Bitter Moon

Based on the novel Lunes de fiel (Evil Angels) by Pascal Bruckner, Bitter Moon is the story of a British couple on a honeymoon cruise ship in the Mediterranean where they meet a Frenchwoman and her American husband who tells the British man the story of their marriage. Directed by Roman Polanski and screenplay by Polanski, Gerard Brach, and John Brownjohn with screen story and contributions by Jeff Gross, the film is a study of marriage and desire where two men converse about passion and desire as well as the dangers that occur in a relationship. Starring Peter Coyote, Hugh Grant, Kristin Scott Thomas, Emmanuelle Seigner, and Victor Banerjee. Bitter Moon is a wild yet exhilarating film from Roman Polanski.

Set mainly on a Mediterranean cruise ship towards Istanbul during the Christmas holiday, the film revolves around a British couple on their honeymoon as they meet a young Frenchwoman and her paralyzed American husband where the latter tells the British man the story of their love affair leading to all sorts of intrigue and attraction towards the Frenchwoman. It’s a film that is an exploration of passion in marriage where a man is fascinated yet shocked by the stories of this paraplegic whose wife is a beautiful yet troubled woman. The film’s screenplay by Roman Polanski, Gerard Bach, and John Brownjohn maintains a back-and-forth narrative where Oscar Benton (Peter Coyote) tells Nigel Dobson (Hugh Grant) the story of his marriage and relationship with Micheline “Mimi” Bouvier (Emmanuelle Seigner) from the moment they met to the time they got married after he had been paralyzed.

Much of the film has Benton tell Dobson this story as each act ends with Dobson telling his wife Fiona (Kristin Scott Thomas) about what he’s heard as she is disgusted by the stories preferring to play bridge or chat with an Indian gentleman in Mr. Singh (Victor Banerjee) who is onboard with his daughter Amrita (Sophie Patel) whom Fiona is fascinated by. Dobson is reluctant to hear more of Benton’s story as it relates to his relationship with Mimi in Paris as the first act is about the sense of adventure and passion they had. The second act is about the disintegration of that relationship due to his lack of interest towards Mimi where he would humiliate her publicly as she changes her looks and becomes needy. The second act does meander due to tonal issues as it delves into dark comedy and drama with Dobson becoming confused but also aroused by Mimi in her activities on the cruise. Yet, it would lead to this third act that is about how Benton got paralyzed and the relationship with Mimi in its current state.

Polanski’s direction is definitely wild in terms of the activities that Benton and Mimi do as well as how they humiliate each other just to turn themselves on. Shot mainly in Paris as well on an actual cruise ship and on studio sets in Paris, the film does play into two different worlds from the claustrophobic feel of the interior cruise hallways to the more open yet chaotic world of Paris. Polanski would use a lot of wide and medium shots to play into the locations of Paris while emphasizing on the latter and close-ups for the scenes at Benton’s apartment where he and Mimi would engage in ideas of sadomasochism and other sexual activity to express their passion for each other where it starts off with an air of innocence. Notably in a moment that plays into this innocence and passion for love is shown during a scene at a skydiver ride where they reach their hands as if there’s an element of fantasy. There’s a liveliness in the way Polanski play into the idea of sadomasochism and bondage where it is innocent until the second act where Benton becomes mean towards Mimi.

The scenes on the cruise ship are more constrained due to its claustrophobic tone in the rooms and interior hallways yet does have a sense of calm on the decks and at the main hall for meals and at the climatic New Year’s Eve party. Despite some of the tonal issues in the film’s second act, Polanski does maintain that air of intrigue and dark humor that play into Benton’s desire to humiliate Mimi at social gatherings and such. Polanski would also play into this intrigue as it relates to Dobson who finds himself attracted to Mimi but doesn’t want his wife to know while he’s unsure if Mimi and Benton are playing him or want him for something. The New Year’s Eve party scene is where some big surprises occur but also play into the fallacies of temptation and desire along with the dark aspects of relationship forcing Dobson to deal with himself and his own marriage to Fiona. Overall, Polanski crafts a provocative and intense film about a man’s infatuation with a woman through the stories told by her paraplegic husband.

Cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli does amazing work with the film’s cinematography with the way the exteriors of the cruise ship are shown during the evening as well as the exteriors in Paris along with the look of the Parisian nightclubs that Benton and Mimi go to. Editor Herve de Luze does excellent work with editing as it has elements of style in the montages and dissolves along with rhythmic cuts to play into the drama and suspense. Production designer Willy Holt and Gerard Viard do brilliant work with the look of the interiors of the cruise hallways, cabins, dining halls, and ballrooms as well as the look of Benton’s apartment in Paris.

Costume designer Jackie Budin does fantastic work with the costumes in the stylish clothes that Mimi wears including the colorful sweaters, sneakers, and other casual clothes to some of the wild and skimpy dresses along with the S&M stuff. The sound work of Daniel Brisseau is superb for the atmosphere of the cruise ship with sounds of water heard in the background as well as how music is heard in some scenes including some of the noises that happen for the scenes in Paris. The film’s music by Vangelis is incredible for its usage of orchestral and piano-based music to play into the drama and suspense with rich string arrangements and textures that add to story while the film’s soundtrack is a mixture of music ranging from artists/acts like Peggy Lee, the Eurythmics, George Michael, Sam Brown, the Communards, Gloria Gaynor, and covers of songs by Bryan Ferry, Stevie Wonder, and Lionel Richie that are performed in the film’s climatic New Year’s Eve party.

The casting by Francoise Menidrey, Mary Selway, and Bonnie Timmermann is marvelous as it include some notable small roles from Sophie Patel as Mr. Singh’s daughter Amitra, Olivia Brunaux as Mimi’s roommate Cindy, Boris Bergman as a friend of Oscar who often goes clubbing with him, Luca Vellani as an Italian cruise passenger who tries to flirt with Fiona when he took over for Dobson during a game of bridge, and Stockard Channing in a terrific yet un-credited cameo as Benton’s agent Beverly who is trying to get Benton to come back to New York City. Victor Banerjee is superb as Mr. Singh as an Indian gentleman traveling to Istanbul as he befriends to the Dobsons while representing someone who can show the Dobsons another way of life that is more fulfilling than what the Bentons offer. Kristin Scott Thomas is fantastic as Fiona Dobson as a woman who is trying to enjoy her vacation as she becomes concerned about Nigel’s fascination towards the Bentons as she becomes disgusted by his attraction to Mimi prompting her to show that she can be just as wild.

