors set at night as well as in the ball scene to the exteriors for scenes set at night. Editor Martin Walsh does nice work with the editing as it‘s very straightforward with some rhythmic cuts for the scenes at the ball. Production designer Dante Ferretti, with supervising art directors Gary Freeman and Leslie Tomkins and set decorator Francesca Lo Schiavo, does fantastic work with the look of home Ella lives in as it‘s quaint yet warm while the palace itself is lavish to play into the world that the Prince lives in. Costume designer Sandy Powell does brilliant work with the costumes from the dresses and gowns many of the women wear including the blue ball gown that Ella would wear at the ball.
Makeup designers Naomi Donne and Norma Webb, with hairstylists Carol Hemming, Orla Carroll, and Wakana Yoshihara, do amazing work with the look of the characters including the hairstyles of Lady Tremaine and her daughters as well as the look of the Fairy Godmother. Visual effects supervisor Huseyin Caner does terrific work with the visual effects in some of the moments of magic as well as the design of the mice that Ella talks to. Sound editor James Mather does superb work with the sound in creating effects for some of the fencing scenes in the palace as well as some low-key sounds at Ella‘s home. The film’s music by Patrick Doyle is wonderful for its lush, orchestral-based score that plays into the sense of fantasy as well as some of the moments of innocence that Ella carries throughout the film while the soundtrack also features song from the 1950 animated film.
The casting by Lucy Bevan is remarkable as it features notable small roles from Rob Brydon as a family friend in Master Phineus, Nonso Anozie as the Prince’s guard captain, Jana Perez as a princess the Duke feels the Prince should marry, Eloise Webb as the young Ella, and Derek Jacobi in a superb performance as the King who sees the conflict in his son over what to do. Ben Chaplin and Hayley Atwell are fantastic as Ella’s parents as kind-hearted people who provide the many elements that would make Ella who she is with Chaplin as the worldly father and Atwell as the very kind-hearted mother. Holliday Grainger and Sophie McShera are excellent in their respective roles as the stepsisters Anastasia and Drisella as they both provide a sense of comic relief in how untalented and dim-witted they are. Stellan Skarsgard is brilliant as the Grand Duke as the man running the kingdom where he is hoping to make some political maneuvers while conspiring with Lady Tremaine in the film’s third act.
Helena Bonham Carter is a total delight as the Fairy Godmother as this magical being who shows up to help Ella get ready for the ball as well as being someone that is just funny to watch. Richard Madden is amazing as the Prince as a young monarch who copes with the role he is about to gain while falling for Ella unaware of who she is as he deals with what to do as a prince and as a man. Cate Blanchett is incredible as Lady Tremaine as a wicked stepmother who treats Ella very cruelly while hoping that the ball would put her and her daughters out of debt and gain power in being part of the royal court where Blanchett adds a bit of restraint in her approach to humor as well as chewing the scenery. Finally, there’s Lily James in a radiant performance as the titular character as a young woman who copes with loss and cruelty while trying to raise her spirits and do what is right as well as be courageous and kind.
Cinderella is a phenomenal film from Kenneth Branagh. Armed with a great cast, gorgeous scenery, and an engaging story that manages to be faithful to its source and more. It’s a film that is also very accessible in terms of what it needed to say as well as be very entertaining. In the end, Cinderella is a splendid and majestic film from Kenneth Branagh.
Kenneth Branagh Films: (Henry V (1989 film)) - (Dead Again) - (Swan Song) - (Peter‘s Friends) - (Much Ado About Nothing (1993 film)) - (Frankenstein (1994 film)) - (A Midwinter’s Tale (1995 film)) - (Hamlet (1996 film)) - (Love’s Labour Lost (2000 film)) - (Listening) - (As You Like It (2006 TV film)) - (The Magic Flute (2006 film)) - (Sleuth (2007 film)) - Thor - (Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit)
© thevoid99 2016
Based on the novel by E.M. Forster, Howards End is a multi-layered story revolving around different social classes in early 20th Century Edwardian-Britain where a poor woman’s friendship with an industrialist’s wife leads to all sorts of trouble for her family as well as the people they’re connected to. Directed by James Ivory and screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, the film is an exploration into the world where a man tries to save the one thing of his wife unaware that she gave it to someone else. Starring Emma Thompson, Anthony Hopkins, Helena Bonham Carter, Vanessa Regrave, Samuel West, and James Wilby. Howards End is a remarkable film from James Ivory and the Merchant-Ivory team.
