Vanity Fair
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Movie Reviews of Vanity Fair
Movie Review: Becky, Andrew and William
Summary: 5 Stars
Andrew Davies is a very clever man with, I suspect, quite a tender heart. I don't know how he draws out these old novels for us the way he does, but he's done it again here. I have to admit, the first time I saw this production, I liked it, but was left a little cold. The second time I saw it, I knew it was just me, and that it takes a viewer accustomed to mediocrity some time to readjust to this kind of brilliance. The costumes and sets, in the hot Oriental colours of the real Regency instead of the too often misrendered pastels of the earlier Georgians, are well done and the acting and casting are great. Davies, cleverly, put some of the wry observations of the narrative passages into the mouths of the characters. "I must say, Dr. Hume, if a man's character is to be abused, there's nobody like a relation to do the business." David Bradley is old Sir Pitt is himself, in fact, the whole Queen's Crawley contingent will make you both laugh and squirm, just like they're supposed to. Janine Duvitski as marvelous as the ghastly, grasping Mrs. Bute Crawley. Natasha Little is luminously beautiful as Becky Sharp, her careless curls at unsettling contrast with her little smirk. Amelia Sedley is so wet you could ring her out (Thackeray predicted my criticism of her character, by the way) but Frances Grey plays her so well you admire her, as you do all of them, for just being the flawed creatures they are. You will find the inhabitants of this fair very much alive and not at all like puppets, as Thackeray disingenuously tells you they are all through his book. The visuals well support the spirit of the production. There is one scene of Dobbin and Osbourne conversing outside their barracks, and the camera then raises into an extreme high shot that makes them look exactly like toy soldiers or pictures on a chocolate box. It's the shot often used to film a football game or the square formations of the old battlefields, so we are reminded that what became almost quaint in the ensuing two hundred years was once very real. The battlefield scenes are up close and personal, noisy and ugly, from the grim patience of the Dobbins and Osbournes, the foot soldiers who carried the terrible day of the Battle of Waterloo, to the hard breathing and slamming together of metal and flesh as the cavalry engages.
The score has disturbed some people, but it's as brilliant as the adaptation and delivers the feel of the period directly. It's hard to say why it works, but there's no question that it does, and anachronism only serves as a friend, here. Like Becky's wonderful, new remarks, which I'm sure she really made, "Baisez mon cul." and "I'm sorry I'm laughing, your ladyship, but I just can't help it." When I actually saw the band at Vauxhall Gardens, they provided me my bearings, like finding a "You Are Here" on a map. The songs are placed perfectly. When Becky's entertaining at home, her occasional flat notes don't seem to be noticed by the men in her thrall, and Becky similiarly winning over the gyneocracy with her "Dido's Lament" (sans the flat notes) at the Steyne House soiree is not to be missed.
The story itself, whatever it's about, whether it's just a puppet show or one of the most profound, tender observations of human life ever put to paper, is delivered faithfully, without sentiment, but with more of the buried tenderness of the author than he would ever own up to. The ending, where these inhabitants of Vanity Fair learn to recover from glamorous war and get on with the business of becoming unexciting Victorians, and where a mysterious bad girl is saved by the intervention of a cheeky, innocent little boy is delivered in this production in all its beauty. But never mind that. As it was not about pastel interiors, the real Regency was not about sentimentality. Somebody said that all authors are in love with their childhood. Even though this was the work of a Victorian, born in 1811, and even if he did not properly approve of her, I think Thackeray was in love with his wicked, plucky little heroine, as he was in love with the period in which she flourished. Perhaps he is the curious little boy walking up the casino steps into the past and into that strange world of what appear to be grown-up people with their masks and secrets. When he gets there, he finds this particular grownup needs him. In fact, it's almost as if she's waiting for him to let him know she is not so strong on her own, and to remember her and to please be sure to write about her. We certainly need Andrew Davies and his adaptations. See what you think of this one. You won't be disappointed, and if you are, watch it again.
Movie Review: As True to the Book as a Movie is Capable
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this movie to encourage me to read the dauntingly thick novel by William M. Thackeray. Not long into the book written in the typical Victorian over-winded details & drawn-out descriptions & explanations, I was pleasantly surprised at the enthralling nature of the book. The original story in itself became so gripping that I had to stop the movie so that it wouldn't ruin the ending.
This movie was as true to the book as any movie could achieve. Obviously, this 5-hrs movie cannot possibly cover every detail of that illustrious book, however, it touches on all the necessary & crucial points that I believe Thackeray wanted the reader to ponder. For example, the character study of Becky Sharp, the governess who used her talents, wit & cunning to attain social status & to feed the cost of making her appearance in compliance to that status, was such in the novel that kept the reader guessing at the nature of her character. Her pretenses & ulterior motives at the cost of others her superior or inferior can make her out to be quite vile & reprehensible. But then, towards the end, when you think her the worst of vipers, she does something for Amelia (whom she offended early on) that was so sweet & almost redeemable, you want to forgive her. The movie was able to capture these feelings & thoughts that go on while you're reading the text. The book also keeps the reader guessing at just how far Becky stooped to get what she wanted. Was she sleeping around? With whom? When? And the movie preserved this "question" & perpetuates this mystery even at its conclusion. In the book, there was also the suggestion that she had a hand in Jos Sedley's death (Amelia's bumbling brother), which was never explicitly explained, but the movie ended with this woman walking away hand on arm with Mr. Sedley while wearing her usual malicious grin that suggests poor Mr. Sedley to be the unsuspecting lamb being led to the slaughter.