Hugh Grant is excellent as Nigel Dobson as a British man who is intrigued by Benton’s story as he tries to make sense of what is happening while wondering if he’s being played as he provides some humor as well as a humility in the film’s third act where he awkwardly tries to woo Mimi. Peter Coyote is brilliant as Oscar Benton as an American writer living in Paris who falls for Mimi as she represents everything he wants in a woman only to get bored and later succumb to paralysis as he tells Nigel his story with an air of discontent as it’s a slimy yet playful performance from Coyote. Finally, there’s Emmanuelle Seigner in a spectacular performance as Micheline “Mimi” Bouvier-Benton as a young woman who aspires to be a dancer as she falls for Oscar only to become desperate to please him to the point of great humiliation and later rebellion and unhappiness as it’s a performance filled with energy and danger that isn’t seen often in films.

Bitter Moon is a phenomenal film from Roman Polanski. Featuring a great ensemble cast, compelling themes of passion and desire through sex and humiliation, gorgeous visuals, a chilling setting, and a killer music soundtrack. The film is definitely an off-kilter yet intriguing suspense-drama that play into the ideas of passion and some of the fallacies that occur prompting another couple to raise questions about their own marriage. In the end, Bitter Moon is a sensational film from Roman Polanski.

Roman Polanski Films: Knife in the Water - Repulsion - Cul-de-Sac – The Fearless Vampire Killers - Rosemary's Baby - Macbeth (1971 film) - (What?) – Chinatown - The Tenant – Tess (1979 film) - (Pirates) – Frantic - Death and the Maiden – The Ninth Gate - The Pianist - Oliver Twist (2005 film) - The Ghost Writer - Carnage - (Venus in Fur) – (Based on a True Story) – (An Officer and a Spy) - (The Palace)

© thevoid99 2018

The Remains of the Day

Based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day is the story of a butler whose devotion to his master has him cut off from reality as the estate’s new housekeeper tries to find the humanity within him. Directed by James Ivory and screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, the film is an exploration into the life of a man who maintains his servitude while not giving in towards his own emotions that would later come back to haunt him. Starring Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, James Fox, Christopher Reeve, Hugh Grant, Lena Headey, and Ben Chaplin. The Remains of the Day is a somber yet exquisite film from James Ivory and the Merchant-Ivory team.

The film takes place in two different time periods where a butler reflects on his life of service to a lord as he’s about to meet the housekeeper he worked with back in the 1930s. During his trip to meet Miss Sarah “Sally” Kenton (Emma Thompson), Mr. James Stevens (Anthony Hopkins) reflects on the years he served Lord Darlington (James Fox) and how he had been very compulsive in his duties to his lord while not pretending to listen to any conversations or state his own opinions. It’s a role that he’s accepted as Miss Kenton begrudgingly accepts his cold demeanor except in moments where she feels that something had to be said. It’s a film that explores a man’s devotion to his life in service where the only moments he has time to himself is in reading books as a way to connect with the world.

Ruth Prawer Jhabvala’s screenplay, with additional contributions from Harold Pinter, has a unique narrative structure where it moves back-and-forth from Mr. Stevens’ traveling to see Miss Kenton in the 1950s and their time together serving for Lord Darlington in the 1930s. It’s a narrative that Mr. Stevens reflecting on that time where he was at his most useful where he would supervise everything that goes on in the estate while ensuring that everything is in tip-top shape. It is there that Miss Kenton arrives as the new head housekeeper as she is aware of how to act and perform duties. Even as the younger maids and butlers know that rule as well though some of them would have romantic trysts during breaks with the exception of Miss Kenton and Mr. James as the former often observes while the latter just oversees what goes on in the house.

The film also features a subplot where Lord Darlington would hold a meeting to appease Nazi Germany to the world over the unfair treatment they got in the Treaty of Versailles in the aftermath of World War I. Though it has nothing to do with the main narrative, it would play into Mr. James’ sense of disconnect with the real world and his lack of opinion about the state of the world where he’s later confronted by Darlington’s godson Reginald Cardinal (Hugh Grant) in the film’s third act over Darlington’s meetings with Germany as it’s a crime of treason. Most notably as Darlington would later regrettably dismiss a couple of young maids because of their Jewish backgrounds which was a decision that Miss Kenton wasn’t fond of. It would play to the sense of restraint in the role of Mr. Stevens who could’ve done something but sit back and let it happen where he would reflect on that moment with regret as well.

James Ivory’s direction is truly intoxicating in the way he explores the world of servitude in a posh, English estate where a lord lives there and he’s got a large staff of people tending to the house. While Ivory would create scenes where it would play into whatever meetings Lord Darlington is holding, Ivory always make sure that Mr. Stevens and his fellow staff are in the background maintaining their role of servitude. Even where they would find themselves listening to some secret conversations and such but maintain their place as if they never heard anything. Still, Ivory makes sure that it’s a film about the servants where Mr. Stevens is the leader as he’s often seen in a medium shot or in a close-up where he has very little idea about the world outside.

Since much of the film takes place in a lot of estates in England, they do serve as a character in the film where it’s a place where the servants know where to go and what to do when the bell rings. The use of slow zoom lenses for close-up and some of the tracking shots showcase Ivory playing into that world where these servants run the house like clockwork and make sure things are intact. Even as the scenes in the 1950 where it begins with Mr. Stevens working with his new boss in the retired American politician Trent Lewis (Christopher Reeve) who knew Mr. Stevens as he was a visitor during a key meeting in the film. The house is still a character but a shell of its former self as it reflect the sense of loss and disconnection of Mr. Stevens with the rest of the world and in his relationship with Miss Kenton. Overall, Ivory creates a very rich yet heartbreaking film about a man’s devotion to service as he becomes unable to express himself to the people who are closest to him.

Cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts does fantastic work with the film‘s photography from the way many of the house interiors in day and night are lit to play into its natural atmosphere as well as some of the exteriors to show the richness of the countryside. Editor Andrew Marcus does brilliant work with the film‘s editing as it‘s filled with stylish dissolves and slow-motion cuts as well as some jump-cuts to play with its drama. Production designer Luciana Arrighi, with set decorator Ian Whittaker and art director John Ralph, does amazing work with the look of the house from its library to the dining halls and silver room to play into the sense of richness that Mr. Stevens takes great care into.

Costume designers Jenny Beaven and John Bright do excellent work with the costumes from the suits that Mr. Stevens and the other butlers wear to the uniforms of Miss Kenton and the other maids wear. Sound editor Colin Miller does nice work with the sound from the way things sound during the cleaning process to some of the way conversations are heard from the outside. The film’s music by Richard Robbins is just marvelous for its very low-key yet elegant orchestral score that plays to some of the film’s drama as well as some of the emotional moments in the film.

The casting by Celestia Fox is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it features some superb small performances from Michael Lonsdale as a French aristocrat Lord Darlington invites, Emma Lewis and Johanna Joseph as the two German-Jewish maids that Miss Kenton hires, and Tim Pigott-Smith as a former servant named Benn that Miss Kenton meets in her days off. Other notable small roles include Ben Chaplin in a terrific performance as the under-butler Charlie, Lena Headey in a wonderful performance as the young maid Lizzie, and Peter Vaughn in a fantastic performance as Mr. Stevens’ father who would work with his son early on only to be stricken by age. Hugh Grant is excellent as Lord Darlington’s godson Reginald Cardinal as he brings some subtle humor to the film while commenting to Mr. Stevens about the trouble Lord Darlington is getting himself into.