Set in early 20th Century Britain during the Edwardian era, it’s a film where a middle-class woman who unknowingly inherited a country house by an industrialist’s wife whom she had become friends with in the final days of that woman’s life. When her husband reads the handwritten will that his late wife wrote, he schemes to get the house back where he meets the woman only to fall for her. Yet, things become complicated when that woman’s sister tries to help a poor man and his wife whose fortunes have gone bad where it would create dissension between the two sisters. It’s a film that isn’t just about connections between three different families from three different social classes but also in the way they would affect one another and their fortunes in a world where there’s a lot of expectation in Edwardian society.
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala’s screenplay takes it time to flesh out the story where she reveals the lives of these three different families. The very rich Wilcoxes led by Henry (Anthony Hopkins) and Ruth (Vanessa Redgrave) with their elder children Charles (James Wilby) and Evie (Jemma Redgrave). The middle-class siblings Margaret (Emma Thompson), Helen (Helena Bonham Carter), and Tibby Schlegel (Adrian Ross Magenty). The last couple is the working-class couple Leonard Bast (Samuel West) and his wife Jacky (Nicola Duffett). All of which are trying to play roles in societies yet they all face struggles with trying to advance themselves with the exception of the Wilcoxes. When Margaret meets the ailing Ruth, the two strike a friendship where Margaret reveals to Ruth about the lease of her home expiring as Ruth wants to help Margaret out where she would hand-write a will leaving Margaret the home that she loved that is called Howards End.
This would later set-up a series of trouble where Henry and his children are dismayed over what Ruth had written as it would play into this second act where Margaret and Helen would diverge due to the involvement of different men. Margaret formally meets Henry where the two fall in love though the latter did decide to help Margaret find a home nearby only for his plans to lose way. Helen meanwhile meets and falls for the working-class clerk Leonard Bast who has been trying to find a job as he accepts the help of Helen and Margaret only for Henry’s presence to cause trouble as it would play to the growing tension between the sisters. It would all play to a troubling third act where there’s more to the connection between Henry and the Basts as well as Margaret being torn in her devotion to Henry and her siblings. It’s not just the way Jhabvala plots everything but also her approach to the language and dialogue that adds more spice and suspense to the story.
James Ivory’s direction is truly ravishing in the way he presents the period of Edwardian Britain at a time where the rich try to maintain their status while looking down at those beneath them. Though the Wilcoxes aren’t entirely bad people, they do have this sense of entitlement that makes them somewhat disconnected from reality. Ivory has unique framing devices in the way he presents them as well as scenes where Charles would eavesdrop into whatever conversations his father would have with Margaret where it’s clear he is going to cause trouble for many. Even as Charles’ somewhat-dim wife Dolly (Susie Lindeman) would also eavesdrop as she knows something isn’t right. It would play to some moments of suspense that occurs in the film while much of the direction in terms of its humor and drama is quite understated.
The approach to putting characters in the frame wouldn’t just play to the dramatic tension that occurs between some of the characters but also to display a sense of a social order that would make Leonard Bast feel uneasy about. Many of the scenes involving Bast has him in places where he either doesn’t fit in or is surrounded by a place of despair in comparison to the world that the Wilcoxes and Schlegel siblings live in. Still, Ivory creates scenes of a dream-world that Bast wants to live in as if he wants to be in a world where he can happy where Helen would be that person who would help him. Even as the house that is Howards End is a major character in the film as a place of comfort that is a major escape from the real world as Margaret would learn why Ruth cherishes it. Especially as Henry and his family would try to hold on to it for very selfish reasons as it would lead to a dramatic climax that would involve tragedy. Overall, Ivory creates a very captivating yet touching film about pride and connections in the Edwardian period of Britain.
Cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts does amazing work with the film‘s lush and gorgeous cinematography from the way some of the film‘s interiors are lit in some of the scenes as well as the exteriors to play into the different moods of the film. Editor Andrew Marcus does fantastic work with the editing with its use of dissolves, abrupt fade-outs, and other stylized cuts to play into some of the drama and suspenseful moments of the film. Production designer Luciana Arrighi, with set decorator Ian Whittaker and art director John Ralph, does brilliant work with the set pieces from the look of the apartment the Schlegel siblings live in to the quaint yet lavish home that is Howards End.
