Vanity Fair (Widescreen)
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Movie Reviews of Vanity Fair (Widescreen)
Movie Review: The Iron Butterfly
Summary: 4 Stars
Reese Witherspoon was born to play Becky Sharp, who in the Thackeray novel on which this film is based, is what we would now call a hippie or beatnik, a bohemian with guts or someone with the smarts and drive to push herself into the upper classes of Regency-era England society. Witherspoon's Becky has the chutzpah to go from penniless urchin into the aristocracy, gets booted out only to return once again, triumphant: she's Elle Woods with a heart of Steel and the guts of Achilles.
Director Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding) choreographs the proceedings with a keen eye towards the preposterousness of the character's behavior; particularly when she is dealing with the likes of Amelia Sedley (Romola Garai), Mr. Osborne (Jim Broadbent) or Pitt (Bob Hoskins) whose pretenses to the Aristocracy are as silly as their over-the-top costumes. The physical production is gorgeous, particularly when Nair chooses to bring in the influences of her Indian roots into the proceedings.
But the main thrust of Nair's mise-en-scene is societal: what makes this particular social strata tick? What is it about this group of people that makes them act as they do? Unfortunately what is dis- heartening to a modern audience is that very little has changed since 1802 and that is probably Nair's point: we still have the same prejudices, we still hold back those we see as different. The scene in which Becky is alone in Styne's (Gabriel Bryne) parlor with a group of "upper-class" women says volumes about these women and how they are unwilling and unable to accept someone from outside their social class: it's telling and chilling.
Vanity Fair" is beautiful to look at and at times it's social commentary stings, but overall
there's just not enough bite for your buck here; which is a shame in that, though in most instances it is best to show and then step back, here in the world that Nair and Thackeray have created, it would have helped to show, show and show again.
Movie Review: As Movie Versions Go, Actually It's Quite Good
Summary: 4 Stars
The "Vanity Fair" movie is an elegantly filmed, very well done period piece about the greed and cruelties of a society based on wealth (and the lack thereof) and what it does to a person who has it set in her mind to not let the low "position" she is born into keep her from having a better life. In other words, it's the American Dream, set 200+ years in the English past.
Reese Witherspoon is quite good as the funny, ruthlessly determined, but vulnerable main character, Becky Sharp. She has the good luck of similarly terrific performances by Bob Hoskins, James Purfoy (as one of her husbands), Geraldine McEwan, Gabrielle Byrne, Romola Garai, Jim Broadbent, and others. Overall, it's just a VERY well-acted and well-directed (Mira Nair, who also did "Monsoon Wedding") film.
Is it somewhat different from Thackeray's book? Of course. I've yet to see a movie that replicates a book, classic or otherwise. Ones like this instead stray just enough from the book - as in it's use of more contemporary language, for example - to make a watchable film. If you are disappointed by other movies that are not replicants of the books they are based on, you are sure to be disappointed by this one, too. Oh well. But if you're willing to accept that Thackery was not writing for the big screen, so changes had to be made, you're likely to enjoy it more.
Beyond the movie, it's a good DVD in that its "Special Features" provide many insights into its making, including the statements it makes about the progress of women in society, and about how relevant this 1847 story still is in 2006. And I do suggest the Widescreen edition...you don't want to miss any of the elaborate and elegant scenery.
Movie Review: Corsets, Social Climbing and Sarcasm spice things up...
Summary: 4 Stars
Vanity Fair is a visually beautiful movie, full of stunning costumes and even more stunning people. Based on the classic novel by William Thackeray, Mira Nair directs a rousing adaptation. Bold in color and behaviour, the characters of Vanity Fair primp, posture, manipulate, and weasel their way into social standing. Reese Witherspoon instills her Becky Sharp with a modern feminist flair, sexiness and missguided confidence, giving one of her better performances. The supporting cast is equally up to the challenge. Jim Broadbent, Gabriel Byrne, Bob Hoskins and James Purefoy give good performances as the men who affect Becky's life and the lives of those around her. Rhys Ifans and Jonathan Rhys Meyers are stand-outs as the vastly different suitors of Becky's best friend, Amelia (played with tragic aplumb by Romola Garai). Rhys Ifans has never seemed more quietly heroic or forlorn, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers delivers a devilishly charming, multi-layered cad, who on one hand you despise and on the other you secretly long to be a little like, or at the very least long to watch tangle his self-serving web. There is a shocking amount of humor, sexuality and sarcasm in this version of Vanity Fair making it all the more progressive and up-to-date in this telling. A must-see for those who adore sweeping period piece dramas, and a should-see for those who normally don't.Movie Review: 3.5 Stars!!!
Summary: 4 Stars
Vanity Fair is one of the more amusing yet serious of the Classic novels. It tells of Beccy Sharp (Witherspoon) and basically her life, from leaving and Academy to finding friendship and love to hardship through war. This movie is enriched by corny one liners and cheating and lying. It skips parts which I think the director intended on you to pick up (which I didn't). For a teenager this movie was very hard to keep up with. For example when she was preagnant, I knew the couple wanted one I just didn't actually see her preagnant until further later on. Overall, it is a good movie, especiallly the Arab dancing scene (as I love that song). Its casting is exuisite but maybe the story itself isn't much appealing to many. Although it was for me the fast pace of the movie was hard to keep up with, even though it's duration is 135 minutes. I mean honestly they could of used that time much better. Reese Witherspoon shine as a nanny like figure and also with her singing , acting and playing. It shows how much the olden days were like today.
In a word: Sneaky
Percentage: 76%
Movie Review: Ten for the AHA! Factor
Summary: 4 Stars
I really liked this movie if for no other reason than that I could SEE Regency England. I read A LOT of Regency England romance novels, but I'm not sure I've ever seen a movie in which everything was actually depicted for me. I was delighted that it was about like I'd expected from my reading. (Don't you love when that happens?) Aside from the visual fun, the story was engaging, and if you managed to follow the jumping around (which was a bit difficult at times, especially for poor Robbie, who's never read a romance in his life) was actually quite moving. I have a newfound respect for Reese Witherspoon. She's a better actress than I'd pegged her to be, after seeing Legally Blonde. A good one to see if you're a quick learner on English dialects and vocabulary, and can follow complicated plots spanning several decades.