James Fox is amazing as Lord Darlington as a man who tries to create peace between Germany and the rest of the world while later finding himself in ruins over what he’s done while he often asks Mr. Stevens on any opinions on his role. Christopher Reeve is great as Trent Lewis as a former American congressman who arrives at a 1930s dinner displaying his opinion about the meeting while later becoming Mr. Stevens’ new boss in the 1950s as it’s a truly fine performance from the late actor.

Finally, there’s Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson in magnificent performances as Mr. James Stevens and Miss Sarah Kenton, respectively. Thompson has the more showier role yet it is told with such passion as a woman who tries to get Mr. Stevens to express himself while dealing with her feelings for him. Hopkins’ performance is entrancing for the sense of restraint and lack of emotion he displays as a man just trying to do his duty no matter what kind of situation is happening. Hopkins and Thompson have a chemistry that is just undeniable to watch as they showcase the sense of heartbreak and desire to be with each other but also the internal conflicts in the two as it’s truly some of their best work.

The Remains of the Day is a tremendous film from the Merchant-Ivory team that features outstanding performances from Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. Not only is this one of the best films from Merchant-Ivory but also in the way the explore a man’s blind devotion to his duties and the sense of disconnect he would have with the world and the people around him. In the end, The Remains of the Day is a remarkable 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) - Howards End - (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

Maurice (1987 film)

Based on the novel by E.M. Forster, Maurice is the story about a homosexual relationship in the 20th Century set in a university in Britain. Directed by James Ivory and screenplay by Ivory and Kit-Hesketh-Harvey, the film is an exploration into the world of homosexuality in early 20th Century Britain where two men try to deal with it in a time when homosexuality was taboo. Starring James Wilby, Hugh Grant, Rupert Graves, Denholm Elliott, Simon Callow, Billie Whitelaw, and Ben Kingsley. Maurice is a touching and mesmerizing film from James Ivory.

Set in the early 20th Century at a university in Cambridge, the film is an exploration into the world of homosexuality in those times as two men fall in love with each other while keeping the relationship a secret. While the two men would play very close friends around their respective families, things would become complicated when a friend is arrested for his homosexuality as their friendship and romance would start to fall apart as the two diverge into different directions. It’s a film that plays into a world where homosexuality was taboo and also considered to be obscene as it is largely set in this Edwardian-period where two men from different class backgrounds have to play into the rules of society in order to get ahead.

The film’s screenplay has a very unique structure where the first half of the film is set in Cambridge where the titular character (James Wilby) meets and falls for the more upper-class Clive (Hugh Grant) as they have this very secretive yet platonic relationship. The second half is set a few years later where Maurice and Clive are in two different worlds of their lives where the former tries to deal with his homosexuality as well as feelings for the latter’s young gamekeeper Alec Scudder (Rupert Graves). Add some very stylized dialogue that plays with the period of the times as well as the world of upper-class aristocracy, there’s a story that plays into some aspect of emotional repression as well as the desire to fit in with the confines of a society that is in a new century but with some old rules intact.

James Ivory’s direction is very simple and understated in the way he presents early 20th Century Britain where much of the film’s first half is shot on location in Cambridge with the second half shot in Wilbury Park. Much of it involves some close-ups and medium-shots along with a few wide shots where Ivory create some dazzling compositions while play into a certain rhythm and tone to that pre-World War I period in Britain. Most notably in its pacing where for a film that’s nearly two-and-a-half hours, Ivory makes it feel a bit shorter in the way he conveys much of the drama as well as some suspenseful moments over the way Maurice deals with his feelings for Clive and later Alec. Even as Maurice would go to all sorts of help where an unconventional American doctor in Lasker-Jones (Ben Kingsley) would offer various suggestions over what he should do. Overall, Ivory crafts a very captivating film about homosexuality in early 20th Century Britain.

Cinematographer Pierre Lhomme does excellent work with the film‘s lush photography from its use of natural light for its exterior scenes as well for some low-key lighting schemes for the interior and nighttime exterior scenes. Editor Katherine Wenning does brilliant work with the editing in creating something that is straightforward in some cases but also with a flair of style that includes a very rich dream sequence. Production designer Brian Ackland-Snow, with art directors Peter James and Brian Savegar, does splendid work with the set pieces from the look of the different homes of Maurice and Clive as well as some of the places they go to during that Edwardian period.

Costume designers Jenny Beaven and John Bright do fantastic work with the costumes from the clothes the men wear to the lavish dresses the women wear. The sound work of Mike Shoring is superb for its intimate approach to sound in the way dinners are conducted to some of the outdoor activities that Maurice and Clive do. The film’s music by Richard Robbins is amazing for its low-key yet elegant orchestral score that has some moments of suspense but also some serene moments in its drama and humorous moments.

The casting by Celestia Fox is phenomenal for the ensemble that is created as it includes a cameo appearance from Helena Bohnam Carter as a guest watching a cricket game as well as notable small performances from Peter Eyre as the very nosy Reverend Borenius, Kitty Aldridge and Helena Michell in their respective roles as Maurice’s sisters Kitty and Ada, Catherine Rabett as Clive’s sister Pippa, Patrick Godfrey as Clive’s family butler Simcox, Barry Foster as Clive and Maurice’s college dean who is bewildered by their behaviors, Mark Tandy as a fellow classmate of the two in Lord Risley, and Phoebe Nicholls in a wonderful performance as Clive’s naïve yet well-meaning wife Anne whom Maurice likes. Denholm Elliott is terrific as Maurice’s family doctor Barry who tries to deal with what Maurice is going through as well as a sublime performance from Simon Callow as Maurice’s old schoolteacher Mr. Ducie who only appears briefly in the film where he would tell a young Maurice about what to expect in puberty.

Billie Whitelaw and Judy Parfitt are superb in their respective roles as Maurice and Clive’s mothers who both bring their own opinions over their friendship while being unaware of the secret relationship they have. Ben Kingsley is great as the very unconventional Lasker-Jones who examines Maurice when he knows what Maurice is and offers him some very insightful advice. Rupert Graves is excellent as the young gamekeeper Alec Scudder who knows what Maurice is as he tries to prompt him into being in a relationship despite the rules of society. Hugh Grant is marvelous as Clive as this upper-class man who falls for Maurice as he tries to prompt to go into a relationship until circumstances forces him to play by the rules of society. Finally, there’s James Wilby in a fantastic performance as the titular character as a man trying to find himself in this new world while dealing with his own feelings in an attempt to fit in as well as becoming lost in his repression.