Costume designers Jenny Beaven and John Bright do splendid work with the costumes from the suits that Henry wears to the stylish dresses that the women wear. Hair stylist Carol Hemming does excellent work with the look of the different hairstyles the women had in that period. Sound editor Campbell Askew does nice work with the sound to play into the different atmosphere of the locations including the scenes set in the British countryside. The film’s music by Richard Robbins is truly delightful for its somber yet enchanting orchestral score that includes some piano pieces as well as some music from Percy Grainger to open and close the film as well as a piano piece by Beethoven.
The casting by Celestia Fox is just simple marvelous for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small roles from Simon Callow as a music lecturer, Jo Kendall as the Schlegel’s maid Annie, Joseph Bennett as Charles’ brother Paul whom Helen was briefly engaged to, Prunella Scales as Schlegel’s Aunt Juley, and Susie Lindeman as Charles’ naïve wife Dolly. Other noteworthy performances include Adrian Ross Magenty as Margaret and Helen’s younger brother Tibby who finds himself having to defend his sisters’ generosity, Jemma Redgrave as the very snobbish and cruel Evie Wilcox, and James Wilby as the eldest Wilcox child Charles whose nosiness and pride would cause trouble for the whole family. Nicola Duffett is wonderful as Leonard’s wife Jacky as this troubled woman trying to do whatever to help them while being suspicious over Leonard’s time with the Schlegels. Vanessa Redgrave is radiant as Ruth Wilcox as an ailing woman who is full of life as she finds a true friend in Margaret and does something that she feels is a good thing.
Samuel West is superb as Leonard Bast as a man trying to find work amidst the adversity he faces where he finds himself becoming close with Helen. Helena Bonham Carter is amazing as Helen Schlegel as a woman that simply wants to help Leonard while becoming suspicious over Henry’s intentions for Margaret as it’s a role that has a lot of bite and wit. Anthony Hopkins is great as Henry Wilcox as a man who prides himself as someone with power as he tries to hold on to his wife’s house only to be impressed by Margaret where he becomes unsure if he’s doing the right thing. Finally, there’s Emma Thompson in a radiant performance as Margaret Schlegel as a woman who deals with her own financial issues while trying to help Leonard and befriend the Wilcoxes where she becomes torn in her devotion to Henry and her family as it’s a powerful performance from Thompson.
Howards End is an exquisite and enchanting film from the Merchant-Ivory team. Thanks to a splendid cast led by Emma Thompson, Anthony Hopkins, Helena Bonham Carter, and Vanessa Redgrave along with fantastic technical work, Richard Robbins’ mesmerizing music, and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala’s potent screenplay. It’s a film that isn’t just an exploration into human connections and the sins that forces people to do horrific things but it’s a film that plays into the understanding of humanity and how they can be similar. In the end, Howards End is a spectacular film from James Ivory.
James Ivory Films: The Householder - (The Dehli Way) - Shakespeare Wallah - (The Guru) - Bombay Talkie - (Adventures of a Brown Man in Search of Civilization) - (Savages (1972 film)) - (Autobiography of a Princess) - (The Wild Party) - (Roseland) - (Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie’s Pictures) - (The Five Forty-Eight) - (The Europeans) - (Jane Austen in Manhattan) - (Quartet (1981 film)) - (Heat and Dust) - (The Bostonians) - A Room with a View - Maurice - (Slaves of New York) - (Mr. & Mrs. Bridges) - The Remains of the Day - (Jefferson in Paris) - (Surviving Picasso) - (A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries) - (The Golden Bowl) - (Le Divorce) - (The White Countess) - (The City of Your Final Destination)
© thevoid99 2014
Based on the novel by E.M. Foster, A Room with a View is the story of a young woman who falls for a free-spirited man during a holiday in Italy. Directed by James Ivory and screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, the film is a look into a young woman coming of age in a restrictive time during the Edwardian period in Britain in early 20th Century. Starring Helena Bohnam Carter, Maggie Smith, Denholm Elliott, Daniel-Day Lewis, Julian Sands, Simon Callow, Rosemary Leach, and Judi Dench. A Room with a View is a ravishing and enchanting film from the Merchant-Ivory team.
Set in 1907, the film is an exploration into a young woman coming into her own during the Edwardian period in Britain where she meets a free-spirited man during a holiday in Florence, Italy with her cousin as her chaperone. What would happen upon meeting George Emerson (Julian Sands) is that the young Miss Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bohnam Carter) tries to cope with her feelings for George but also play to what is expected for her as she would later return to England where she would be engaged to a wealthy yet snobbish man named Cecil Vyse (Daniel Day-Lewis). Yet, when George moves nearby with his father (Denholm Elliott), Lucy becomes confused on what she should do as her older cousin Charlotte Bartlett (Maggie Smith) would observe everything as she would also play into Lucy and George’s fate.