This movie also casted actors & actresses that fit each character perfectly. Each character was exactly how I would like each person to look. Amelia Sedley has a gentle, pale face & quietness that fits her. Jos Sedley her overweight, dopey, nearly cross-eyed brother was comical to behold. George Osborne was tall w/ angular jaws & was handsome which fit the book character well. Major Dobbin's actor portrayed perfectly that serious, contemplative honest man whom the reader & viewer cannot help but love. Rawley, Becky's husband was tall in appearace which the book stressed upon as well, with a handsome, cocky face, who was able to play Rawley the rake, then Rawley the socialite, Rawley the good husband, the good father, & the repentent Rawley, whereby the viewer/reader mourns him for all that he could have been had not his wife been so selfish & cold. Finally, the actress that played Becky was both beautiful & wicked at the same time. Even as the character Becky was pretending to be upset, the actress did an excellent job portraying someone acting/deceiving the other character(s). And her eyes seemed very alert & calculating even as her face exhibited (false) kindness or attention. The other Vanity Fair movie with Reese Witherspoon was so poorly casted that I could barely watch it. And part of the problem was the selection of the cast. Reese's face is far to innocent & guileless to play the serpert, Becky Sharp. And really, do 19th Century gentlemen gel their hair into spikes? Surfer types in Victorian suites just doesn't work.
In conclusion, a great movie to visualize a great book. I urge any Victorian literature enthusiast to read the book too. It's a book that's loaded with social and moral issues that leaves you thinking. And please forego the Vanity Fair movie starring Reese Witherspoon, you'll thank me for it.
Movie Review: 10 stars. An almost flawless production... every episode!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is brisk, fun production that doesn't take itself any more seriously than it should, and doesn't mind winking at us with a secret smile at the same time. The story of Becky Sharp, a girl who is never any better than she needs to be, and her friend Amelia who is much too good for her own good.
Natasha Little is simply perfect as Becky. Little is the kind of woman that women find hard to like: delicately beautiful, exceptionally talented - making her perfect to play Becky. It is the subtle nuances in her moments that give her performance great depth and complexity - needed for accessibility for a selfish character who is the smartest person in any room she is in. Becky is a woman who would agree with the quote of another brilliant beauty, Hedy Lamar: "Any woman can be glamourous. All she has to do is stand still and look stupid." Little's Beky is not as likable or vulnerable as Reese Witherspoon - who played Becky in a major motion picture film version made right around the same time - but with a miniseries we have time to understand her more. Besides, not many actresses are as likable as Witherspoon.
As the story begins, this production does not look lavish, but the casting is so wonderful, the script so strong, the costumes simple but just right, that we are given the ability to focus on getting to know the people we will be following through 6 episodes.
It is this initial simplicity that is the brilliance of the production design by Malcolm Thornton. In the early stages, poverty is cramped and messy; work is dark, cluttered and rotting, and wealth is clean, and bright and airy... like freedom. As we progress throught the story, wealth becomes more complex, overstuffed and overdecorated, echoing the complexity of the lives of Becky and Rawdon. Rawdon played by the handsome and overwhelmingly talented Nathaniel Parker (INSPECTOR LINLEY, BLEAK HOUSE).
Breathtaking Andrew Davies, possibly the most brilliant adapter of the classics of all time, gifts us with a screenplay of grace and subtlety, weaving the ease of modern speech perfectly into the period action in a way that feels classic, but is totally accessible.
It all bounces along to the ohm-pa-pa of a brass band. This band is one of the anachronistic touches of the production. While it passes as a military band, it also has a the raw, slightly under-rehearsed sound of a New Orleans jazz band, and sometimes a 1940s dancehall... meanwhile Becky's musical choices are straight from the pub... to the delight of the men around her. The band is really the only downfall of the production, in the moments of great serious importance, the band hits us over the head with a blaringly repetitive theme that gets very annoying after 6 episodes. It is the only "wrong note" in an otherwise witty and wise score. One of the nice subtle touches is that even Becky's singing, which at first seems flawless and delightful, begins to sound a bit flat in the episodes where we see dark results of her behavior on those around her.
The music for Amelia and William is completely different. Plaintive melodies played as quietly as loyalty and love that things only of the good of the beloved. Philip Glenister as William carries the heart of the piece with affecting restraint. Miriam Margoles does her best work EVER here, and Jeremy Swift as Jos is absolutely delightful in every moment he is on screen!
This entire miniseries is just marvelous, aspects of the production in tune with each other, in service to the whole piece. FANTASTIC.