Maurice is an exquisite yet compelling film from James Ivory and the Merchant-Ivory team. With a great cast and some amazing technical work, it’s a film that showcases how a period film can do so much more than just be a film with window-dressing and such. Especially in how it tackles the world of homosexuality in pre-World War I Britain where the risks of exposing something like that was very severe. In the end, Maurice is an incredible 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 - (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

About a Boy

Based on the novel by Nick Hornby, About a Boy is the story of a rich and unemployed man who becomes a father-figure to a young boy whose mother had tried to kill herself. Directed by Chris and Paul Weitz and screenplay by the Weitz Brothers with Peter Hedges, the film is an exploration into a man who finds himself being attached to a troubled young boy as it would move him away from the carefree lifestyle that he’s become accustomed to. Starring Hugh Grant, Toni Collette, Rachel Weisz, and Nicholas Hoult. About a Boy is a touching and charming film from the Weitz Brothers.

In a world that is often complicated, there is the need of a back-up so that someone can turn to that person whenever a parent is unable to do that. That’s what the film is sort of about where it explores the lives of a rich slacker and a 12-year old boy who come together through troubling circumstances when the latter’s depressed mother attempted suicide. For the mid-30s slacker Will Freeman (Hugh Grant), the presence of the 12-year old Marcus (Nicholas Hoult) gives him something to do to get away from the already very comfortable slacker lifestyle that he has where he basically collects royalties from a popular Christmas song his father wrote. For Marcus, going to Will’s house would give him the escape he needs not just from his troubled mother but also bullies and such that’s plaguing his adolescence. There, the two help each other in their lives where they also realize how much they need each other.

The film’s screenplay has a unique narrative where it follows the lives of both Will and Marcus as the first act showcases the two living very different lives where both of them narrate their own stories. For Will, being a rich slacker with no sense of responsibility and getting a kick out of dating single mothers where the relationships can end amicably makes him feel fulfilled as he claims to be an island. Marcus’ life in the first is anything but good as he’s an oddball kid who will unknowingly sing a song in class, be bullied, and deal with his mother Fiona (Toni Collette) who has become severely depressed. The two would meet on a day in the park where Will goes out with a single mother who happens to be a friend of Fiona as Marcus joins them where they come home finding Fiona passed out from a suicide attempt. The event would affect Marcus as he would turn to Will for companionship as the two not only become friends but also something more as Will would find some fulfillment in Marcus’ presence.

One aspect of the narrative that helps the film is how the relationship between Will and Marcus helps them as it comes to their love life where Will would meet a single mother named Rachel (Rachel Weisz) while Marcus falls for an older classmate named Ellie (Natalia Tena). Things would seem to go well but for Will, who has constantly lied to win women over, finds himself facing the emptiness of his life while things for Marcus also gets more problematic when it comes to his mother. All of which would provide the catalyst for the two to help each other.

The direction of Chris and Paul Weitz is very simple where they definitely choose to shoot the film in London as opposed to setting in America which is quite daring for a mainstream American film. Notably as they use the locations to get a sense of a world that is unique but also universal where a man and a boy deal with their own growing pains. Many of the compositions in the film are very simple and to the point while there’s also some scenes that has some nice humor but also some drama where it isn’t too heavy nor understated. At the same time, there’s elements of style in the use of freeze-frames and slow-motion to play into the kinds of humiliation Will and Marcus endure as it would presented in moments of humor and drama. Overall, Chris and Paul Weitz creates a very engaging and extraordinary film about a unique relationship between a man and a young boy.

Cinematographer Remi Adefarasin does excellent work with the cinematography to play up the different exterior looks of the locations in London from its sunny look at the park to some of the lights in the New Years Eve party scene where Will meets Rachel. Editor Nick Moore does fantastic work with the editing with its usage of freeze-frames and some stylish cuts to play into some of the film‘s humor and drama. Production designer Jim Clay, with set decorator John Bush and supervising art director Rod McLean, does amazing work with the look of Will‘s home with all sorts of cool things to the more quaint home that Fiona and Marcus live in.

Costume designer Joanna Johnston does nice work with the costumes to play into the personalities of the characters with Fiona wearing some very hippie-inspired clothing. Sound editor Richard LeGrand Jr. does terrific work with the sound from some of the sound textures in some of the locations to some of the moments that would add to the drama such as Will hearing his father’s Christmas song. The film’s music by Damon Gough, under his Badly Drawn Boy moniker, is brilliant for its somber, folk-based score with a mixture of acoustic guitars and pianos with a few orchestral arrangements in the background where it would also include some original songs plus a soundtrack by music supervisor Nick Angel who brings in a mix of music ranging from Roberta Flack, Mystikal, U2, the Carpenters, and all sorts of music ranging from hip-hop to pop.

The casting by Priscilla John is great for the ensemble that is featured as it includes some notable small roles from Augustus Prew as Rachel’s teenage son Ali, Sharon Small and Nicholas Hutchinson as friends of Will who ask him to be a godparent of their child, Isabel Brook as a single mother that Will dates early in the film, and Victoria Smurft as another single mother in Suzie that Will dates as she’s a friend of Fiona. Natalia Tena is excellent as the classmate Ellie that Will likes as she takes a liking to him due to his awkwardness which makes for an unusual relationship. Rachel Weisz is wonderful as the single mother Rachel that Will falls for as she would become the one person that would get him away from other women though she is taken aback by the sudden honesty and guilt that he’s been carrying.

Toni Collette is brilliant as Fiona as Marcus’ troubled mother who is dealing with severe depression as she tries to deal with her son’s friendship with Will as well as her own issues where she sometimes unknowingly embarrasses her son. Hugh Grant is amazing as Will Freeman as this carefree slacker who claims to live in his own metaphorical island as he befriends Marcus and starts to care for him while facing the existence of his empty lifestyle. Finally, there’s Nicholas Hoult in a remarkable performance as Marcus where he not only has great rapport with Grant and Collette but also manages to create a very engaging character that deals with being a boy bullied and such as well as feeling like an oddball as it’s a truly astonishing breakthrough for the young actor.

About a Boy is a marvelous film from Chris and Paul Weitz that features top-notch performances from Hugh Grant and Nicholas Hoult. The film is definitely not just an engaging coming-of-age film that features some humor and very realistic drama but also a film in which a man starts to grow up into an adult. In the end, About a Boy is an extraordinary film from Chris and Paul Weitz.

© thevoid99 2014

Small Time Crooks

Written, directed, and starring Woody Allen, Small Time Crooks is the story about a criminal who wants to rob a bank with some friends only to learn that his wife’s cookie-selling venture has gone well as they deal with their newfound wealth. The film is a return of sorts to Allen’s more comedic films of the early 1970s as well as exploring the world of crime and the downsides of being wealthy. Also starring Tracey Ullman, Hugh Grant, Elaine May, Michael Rapaport, Elaine Stritch, Jon Lovitz, and Larry Pine. Small Time Crooks is a very funny film from Woody Allen.