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala’s screenplay has a unique structure where the first half of the film is set in Florence where Lucy and Charlotte are on holiday as it’s Lucy’s first visit to the city. It is there that the two meet the Emersons plus an eccentric group of visitors including the very free-spirited priest the Reverend Beebe (Simon Callow), a lively novelist named Eleanor Lavish, two aging sisters in Catherine and Teresa Alan (Fabia Drake and Joan Henley, respectively), and the more stern Reverend Eager (Patrick Godfrey). Upon this holiday in Florence, they all look at various landmarks and such where Lucy and George sense an attraction but the very prim Lucy is bewildered by George’s sense of free-spirit as he likes to climb trees, jump around, and act wildly. Yet, George is also a man who is very sensitive and is willing to do anything for Lucy which would add to this attraction much to the shock of Charlotte who has been watching Lucy for Lucy’s mother (Rosemary Leach).
The film’s second half would largely be set in Surrey, England where several months has passed and Lucy becomes engaged to Cecil who is a very interesting individual for the fact that he’s a character that audiences would love to hate. Largely because he’s this stuffy twat that really has no formidable opinion for anything as he becomes an opponent for George to deal with as he wants to give Lucy something more than just be a trophy wife for this rich, snobbish twat. Yet, the expectations that Lucy has to play with the rules of society would hinder the decisions she makes as her mother, her younger brother Freddy (Rupert Graves), and Charlotte would notice the restrained anguish that Lucy is carrying. One aspect of the screenplay that is very noticeable is the language in the way the characters talk as there’s a certain rhythm to the dialogue as well as how it can help move the story in such a brisk way.
James Ivory’s direction is truly exotic for not just the simplicity of the images he creates but also in how he makes the locations in Florence, Italy and England characters in the film. Many of the compositions of the locations would be presented in wide and medium shots to play into the beauty of the locations and the way the characters react to their surroundings. Especially in a moment where Lucy and George witness a brawl in a square amidst these surroundings of statues and famous landmarks where it would be a key moment into Lucy and George’s relationship. Much of the locations set in Florence would have this air of beauty as well enchantment where a moment of the two having a picnic in the Italian countryside where the two would have their first kiss to the shock of Charlotte. The scenes set in England would contain a similar presentation but there’s also a tightness that goes on early in that section once Lucy is engaged to Cecil.
The direction is more controlled in its tracking shots and such until George would appear to shake things up as there’s a very comical scene of he, Freddy, and Reverend Beebe enjoying a skinny-dip to the shock of Lucy, her mother, and Cecil. The direction would also have moments of symbolism that would play to Lucy dealing with her feelings for George but also to try and devote herself to Cecil as it would create a sense of drama that becomes intense but in a very restrained form. Especially as Ivory’s approach to melodrama doesn’t play to any kind of theatrics in favor of just letting the drama be played out with a tenderness and sensitivity that makes the story far more engaging. Overall, Ivory crafts a very delicate yet intoxicating film about a young woman coming of age in the early 20th Century where she would meet her soulmate.
Cinematographer Tom Pierce-Roberts does brilliant work with the film‘s photography to display the beauty of many of the film‘s exterior locations in the day while using some low-key lights for some of its interiors in the day and nighttime scenes. Editor Humphrey Dixon does excellent work with the editing as it‘s mostly straightforward yet has this seamless flow to play into the drama while infusing a few montages and rhythmic cuts to play with some of the film‘s low-key humor. Production designers Brian Ackland-Snow and Gianni Quaranta with art directors Brian Savegar and Elio Altamura, do amazing work with the set pieces from the look of the hotel rooms Lucy and Charlotte stayed in during their time in Florence to the home Lucy lived in as well as the house George‘s father stayed nearby in England.
Costume designers Jenny Beavan and John Bright do fantastic work with the costumes from the look of the dresses the women wear to the suits and clothes the men wear to play into that period. The hairdressing by Carol Hemming is terrific for the look of the hairstyle of the time that plays into the personalities of the women in the film. The sound work of Ray Beckett is superb for its low-key approach to sound by playing up much of the film‘s natural sounds as well some of the things that are captured on location. The film’s music by Richard Robbins is remarkable for its use of low-key orchestral music to play up the drama while the film’s soundtrack also uses an operatic piece by Giacamo Puccini that is sung by Kiri Te Kanawa that serves as a fitting piece in the film.