Movie Review: Gritty, highly original and compelling adaptation
Summary: 5 Stars
Most of us period drama aficionados have been brought up on a fairly one-sided menu of Austen, and as a consequence some will be shocked by "Vanity Fair", which is a whole different ball-game. Austen may deal out the occasional pin-prick, but her social comedy remains well-mannered and has a basic sweetness. Thackeray provides a far more brutal kind of satire; "Vanity Fair", though nearly 200 years old, is a startlingly modern novel still. Rarely can a reader have been so hard put to find a single sympathetic character in a book. George Osborne is a heartless, vain opportunist; Jos Sedley a ridiculous coward; Amelia Sedley an insipid dreamer forever betting on the wrong horse; Dobbin on the other hand is just too good to be true and infuriatingly servile - et cetera. Only amidst such a cast are we tempted to feel a modicum of sympathy for viciously predatory Becky Sharp, who by modern standards would no doubt qualify as a psychopath. The tables only turn on her when she meets her equal in the vile lord Stayne (what's in a name), who warns her: "Don't overplay your hand, Mrs. Crawley - you're in very deep now...". She does overplay her hand, and her astonishing social climb is mercilessly reversed. It's all very Darwinian avant-la-lettre: survival of the fittest.
Andrew Davies perfectly caught on to this in his gritty, highly original adaptation of Vanity Fair for TV. Apart from Becky Sharp (Natasha Little) the cast includes no pleasant beauties of either sex to please the eye. Murkiness and squalor are not eschewed and find their peak at Queen's Crawley, where maggots indeed crawl on Lady Crawley's dinner plate, and Sir Pitt senior devours his tripe with relish. Though not all viewers may be pleased, the fact is that the conditions shown in this series are far more realistic depictions of actual living conditions in late 18th and early 19th century England than the glossed-over prettiness presented in most Austen-films. And still many of the actors have much better teeth than they would have had in those days...
The acting is quite excellent throughout, and the intensity of it is heightened by frequent use of close-ups. At other times camera movements are deliberately unsteady, lending a documentary feel to Amelia's visit of George's grave, and making the viewer share in the drunkenness when Osborne senior waxes sentimental over young George at his dinner table. In dialog, the camera may well very slowly pan across the room, taking in all the little trinkets and ornaments it meets underway before finally arriving at the face of the other character. Instead of the perfectly choreographed quadrilles of Pride and Prejudice, you may find a dance at a ball depicted by a mere quick succession of close-ups of feet and whirling skirts. It is all rather unconventional and extremely effective. So is the music - the score is dominated by several deliciously raucous wind-band themes that tell us we are, indeed, in a fairground.
The DVD comes without any extra's. I'm unsure to judge the picture quality, as I am playing the disc to a PAL TV and don't know if this causes distortions. Still it looked more than acceptable, except that pale faces tended to go slightly blue in outdoor scenes, and that dark images looked a bit as if filmed through a slightly sooty lens, and sometimes had unsteady backgrounds.
Though in the final reckoning this series may not quite aspire to the perfection of the latest BBC Pride & Prejudice, it is at least as worthwhile and involving to watch, and makes a very refreshing change from the usual period drama routines.
Movie Review: Not precisely the Thackery novel....OK so what?
Summary: 5 Stars
Lots of different opinions here, lots of love and a some surprising hate. I can only speak for myself and my wife, but we found this DVD riveting. One of the most absorbing BBC productions we've seen. Andrew Davies here seems to be criticized for straying too far from the text, and in other adaptations of not straying far enough. Well, all I can say is that this tale, and this filming, were perfect. Enjoyed the music, which was beautifully composed and appropriately harsh for a very harsh tale, admired the direction, found the characters compelling and believable, and loved the subtle and deft touches throughout in which character was revealed oh so skillfully. An though the acting was impeccable, three actors deserve special accolades. Tim Woodward, a face I had not seen before, is gripping as John Osborne, the conflicted and tormented father who loves and desires and hopes and fears and bullies. Nathaniel Parker, recently seen in Bleak House as a dim-witted and selfish fool, is exquisite, showing us with eyes and mouth the pains, the torments, and the heartbreak of a man who suddenly realizes he has been sucker-punched. The good-hearted, naive, and silly Joseph Sedley, a character it would be all-too-easy to laugh at, is portrayed without malice by a charming Jeremy Swift. Other wonders abound, from the smallest characters up to Becky herself, the toxic blend of a beauty we want to trust and an evil that is all too painfully exposed.
We bought in completely. Compared to the Witherspoon version, far more gorgeous and spectacular, but ultimately lame and vapid, this is astounding. A delight from start to finish. If a novel is filmed, and the result is nearly perfect, even if the original plot was abused, I do not care. Think of David Lean's Great Expectations, related to, but freely adapted from, a sprawling masterpiece, and an absolutely riveting piece of cinema. That was a great film from a glorious book. If the film substantially alters the novel's themes, or pretties up the author's vision, well, that is unpardonable. But no such transformation happens here. To compress 800 pages and a multitude of characters even into 6 hours, well concessions must be made. I cannot help but believe that Thackery would be quite pleased with these choices.