The film revolves around a former criminal eager to rob a bank with some friends by buying an old pizza place as a cookie shop as a front while they try to rob the bank. Instead, the cookie shop becomes a success forcing the man to give up a life of crime yet he has a hard time dealing with being wealthy while his wife befriends an art dealer who teaches her the etiquette of being rich. It’s a film about the simple things in life but also the drawbacks of being rich where there’s an expectation to conform to the world of the rich. For this man’s wife whose gift in making cookies has made them rich, it gives her the chance to feel like she belongs to something unaware that the rich is also filled with people who are as shady as the poor.

Woody Allen’s screenplay is filled with a lot of humor as the character that he plays in Ray is someone who has had a past as a criminal but couldn’t deal with just being a dishwasher who is making scraps. With this new scheme he wants to do with some friends of his, he decides to find a way to steal some money for himself and his friends where he and his wife Frenchy (Tracey Ullman) can retire to Florida. With Frenchy’s talents in making cookies as a front for the real scheme, things go wrong except for Frenchy’s cookies that makes Ray and his friends rich as it becomes a major business. That’s what happens in the first act as the second act is about Ray’s difficulty with being rich while Frenchy conforms to that world leading to a third act that plays into revelations about the world of the rich and why wealth can be so fleeting. Though it’s a predictable scenario, Allen does infuse a lot of humor and charm into the story.

Allen’s direction is quite straightforward in terms of compositions as he doesn’t really do anything new but still add a sense of liveliness to the comedy. Notably the scene where Ray and his friends try to create a tunnel to dig into the bank where everything goes wrong. There’s a lot of craziness that Allen puts in for many scenes in the film including a dinner party where Ray is talking to people about things with Tequila being played in the background while Frenchy is having dinner with a couple of men with classical music playing in the background. With many of the scenes in the film set in New York City including a very funny sequence about Ray and Frenchy’s rise to success, it plays to how dim some of these characters are about handling a rising corporate business but it’s done in a pretty funny way. Overall, Allen creates a very delightful comedy about crime and the drawbacks of being rich.

Cinematographer Zhao Fei does excellent work with the film‘s very colorful cinematography from the look of the New York City exteriors in day and night to some of the lighting schemes for some of the film’s interiors. Editor Alisa Lepselter does nice work with the editing from the presentation of the TV interview Ray and Frenchy have to a montage of the diverging lives between Ray and French. Production designer Santo Loquasto, with set decorator Jessica Lanier and art director Tom Warren, does fantastic work with some of the set pieces including the posh penthouse apartment that Ray and Frenchy live in that plays to some of the cheesy taste that Frenchy has.

Costume designer Suzanne McCabe does terrific work with the costumes from the colorful clothes that Frenchy wear to the more simple clothing of Ray and his friends. Sound editor Robert Hein does superb work with the sound from the mixing in the way the robbery plans try to go out while Frenchy is selling cookies. The film’s wonderful soundtrack includes an array of jazz and classical pieces from artists like Johann Strauss, Hal Kemp, Benny Goodman, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Johann Sebastian Bach, and the Champs.

The casting by Laura Rosenthal and Juliet Taylor is brilliant for the ensemble that is created as it includes appearances from Larry Pine and Kristine Nielsen as a rich couple Frenchy invites to her dinner party, Douglas McGrath as a lawyer Frenchy meets late in the film, Elaine Stritch as a rich socialite Ray tries to steal from late in the film, and as Ray’s friends who help him with the botched heist, there’s Michael Rapaport, Jon Lovitz, and Tony Darrow as they each bring in some very funny moments to the film. Hugh Grant is excellent as the very cultured arts dealer David who woos Frenchy with his knowledge on the arts and such.

Elaine May is amazing as Frenchy’s dim-witted cousin May as she says some very funny things while putting herself in situations that just ups the humor. Tracey Ullman is wonderful as Frenchy as a woman who has a hard time dealing with Ray’s schemes until she becomes a rich woman eager to be part of the rich world. Woody Allen is superb as the bumbling Ray where Allen brings in a lot of wit and humor to a role as a man trying to deal with wealth while wanting the more simple pleasures of life.

Small Time Crooks is a terrific film from Woody Allen that features wonderful performances from Allen, Tracey Ullman, Hugh Grant, and Elaine May. While it might be a minor comedy from Allen, it’s still a very funny film that is full of lively moments that keeps the audience entertained. In the end, Small Time Crooks is a fantastic 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 - Mighty Aphrodite - Everyone Says I Love You - Deconstructing Harry - Celebrity - Sweet and Lowdown - 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

Cloud Atlas

Based on the novel by David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas is the story about human beings being connected to one another in various places in time from the past to the future as they all deal with their role in humanity. Written for the screen and directed by Lana and Andy Wachowski and Tom Tykwer, the film is an epic story that bends all sorts of genres. With an all-star cast playing multiple roles that includes Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Ben Whishaw, Doona Bae, Susan Sarandon, Jim Broadbent, James D’Arcy, David Gyasi, Zhou Xun, David Gyasi, and Keith David. Cloud Atlas is a captivating yet exhilarating film from Tom Tykwer and the Wachowskis.

In the 1850s, a young notary named Adam Ewing (Jim Sturgess) travels to the Pacific Islands to discover a plantation run by Reverend Gilles Horrox (Hugh Grant) as it consists of slaves. Upon his return home to San Francisco, Ewing discovers a young slave named Autua (David Gyasi) who stows away on the ship as the ailing Ewing recalls his experience in a journal. In 1930s Belgium, a young musician named Robert Frobisher (Ben Whishaw) writes many letters to his lover Rufus Sixsmith (James D’Arcy) where he works as an amanuensis for the aging composer Vyvyan Ayrs (Jim Broadbent) where they collaborate on a musical piece together. In the 1970s, a San Franciscan journalist named Luisa Rey (Halle Berry) meets the aging Sixsmith where she discovers a chilling mystery about an oil magnate Lloyd Hooks(Hugh Grant) trying to manipulate the energy crisis as a hitman named Bill Smoke (Hugo Weaving) is after her.

In 2012 London, book publisher Timothy Cavendish (Jim Broadbent) is in big trouble over mounting debts to gangsters as he turns to his older brother Denholme (Hugh Grant) for help. Instead, Denholme tricks Timothy to live in a retirement home where Timothy has to deal with the cruel nurse Noakes (Hugo Weaving) as he fights for freedom. In the futuristic South Korea, a genetically-created clone named Sonmi-451 learns about her dystopian world as she meets a young rebel named Hae-Joo Chang (Jim Sturgess) where they decide to create rebellion. In a more distant future, a tribesman named Zachry takes a technologically-advanced woman named Meronym (Halle Berry) to an old palace to find meaning in their world so they can save humanity from an evil tribe and other dark forces.