The casting by Celestia Fox is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small roles from Maria Britneva as Cecil’s mother, Mia Fothergill as Lucy and Freddy’s younger sister, Fabia Drake and Joan Henley as the very charming Alan sisters, and Patrick Godfrey in a terrific role as the very annoyed and strict Reverend Eager. Rupert Graves is wonderful as Lucy’s mischievous brother Freddy while Judi Dench is a total delight as the novelist Eleanor Lavish who is so full of charm and provides some witty commentary. Simon Callow is excellent as the very lively and kind-hearted Reverend Beebe who often gives Lucy some advice on how to live life. Denholm Elliot is amazing as George’s father as a man who has such wit and a good heart as he deals with the anguish of his son. Rosemary Leach is superb as Lucy’s mother who deals with Lucy’s engagement to Cecil and George’s presence as she ponders exactly what Lucy is thinking.
Daniel Day-Lewis is great as the very snobbish Cecil as Day-Lewis brings a charm that makes his character so infuriating to watch because he thinks he’s all that as it’s a performance that is funny to watch. Julian Sands is fantastic as George as this free-spirited man who likes to do all sorts of crazy things but there’s a man who is so good as he tries to woo Lucy and help her find her way. Maggie Smith is brilliant as Lucy’s elder cousin Charlotte as a woman who watches over Lucy while noticing her attraction towards George and later find a way to help guide her into the right direction. Finally, there’s Helena Bohnam Carter in a radiant performance as Lucy as this young woman trying to find herself in the early 20th Century as she deals with what is expected of her as well as it’s a performance that is very enchanting to watch.
A Room with a View is a magnificent film from the Merchant-Ivory team that features outstanding performances from Helena Bohnam Carter, Maggie Smith, Denholm Elliott, Julian Sands, and Daniel Day-Lewis. Armed with amazing technical work and a rich soundtrack, it’s a film that definitely showcases what a period film should be without the need to be superficial or stuffy. Especially as it features a truly evocative screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala that adds to the elegance of the film. In the end, A Room with a View is a sensational film from James Ivory.
James Ivory Films: The Householder - (The Dehli Way) - Shakespeare Wallah - (The Guru) - Bombay Talkie - (Adventures of a Brown Man in Search of Civilization) - (Savages (1972 film)) - (Autobiography of a Princess) - (The Wild Party) - (Roseland) - (Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie’s Pictures) - (The Five Forty-Eight) - (The Europeans) - (Jane Austen in Manhattan) - (Quartet (1981 film)) - (Heat and Dust) - (The Bostonians) - Maurice - (Slaves of New York) - (Mr. & Mrs. Bridges) - Howards End - The Remains of the Day - (Jefferson in Paris) - (Surviving Picasso) - (A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries) - (The Golden Bowl) - (Le Divorce) - (The White Countess) - (The City of Your Final Destination)
© thevoid99 2014
Written, directed, and starring Woody Allen, Mighty Aphrodite is the story about a man who wants to know who is the real mother of his adopted son as he learns that she’s a prostitute where he decides to give her a better life. Inspired by George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion, the film explores a man’s desire to improve a young woman’s life as it is told by a Greek chorus. Also starring Helena Bohnam Carter, Mira Sorvino, Michael Rapaport, Peter Weller, and F. Murray Abraham. Mighty Aphrodite is a charming yet exhilarating film from Woody Allen.
The film revolves around a sports writer who is amazed by his adopted son’s intelligence as he wants to know who is his real mother. Upon learning that she’s a prostitute, he decides to help giving her a better life in the hopes that his adopted son would be proud of her if ever meets her. It’s a film where a man is eager to help this ditzy but kind-hearted prostitute/porn actress get the chance for a better life. Even as he’s dealing with a marriage that is losing its passion as his wife is being drawn to an art dealer. All of it is told by a Greek chorus who pops into the story every once in a while to help this man do something or to warn him of the consequence he might bring.
Woody Allen’s script is filled with some humor and drama as it is largely driven by its protagonist Lenny Weinrib (Woody Allen) as he was someone who was hesitant about having a child until Max (Jimmy McQuaid) comes into his world as he enjoys fatherhood. With his marriage to Amanda (Helena Bohnam Carter) kind of losing its luster, Lenny goes on the journey to find out who is Max’s mother as it is revealed in the form of this prostitute named Linda Ash (Mira Sorvino). Linda is a very interesting character as she is someone who isn’t very bright as she comes from a very dysfunctional family but has aspirations to go to Broadway but still does trick and a porn gig every once in a while. It prompts Lenny to do something to help this young woman to have a good life where he would try to set her up with a boxer named Kevin (Michael Rapaport) where Lenny’s own life would have some revelations of its own.
Allen’s direction is quite straightforward though there’s elements of styles in some of the long shots he creates as well as the scenes of the Greek chorus as it’s shot in Sicily. The Greek chorus scenes are filled with some dance numbers choreographed by Graciela Daniele as it’s often lively but also help to tell the story. Even as the Greek chorus leader (F. Murray Abraham) would pop in the story to give Lenny some advice. It adds the sense of a man wanting to do something for this young woman who seems to go nowhere while not telling her that he’s the adopted father of her son. Though it’s a film that doesn’t play with traditional structure in order to play with the idea of reality and fiction. It does manage to find a balance in the story that it wants to tell as the overall result is a very fascinating yet heartfelt film from Woody Allen.
Cinematographer Carlo Di Palma does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the low-key yet colorful look of some of the film‘s interiors to the more straightforward exterior scenes in the film. Editor Susan E. Morse does nice work with the editing from the transitions to go from the main story to the Greek chorus to a few montages to play up Linda‘s evolution. Production designer Santo Loquasto, with set decorator Susan Bode and art director Tom Warren, does amazing work with the set pieces from Linda‘s apartment to the place where the Greek chorus tell their story.
Costume designer Jeffrey Kurland does brilliant work with the costumes from the clothes that Linda wears to the robes the Greek chorus wears. Sound editor Robert Hein does terrific work with the sound to create an atmosphere in the locations as well as the scenes involving the Greek chorus. The film’s soundtrack consists of traditional Greek music mixed in with jazz and classical music to play up some of its humor and drama.
The casting by Juliet Taylor is fantastic for the ensemble that is created as it features appearances from Paul Giamatti as an adoption agent, Tony Sirico as a boxing trainer, Jimmy McQuaid as Lenny and Amanda’s adopted son Max, and Claire Bloom as Amanda’s mother. F. Murray Abraham is excellent as the Greek chorus leader while Olympia Dukakis, Jack Warden, costume designer Jeffrey Kurland, Danielle Ferland, and David Odgen Stiers make wonderful appearances as famous Greek gods commenting on the story or revealing some news that would impact the story. Peter Weller is terrific as an art dealer who tries to woo Amanda while Michael Rapaport is superb as a boxer who is set up to meet Linda.
Mira Sorvino is brilliant as Linda Ash as this very ditzy but well-meaning young woman who is very uncertain about her life until she meets Lenny where she becomes a proper lady as it’s really a majestic breakthrough for Sorvino. Helena Bohnam Carter is amazing as Amanda as a woman dealing with the changes in her marriage to Lenny while being wooed by this art dealer as she’s unsure if she’s in love with Lenny or the art dealer. Woody Allen is great as Lenny Weinrib as a man whose concern for his son’s future has him going into a journey where Allen brings a sense of wit and warmth to his role as it’s one of his finest performances.
Mighty Aphrodite is a remarkable film from Woody Allen that features a radiant Mira Sorvino in her breakthrough performance as well as an incredible cast that includes Helena Bohnam Carter, Michael Rapaport, and F. Murray Abraham. The film is a nice mix of humor and drama where it has a bit of non-conventional storytelling but also a sweetness that is endearing to watch. In the end, Mighty Aphrodite is a fabulous film from Woody Allen.
Woody Allen Films: What's Up Tiger Lily? - Take the Money and Run - Bananas - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) - Sleeper - Love and Death - Annie Hall - Interiors - Manhattan - Stardust Memories - A Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy - Zelig - Broadway Danny Rose - The Purple Rose of Cairo - Hannah & Her Sisters - Radio Days - September - Another Woman - New York Stories: Oedipus Wrecks - Crimes & Misdemeanors - Alice - Shadows and Fog - Husbands and Wives - Manhattan Murder Mystery - Bullets Over Broadway - Don't Drink the Water - Everyone Says I Love You - Deconstructing Harry - Celebrity - Sweet & Lowdown - Small Time Crooks - The Curse of the Jade Scorpion - Hollywood Ending - Anything Else - Melinda & Melinda - Match Point - Scoop - Cassandra’s Dream - Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Whatever Works - You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - Midnight in Paris - To Rome with Love - Blue Jasmine - Magic in the Moonlight - Irrational Man - (Cafe Society)
The Auteurs #24: Woody Allen Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4
© thevoid99 2013
Based on the novel by Victor Hugo and its musical by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg, Les Miserables is the story about a convict who becomes a mayor in France only to be haunted by the presence of a police inspector as he goes on the run with a young girl to take care of for her mother as they later deal with a growing revolution. Directed by Tom Hooper and screenplay by Boublil, Schonberg, William Nicholson, and Herbert Kretzmer, the film is an exploration into redemption and seeking the chance to find a new life while facing old fears. Starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Samantha Barks, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Helena Bohnam Carter. Les Miserables is a sprawling yet spectacular musical from Tom Hooper.