The film is essentially a multi-layered, inter-weaving collection of stories of people making decisions that would change their own fates as well as the fate of others through six different periods of time. Through the recollection of one individual’s story, one character would discover that person’s story that would inspire something of their own that would eventually inspire another and so on. In these moments where they would discover these stories or pieces of work by a certain person, it would allow a character from different stories to be motivated to do something as it would eventually give them a chance to do something that would help humanity.

The screenplay by Tom Tykwer and the Wachowskis is truly dazzling for the way the narrative moves from one story to another in this inter-weaving style where it adds up to the dramatic momentum of the film. Even as they would provide moments that would play up the suspense of another story and so on. It’s part of the schematics that Tykwer and the Wachowskis wanted to create while slowing things down so that characters can find ways to connect with one another to feel something as if there’s a chance to really do something great. Yet, each protagonist in these six different stories would make decisions that could impact something that would become a key moment of their lives and would set the stage for another.

The direction of Tykwer and the Wachowskis is vast in terms of the presentation they wanted to create for this massive film. With Tykwer directing the two segments in the 20th Century and the 2012 segment while the Wachowskis helm the 19th Century story and the ones set in the future. The filmmakers give each story a chance to set out on their own as they each provide broad visuals to establish the world these characters live in. Notably as these segments also have moments of intimacy to help flesh the characters out even more in their development. Since the film is really a genre-bender that features elements of sci-fi, adventure, drama, comedy, romance, and suspense. It is still about people and the adventures they go into and how they deal with these opposing forces.

For the 20th Century and 2012 segments, Tykwer pretty much keep things straightforward in terms of the presentation though he does shoot scenes with elements of style. Even as he find ways to put every actor who plays multiple roles a chance to pop up every now and then. Tykwer also utilizes bits of humor in the stories as well as some truly jaw-dropping moments such as a scene where Frobisher and Sixsmith stand and freeze while china plates drop all over them. In the 19th Century and futuristic segments, the Wachowskis go all out in terms of the ambition where they create massive sceneries for their segments. Notably the future where it is awash with visual effects to showcase a world that is unique but also unsettling.

Particularly as it establishes the sense of chaos and mistakes humans made where it plays into the most furthest futuristic segment forcing one character to do something to bring some semblance of hope. Overall, Tywker and the Wachowskis create a truly grand yet engaging film about human connection and how they impact one another in different periods of time.

Cinematographers Frank Griebe and John Toll do amazing work with the film‘s photography from the naturalistic look of 19th Century and beyond future segments to the more stylish array of lighting schemes in the 20th Century scenes and the dystopian Seoul segment. Editor Alexander Berner does excellent work with the editing to create unique rhythms for the film‘s suspenseful and action moments as well as creating montages for certain scenes as well as intricate transitions to move from one story to another. Production designers Hugh Bateup and Uli Hanisch, along with set decorator Rebecca Alleway and Peter Walpole and supervising art directors Stepan O. Gessler, Kai Koch, and Charlie Revai, do spectacular work with the set pieces from the ship in the 19th Century, the homes in the 20th and 21st Century segment, and the futuristic places in the future-Seoul segment.

Costume designers Kym Barrett and Pierre-Yves Gayraud do wonderful work with the costumes to play up the very different periods of time that occur in each segment including the more stylish clothes in the dystopian Seoul segment. Makeup and hair designers Heike Merker and Daniela Skala do great work with the hair and makeup to have every actor look a different way in the various segments and play different races and nationalities in the course of the film. Visual effects supervisors Dan Glass and Stephane Ceretti do terrific work with the film‘s visual effects for segments involving Frobisher, the dystopian Seoul segment, and the beyond future scenes. Sound designer Markus Stemler and sound editor Alexander Buck do superb work in the sound to capture the different atmosphere of each location and world the characters inhabit.

The film’s music by Tom Tykwer, Reinhold Heil, and Johnny Klimek is brilliant for its low-key, orchestral-driven score to play out the very different worlds that take place in the film along with some touching piano-driven themes in scenes involving Frobisher and Ayrs. The soundtrack also includes an array of music that plays up in two segments such as the Luisa Rey segment and the Timothy Cavendish segments.

The casting by Lora Kennedy and Lucinda Syson is incredible for the large ensemble that is created where the actors get to play multiple roles. Notable small performances include Robert Fyfe as the old seadog and Mr. Meeks, Brody Nicholas Lee as Luisa’s neighbor Javier and Zachry’s nephew, Raevan Lee Hanan as Zachry’s child Catkin, and Martin Wuttke as Cavendish’s friend Mr. Boerhavve and a healer in Zachry’s tribe. Other noteworthy small parts include terrific performances from Keith David as Horrox’s servant/a friend of Luisa’s dad/a rebel leader/a futuristic chief, Zhou Xun as Zachry’s wife/a relative of Sixsmith/Sonmi-451’s friend, David Gyasi as the stowaway slave Autua/Luisa’s father/an associate of Meronym, and James D’Arcy as Rufus Sixsmith and a man who interrogates Sonmi-451.

Jim Sturgess is superb as the young notary Adam Ewing as well as in smaller roles as a father of Sixsmith’s relative, Zachry’s brother-in-law, a highlander, and the rebellious Hae-Joo Chang. Ben Whishaw is superb as the melancholic Robert Frobisher as well as other small roles as a seaman, a record shop owner, and Denholme’s wife. Jim Broadbent is great as a sea captain, the very selfish Vyvyan Ayrs, a lab professor, a futuristic leader, a Korean musician, and as the troubled Timothy Cavendish. Susan Sarandon is wonderful as Rev. Horrox’s wife, a tribal witch, and Cavendish’s lost love. Hugh Grant is stellar as Reverend Horrox, a hotel tenant, the slimy oilman Lloyd Hooks, Timothy’s prankster brother, a perverse drug addict, and an evil tribe chief. Hugo Weaving is brilliant as Ewing’s father-in-law, a music conductor, the evil hitman Bill Smoke, a big nurse, a dystopian leader, and a demon who haunts Zachry.

Doona Bae is amazing as the clone Sonmi-451 who becomes part of a rebellion to stop a dystopian Seoul as she also plays other small roles such as Ewing’s wife and a Mexican woman who helps Luisa. Halle Berry is marvelous as the determined journalist Luisa Rey as well as notable small roles as a native woman, Ayrs’ wife, an Indian woman at a party, a Korean doctor, and a woman of the future in Meronym. Tom Hanks is remarkable as the tribe warrior Zachry who deals with demons and his tribe’s future while he also plays small roles as the devious Dr. Goose, a hotel manager, a thuggish writer, and a scientist who falls for Luisa.

Cloud Atlas is a spectacular film from Tom Tykwer and the Wachowskis that explores the world of humanity and its many connections. While it’s not an easy film in terms of its ambition and big themes, it is still an engaging one for the way it explores these themes in such grand stories. It’s also a film that has something for everyone and isn’t afraid to take big risks while featuring an amazing collective of actors. In the end, Cloud Atlas is an extraordinary film from Tom Tykwer and the Wachowskis.