After serving 19 years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread for his nephew, Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) is released on parole as he tries to find work only to be shunned for his conviction as he finds shelter at a church. After stealing some silver from that church and later captured, the bishop (Colm Wilkinson) claims that he gave the silver to Valjean as he later tells him to use it to start a new life. Eight years later, Valjean reinvents himself as a mayor only to deal with the presence of a police investigator named Javert (Russell Crowe) whom Valjean know who was the lead guard at the prison many years ago. Meanwhile, a woman named Fatine (Anne Hathaway) was fired by a foreman as she is seeking to get money for her young daughter Cosette (Isabelle Allen) who is living at another home. Fatine is forced into prostitution as she is later saved by Valjean who realizes what’s happened to her as he vows to Fatine that he will find Cosette and take care of her.
After evading Javert who had learned about Valjean’s true identity, Valjean finds Cosette who is living with a couple in Thenardiers (Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bohnam Carter) as he gives them money to take Cosette off their hands. After realizing Javert is in Paris looking for him, Valjean and Cosette hide in a convent where Valjean is able to escape from Javert. Nine years later as Valjean becomes a father to Cosette (Amanda Seyfried), revolution is happening as Cosette catches the eye of a young revolutionary named Marius (Eddie Redmayne). Also in Paris are the Thenardiers and their daughter Eponine (Samantha Barks) who is in love with Marius as she reluctantly shows his where Cosette lives.
After realizing that Javert is nearby, Valjean runs away again with Cosette until the battle rages on where he learns that Cosette has fallen in love with Marius as he decides to help Marius with the revolution. When Javert is in the battle as a spy and later captured by the revolutionaries, he and Valjean come face-to-face where Valjean would make a decision about their fates.
The film is the story about a convict who seeks to find redemption after being in prison for 19 years over a small crime as he is haunted by who he is as well as an inspector who doesn’t believe that this man will redeem himself. Along the way, he finds salvation and love as he does whatever it takes to do right for a woman who had been wronged and for a young girl to become a beautiful young woman who later falls for a revolutionary. In the course of the film, it is a story about people all trying to get something whether it’s to fulfill a sense of duty, to find love, to be loved, or to gain redemption in these terrible times during the early 1800s in France after the French Revolution.
The screenplay is faithful to the musical as it explores a lot of the complexities of these characters as it is largely about Jean Valjean’s yearning to find redemption for his sins where he would do things for those he felt had been wronged or what he had done. Yet, he is pursued by Inspector Javert who is convinced that Valjean is a criminal and always will be a criminal as once he learned Valjean had broke parole. He is determined to do whatever to get him back in prison as an act of duty. When Valjean reinvents himself as a mayor where he hopes that people will be treated well, he learns about a woman who had been fired and goes into prostitution in Fatine. Fatine is someone who just wants to work to give money to help care for her illegitimate child as she goes into great despair thinking there is no good in the world until Valjean saves her where he would vow to do right for her by becoming a father to her daughter.
When Valjean takes Cosette away from the cruel Thenardiers, who likes to steal from their customers at their inn, he hopes to give Cosette a life that is good and will allow her to become a woman. Yet, times would change in the face of another revolution in France where Cosette would fall for this young revolutionary in Marius as he becomes torn between love and duty as he is unaware that the Thenardiers’ daughter Eponine is in love with him as she would play a key part in the story. Eventually, things would collide where Valjean would have to get involved with the revolution in order to do whatever to give two young people a future while facing his own demons as well as Javert.
Tom Hooper’s direction is definitely big in terms of its presentation as it is a musical that isn’t shot on some stage or a soundstage. Instead, it is shot as if it was on location where things are big and the musical numbers also play up to the grandeur of the story. While there’s a few moments such as some shaky hand-held camera work that doesn’t entirely work at times, Hooper does manage to keep things in tact through these sprawling compositions filled with crane shots, tracking shots, and other stylistic shots to maintain that air of spectacle. Hooper does also bring things where it is intimate in order to display emotions or something that helps tell the story.