The Wachowskis Films: (Bound) - (The Matrix) - (The Matrix Reloaded) - (The Matrix Revolution) - Speed Racer

Tom Tykwer Films: (Deadly Maria) - (Winter Sleepers) - Run Lola Run - (The Princess and the Warrior) - (Heaven (2002 film)) - True (2004 short) - (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer) - (The International) - (Three (2010 film))

© thevoid99 2012

Sense & Sensibility (1995 film)

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 4/2/09 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Still popular for many years, the novels of Jane Austen has been ready by countless readers throughout the years. One of Austen's most popular novels is her first published novel called Sense & Sensibility released in 1811. The novel tells the story of two sisters who fall in love and deal with heartbreak while moving to a home as their left destitute when their father gives his estate to their half-brother. The book has been acclaimed by many readers though a film adaptation has been attempted for several years. While a 1981 TV serial was the first attempt some acclaim, it would be another adaptation in 1995 that would help create a new wave of film adaptations of Jane Austen's novels as the famed novelist would gain a new generation of fans through both books and film adaptations.

The 1995 film version of Sense & Sensibility tells the story of three sisters and a mother left destitute due to an inheritance deal as they move to a cottage with their relatives. Two sisters would fall in love and deal with heartbreak as their lives would change. Helming the film adaptation is Taiwan-born director Ang Lee, who had just come off the critical acclaim of his third film Eat Drink Man Woman as he makes his first Hollywood-style production. Writing the adaptation is actress Emma Thompson who takes on the role of Elinor Dashwood. Also starring Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Greg Wise, Gemma Jones, Imelda Staunton, Robert Hardy, Hugh Laurie, Imogen Stubbs, and Tom Wilkinson. Sense & Sensibility is a charming, dramatic, and wonderfully humorous film from Ang Lee.

After hearing his the last request of his dying father (Tom Wilkinson), John Dashwood (James Fleet) gets his inheritance only if he would take care of his stepmother (Gemma Jones) and his three half-sisters.  Unfortunately, John's wife Fanny (Harriet Waller) has ideas of her own forcing Mrs. Dashwood, Elinor, Marianne (Kate Winslet), and Margaret (Emilie Francois) out of their estate and a small inheritance which isn't enough.  Fanny's brother Edward Ferrars (Hugh Grants) makes a visit as he befriends Elinor and Margaret as he helps them gather their things much to Fanny's chagrin.   Moving to a cottage that is owned by Mrs. Dashwood's cousin Sir John Middleton (Robert Hardy) and his wife (Elizabeth Spriggs), the Dashwood women are invited to tea where Colonel Christopher Brandon (Alan Rickman) makes a visit as he becomes smitten by Marianne during a piano performance.

With Brandon befriending Marianne and Elinor longing for Edward, who remains in London and manages to mail Margaret's atlas book, Marianne walks with Margaret as they meet John Willoughby (Greg Wise) whom Marianne falls for.  Brandon holds a picnic with Mrs. Jenning's daughter Charlotte (Imelda Staunton) and her husband Mr. Palmer (Hugh Laurie) as their cousin Lucy Steele (Imogen Stubbs) attend.  Yet, the picnic is abruptly cancelled when Brandon had to go to London that only furthers Marianne's attraction to Willoughby who also has to go to London to meet with his aunt Lady Allen.  The distraught Marianne gets upset until an invite from the Palmers to go to London with Lucy and Mrs. Jennings has her wanting to see Willoughby while Eilnor reluctantly goes to London to accompany Marianne.  

During their trip to London, Marianne learns some news that devastates her while Col. Brandon reveals to Elinor about Willoughby.  Elinor also meets Edward already knowing about his secret engagement to Lucy, which eventually gets revealed putting Edward in trouble until Col. Brandon makes a deal for Edward that he couldn't refuse.  Returning to Devonshire with the Palmers and Col. Brandon, the Dashwoods stay at the Palmers where Marianne becomes ill prompting Elinor to ponder if she and her sister will ever find happiness.

One of the key traits of Jane Austen's novels is strong female protagonists. In this story, we have two in Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. Two sisters both mourning the death of their father and having to lose their home to their selfish, greedy sister-in-law. When they each encounter suitors who might seem fine for them only to realize something more complicated in their own lives. They face heartbreak and such while it's the bond between Elinor and Marianne that is unique. Emma Thompson, who is a devoted fan of Austen's novels, does a fantastic job with the adaptation in taking on what is needed for the story and such. Though with all adaptation, it's not perfect due to what details that are cut and such. Still, Thompson captures the heart of the story and its characters.

Thompson's screenplay is filled with plot structure and plot points that carry the story as it transitions from this lightly-humored story to something more dramatic. From its opening scene of the dying Mr. Dashwood telling his son to take care of Mrs. Dashwood and his half-sisters. Once the audience is introduced to Fanny, it's clear that the Dashwood women will be in trouble. When audiences get to know Elinor, it's clear she's kind of the head of the family who is organizing things and taking care of everyone. Including her mother, who is grieving, and her youngest sister Margaret who is adventurous and finds comfort in the likes of Edward and Col. Brandon. Marianne is a young woman who is just being helpful until she comes across Willoughby as she becomes lovesick over him. When Willoughby is forced to break off the relationship due to troubling circumstances and is forced to fend off Marianne. She becomes heartbroken and distraught only to go into illness when she walks towards Willoughby's home in the rain.

While Austen has been known for creating stories with strong women, there's always men in her stories that are just as complex. Edward Ferrars arrives as a man who is shy and at times, stutters when he's nervous yet provides a sense of charm and wit that Margaret enjoys and something comforting for Elinor. Yet, when it's revealed that he's engaged to someone else. He has no idea how to say all of this because he deeply cares for Elinor but doesn't want to hurt her or Lucy. Yet, Ferrars is a man that is certainly a joy to watch with flaws and all while revealing that he's just someone into simple things.

The character of Colonel Brandon is seen as a melancholic, morose man who had lost a great love in his life years ago and seems disconnected to some degree. The moment he hears Marianne sing and sees her play, it's as if he is awaken as it's love at first sight for the middle-aged army colonel. Becoming fully attentive to her needs and giving her flowers and such. It all goes well until the appearance of Willoughby where he finds himself competing with the younger, more dashing man. Brandon nearly concedes until learning what Willoughby had done as he focuses his sole attention towards Marianne.

Thompson's screenplay is rich with its development of characters and broad, light humor. Nearly every character gets a chance to shine whether it is through humor or drama. Helming all of this is Taiwanese director Ang Lee in his first English-language film debut. An outsider like Lee in doing a 19th Century period piece might seem like it could go wrong. Instead, Lee's straightforward direction with rich compositions, wide shots, and intimate scenery is mesmerizing in everything he captures. Even in allowing the humor to be well-played with such subtlety and the drama being restrained for the most part except in a few scenes. Lee also creates a great mix of humor and melancholia in a few scenes. Notably a scene in which Margaret, Marianne, and Mrs. Dashwood are all in their rooms crying with Elinor sitting on the stairs listening to them.

The way Lee captures those scenes along with the dramatic moment that includes long, wide shots of these hills and mountains of the English countryside. In other dramatic moments at the cottage that the Dashwood women live in, Lee knows when to pull the camera away for unique compositions and scenery as if he knows not to impose on the characters in these emotional moments. Lee also creates unique shots like a crane shot on a party scene from the inside or a shot from the ceiling to see what is happening. The creative compositions Lee creates along with his staging of the drama is purely rich and intoxicating in every scene he creates. It's a testament to his talent as he's regarded as one of cinema's great directors.

Cinematographer Michael Coulter does fantastic work with the film's cinematography from the gorgeous, exterior rainy day shots of the English countryside to the days of sunshine where it's done with little tricks and such. The interior scenes are truly majestic and dream-like to the period setting at hand. From the sepia-like candlelight shots of the nighttime exteriors to the shading of light through the windows. Coulter's work is magnificent in its atmosphere and devotion to the period in its look. Lee's longtime editor Tim Squyres does excellent work with the film's editing in the use of dissolve transitions and straight cuts to give the film a leisurely pace that isn't too slow. Squyres plays to the rhythm of the drama and humor with his cutting while moving the film from scene to scene with such ease without losing its rhythm and pace.

Production designer Luciana Arrighi along with set decorator Ian Whittaker and art directors Philip Elton and Andrew Sanders do an amazing job in the look of the estates and cottages of 19th Century England with its tables, appliances, and such. Even the huge atlas book that Margaret is fond of is well-made along with other little details including carriages. The art direction overall is superb in its authenticity including the costume design by Jenny Beaven and John Bright. The costumes from the suits the men wear with top hats and coats to the dresses the women wear from the simpler to the more lavish. The costume design is purely splendid in its detail and look. Sound editor Steve Hamilton does a great job in the sound work from the nature-like atmosphere of the countryside to the more busy, chaotic sounds of London. Even the interior scenes from the sounds of the floor to the clinks of tea are all masterfully captured.

The film's score by Patrick Doyle is wonderfully subtle and rich with its arrangements of piano-driven flourishes to more orchestral, broader sounds to play up the film's drama. Doyle's score is truly majestic while includes some traditional piano pieces played by Winslet who also sings in the film.

The casting by Michelle Guish is phenomenal in the casting of nearly every part of the film. From small appearances from Lone Vidahl as Lady Grey, Allan Mitchell as Mrs. Jennings' butler Pigeon, Oliver Ford Davies as Dr. Harris, and as the Dashwood women's loyal servants, Isabelle Amyes as Betsy and Ian Brimble as Thomas. Other notable performances from Richard Lumsden as Robert Ferrars and Tom Wilkinson in a small but memorable appearance as Mr. Dashwood are excellent. Small but memorable performances from Imelda Staunton as Charlotte Jennings Palmer and Hugh Laurie as her annoyed husband Mr. Palmer are funny with Laurie being all deadpan in his humor. Robert Hardy as Sir Middleton and Elizabeth Spriggs as Mrs. Jennings are also funny for their lavish personalities as they say the wrong things yet bring laughs in nearly every scene they're in.

James Fleet is good as John Dashwood, the half-brother who inherits everything while Harriet Waller is brilliant as the scheming, snobbish Fanny who wants everything for herself. Imogen Stubbs is wonderful as Lucy Steele, Edward Ferrars' secret fiancee who befriends Elinor though her intentions are good and just wants to be part of a family. Greg Wise is excellent as Willoughby, the dashing young man who falls for Marianne only to be hindered by his own troubles and later, rejecting her. Emilie Francois is great as Margaret, the youngest Dashwood girl who has a love of adventure and exploration as she has some great scenes with Hugh Grant doing some pretend sword fighting. Gemma Jones is good as Mrs. Dashwood, the grieving widow who is living with her daughters while dealing with some of Elinor's judgements over Willoughby and her fears for her daughters' future.

Hugh Grant is extraordinary as Edward Ferrars, the shy, stuttering man who falls for Elinor but deals with his loyalty towards Lucy while hoping for a simple life. Grant's subtlety and light, comic-timing is perfect for the character who is flawed but honorable as it's masterfully performed with such restraint from Hugh Grant. Alan Rickman, known to American audiences in villain-like roles as Hans Gruber in Die Hard and the complex Professor Snape in the Harry Potter films, is amazing as the melancholic, middle-aged Colonel Brandon. Rickman's restrained performance is a marvel to watch as he pines for Marianne and being attentive to her needs while forced to watch in the sidelines as she falls for Willoughby. Rickman is a real surprise as he has great scenes with both Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet while being the man that every woman needs in terms of loyalty and attention.

In one of her pre-Titanic film roles, Kate Winslet is phenomenal as Marianne. The innocent, lovesick young lady who deals with her first love and heartbreak over Willoughby only to find comfort in Col. Brandon shows Winslet in one of her great performances. Filled with humor, charm, and melodrama, it's a performance from a young actress who would later become a force in the years to come as it has Winslet showing her talents that rank up there with veterans like Thompson and Rickman. Emma Thompson is superb as Elinor Dashwood, the elder sister who is trying to take care of things while falling for the young Edward Ferrars. Thompson's subtle, hardened performance is one of the actresses great roles as she rarely displays any heavy emotions until the third act. It's a magnificent performance from the great actress who rarely gives bad performances as she displays herself with dignity and grace.

Released in late 1995, the film drew rave reviews as it was also a modest box office hit. The film garnered several nominations for the Academy Awards with a surprise win for Emma Thompson in the Best Adapted Screenplay category. The film also helped raise Ang Lee's profile as he officially arrived in Hollywood where he would have a career with several critical hits and landmark films for the years to come. The film also helped mark a new revival in the works of Jane Austen which was also helped by Amy Heckerling's adaptation of Emma in the hit teen-comedy Clueless released earlier that summer.

Sense & Sensibility is a majestic, charming, and remarkable film from Ang Lee featuring a superb cast led by Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, and Alan Rickman. Fans of Jane Austen's work, whether in film or books, will enjoy the story as it's true to what Austen had envisioned. For Ang Lee, this film is truly one of his essential masterworks with such films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Brokeback Mountain, and The Ice Storm proving his versatility in stories and cinematic style. In the end, Sense & Sensibility is a film that is entertaining with such grace and style from the mind of Ang Lee, screenwriter Emma Thompson, and its novelist Jane Austen.

Ang Lee Films: Pushing Hands - The Wedding Banquet - Eat Drink Man Woman - The Ice Storm - Ride with the Devil - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - The Hire: Chosen - Hulk - Brokeback Mountain - Lust, Caution - Taking Woodstock - Life of Pi - Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk - The Auteurs #19: Ang Lee

(C) thevoid99 2011