Since this is a musical, there isn’t a lot of spoken dialogue as a lot of it essentially sung. Notably on the set where it adds to the emotional tone of the story such as the I Dreamed a Dream scene where it is shot in one unbroken take to capture the sense of anguish and loss that Fatine is going through. While the bombastic music that is by Claude-Michel Schonberg and lyrics by Alain Boublil does play into the many emotions of the film, Hooper’s direction makes sure that the music isn’t distracting while taking a few moments for the singing to stop for a few dialogue interplay with the actors. Still, it is about what is sung and how it helps tell the story as Hooper knows when to keep things simple that includes the film’s ending. Overall, Tom Hooper crafts a very heart-wrenching yet dazzling musical that has all of the splendor in what is expected in the genre.
Cinematographer Danny Cohen does excellent work with the film’s photography from the somewhat de-saturated look of the colors in the exteriors to the more simplistic yet stylish lighting schemes in the interiors. Editors Melanie Anne Oliver and Chris Dickens is terrific for its stylish approach to cutting by using some fast cuts on some of the film’s upbeat numbers while going for more methodical cuts in the ballads. Production designer Eve Stewart and supervising art director Grant Armstrong do amazing work with the set pieces from the dreary look of the prostitutes area to the chaos that is set in Paris for the film’s revolutionary scenes including its climatic battle.
Costume designer Paco Delgado does brilliant work with the costumes from the lavish yet ragged look of some of the women‘s clothing to the uniform that Javert wears. Hair and makeup designer Lisa Westcott does superb work with the look of the characters for Valjean as he ages in the years to the more offbeat look of the Thenardiers. Visual effects supervisors Richard Bain and Sean Mathiesen do wonderful work with some of the exterior settings to recreate the look of early 1800s France. Sound designer Dominic Gibbs along with sound editors Lee Walpole and John Warhurst, does fantastic work with the sound to blend all of the voices in multiple singing parts as well as the intimacy in some of the solo parts of the singing.
The casting by Nina Gold is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small roles from Aaron Tveit as Marius’ revolutionary friend Enjolras, Daniel Huttlestone as the adolescent revolutionary Gavroche, Michael Jibson as the foreman who fires Fatine, Patrick Godfrey as Marius’ grandfather, Natalya Angel Wallace as the young Eponine, and Colm Wilkinson as the Bishop of Digne who would play a key part into the direction Valjean would take into his life. Helena Bohnam Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen are delightful as the very funny Thenardiers who like to steal and do whatever as they later try to profit from the revolution. Eddie Redmayne is superb as Marius as a young man who is torn with his devotion for the revolution and the love he has for Cosette as he later deals with the aftermaths about what he’s gained and lost.
Samantha Barks is amazing as Eponine as the daughter of the Thenardiers who is in love with Marius as she tries to deal with his feelings towards Cosette as she would play a part into the revolution. Isabelle Allen and Amanda Seyfried are wonderful in the different age of Cosette with Allen as the young girl seeking to find someone to treat her right while Seyfried adds to sense of longing as the older Cosette as she has a wonderful moment in her duet with Redmayne. Russell Crowe is excellent as Inspector Javert with his rugged presence and his determination to maintain his sense of duty though there’s some parts in Crowe’s singing where he is trying a bit hard though he is better suited in the ballads when he doesn’t try so hard.
Anne Hathaway is outstanding in her small yet unforgettable performance as Fatine where Hathaway displays all of the anguish and torment the character goes to as she later deals with loss and later peace. Hathaway’s performance of I Dreamed a Dream is truly the highlight of the film where the singing is raw yet so filled with emotion that it is an indication of Hathaway’s talents as an actress. Finally, there’s Hugh Jackman in a tour-de-force performance as Jean Valjean where Jackman not only brings in that sense of physicality and strength that was needed for the part. Jackman also brings in a sensitivity and conflict to man unsure of himself as he seeks to find redemption as it is definitely a crowning achievement for the Australian actor in all counts including his singing.
Les Miserables is a phenomenal film from Tom Hooper that a remarkable ensemble cast and a look that plays to its ambition. It is a film that indicates that the musical will never go away when it’s executed in the right way. Notably as it features amazing songs and dazzling set pieces that plays to the many emotions of the story. In the end, Les Miserables is a marvelous film from Tom Hooper.
Tom Hooper Films: (Red Dust) - (The Damned United) - The King's Speech
© thevoid99 2012
