Wit
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Movie Reviews of Wit
Movie Review: A Rewarding Experience
Summary: 5 Stars
First of all, be advised, this is a tough film to watch; but also know that if you choose to do so, you will be rewarded with an experience that is invaluable and unforgettable, and in ways that transcend mere cinematic satisfaction. There is no mystery here, no secrets nor allegories. Indeed, the subject matter is made succinctly evident in the first words you hear, spoken by Dr. Kelekian (Christopher Lloyd) to Vivian Bearing (Emma Thompson): "You have cancer." And so begins "Wit," directed by Mike Nichols, a film that will claim you emotionally and take you to a place of eternal night-- a region, in fact, wherein even the most intrepid of body and spirit fear to tread. It puts you in a dark room with that thing in the closet and keeps you there; and there is no way out. And once inside, it forces you to face your worst fears, albeit vicariously, in a way that invites some serious reflection upon mortality and the profundity of life.Vivian Bearing is a professor of English Literature, specializing in the work of Seventeenth Century poet John Donne. Hers is a scholarly life, and she is secure with her place in it; not yet fifty, she has achieved a level of comfort with herself, as well as her work, especially in the class she teaches on Donne. With her students she is a demanding taskmaster and does not suffer fools, nor students who opt for more immediate pleasures over Donne, refusing to accept youthful zeal as an excuse for academic impropriety. In her classroom, she insists that those in attendance rise to her level; she does not stoop to conquer.
Then, with the words of Dr. Kelekian, her world abruptly changes. At first, wrapped in intellectual armor, she finds at least some comfort and respite in her beloved Donne, but she soon finds that the pursuits of the mind, even leavened with a healthy ego, attain a diminished capacity within the environs of a ravaging disease. The eternity of the hospital affords her much time for reflection, and as her illness progresses she undergoes a change in perspectives; taking stock, she considers such things as the aloof manner she affected that served no purpose other than to distance her from her students. And she thinks about it now, not with regret, but differently; her intellectual acumen no longer separates her from her students, nor affords her a lofty perch from which she may sit in judgment. She understands, at last, that she is not so different from them after all. For as she discovers to her considerable dismay-- pain is the great equalizer.
Written by Nichols and Thompson, the screenplay is based on the play by Margaret Edson. The story unfolds like a living diary, as Vivian addresses the viewer directly, with a descriptive narrative that leaves little to the imagination. Graphically real and unrelenting, it is a riveting chronicle that will hold you in thrall from beginning to end and beyond-- because this experience does not end when the screen goes dark; it's something that is going to be with you for a long time afterwards, so be prepared. And the reason this will linger in your memory is that it's a contemplation of a reality that is horrendous beyond imagination. This is that thing that always happens to someone else, but never to "me," and to be put in the room with someone to whom the unthinkable has happened-- to be up close and personal with it-- is emotionally devastating. This is a true horror story beyond anything Stephen King could write, because this is "real." What happens to Vivian Bearing is something that happens to people all the time, and there has never been a film before or since that will put you more in touch with what it feels like, from the incredulity born at the moment of diagnosis to the acceptance of the reality of it. And it has nothing to do with courage; it is not about that at all. It's about knowing that you are going to have to do this thing that you least in the whole world want to do-- and that you have no choice in the matter.
This film is a veritable showcase for the incredible talent of Emma Thompson, who gives a performance that is so remarkable there are not enough superlatives to do it justice. Ineligible for Oscar consideration as this film was made for television (HBO), her performance nevertheless is as Oscar worthy as they come (even more impressive than her Oscar winning performance as Margaret in "Howard's End," which was nothing less than a study in perfection). As Vivian Bearing, Thompson is absolutely mesmerizing-- you simply cannot take your eyes off of her for even a moment. There are times when you want to look away, to avert your eyes because it's just too painful to watch, but you can't. Once you begin this journey you are bound to her for better or worse. You suffer with her through the physical pain, as well as through the base indignities to which she is subjected as a matter of course by the doctors and care givers who simply do not respond to the humanity of the person in their care; a sad commentary, to be sure, but so true.
What really marks Thompson's performance as so extraordinary, however, is the fact that as you watch the drama unfold, you forget this is an actor playing a role; rather, this is a very real person you are watching-- a person named Vivian Bearing who is dying of cancer.
The supporting cast includes Eileen Atkins (E.M. Ashford), Audra McDonald (Susie), Jonathan M. Woodward (Jason) and Harold Pinter (Vivian's Father). An emotionally absorbing drama that redefines empathy and compassion, "Wit" will make you feel alive like never before, and thankful for each and every day that you wake up healthy. It's a film that will enrich your life.
Movie Review: A Painful Journey
Summary: 5 Stars
I was attending an oncology nursing convention the first time I saw this film shortly after its release. My best memory of it was that it was the most searingly honest portrayal of a person with cancer that I has ever witnessed outside of hospital. It was also the most powerfully honest portrayal of a nurse that I had seen in any media. My recent second viewing only confirmed those impressions.
Wit is based on a play by Margaret Edson who at one time in her life worked as a unit clerk on an oncology ward. This teleplay was written by Mike Nichols and Emma Thompson, both Academy Award winners. Ms. Thompson inhabits the role of Vivian Bearing, a British professor of English, specializing in the poetry of John Donne. Bearing is a brilliant scholar, aloof, and demanding as much of her students as she does of herself. She is both feared and revered on campus. Then she gets diagnosed with Stage IV advanced ovarian cancer and is enrolled in a very difficult eight month course of an experimental chemotherapy regimen. She has never married, has never had children, and has won more rivals than friends in her academic career.
Nearly the whole action of the film takes place in hospital. In transposing the piece from theater to film, the director retains the device of the character speaking directly to the audience in extended monologues. Though not a properly cinematic device, it works perhaps even better here than on the stage because of the camera's ability to frame Thompson's face in close-ups that convincingly capture her deteriorating appearance and her growing desperation.
"Wit" can be defined as a form of intellectual humor. The monologues demand careful listening, part of their power stemming from erudite puns and other language tricks and paradoxes. Wit is also the basis of style in metaphysical poetry such as Donne's, a contemporary of Shakespeare. This "wit' along with Donne's obsession with the intersections of love, death, and religion become central to Bearing's metamorphosis. Over the course of treatment her health declines. The tumor shrinks but metastasizes. She comes to realize that she has devalued love and affection in favor of reason and intellect.
Her doctors are researchers rather than clinicians. They are drawn to the science rather than the art of healing. There are certainly oncologists with more empathy and better bedside manner than seen here. But the portraits are not exaggerated. Their determined, exacting approach to science mirrors Prof Bearing's approach to literature. Of all the hospital staff, it is only her nurse, Susie Monahan, who recognizes and respects the humanity of this dying woman's situation. Actress Audra McDonald (who would be later cast as a physician inTV's Gray's Anatomy) manages to play Susie as an authentic human being without falling to sentimentality or stereotype.
This is possibly Emma Thompson's best screen performance. She is totally convincing as a cancer patient, whether she is enduring intractible nausea and vomiting or hoarsely whispering poetry through a great veil of pain. Having spent two decades working in hospital, I can say that the entire production is very realistic and true. Medical procedures, staff interactions, power differentials in the hospital hierarchy, nurses working to advocate for patients are reflected rather than highlighted as the drama proceeds. The "Grand Rounds" scene would be funny if it weren't so sad. "That was very educational" Bearing says, "I am learning to suffer."
"Wit" remains one of the very best examples of this genre. It is brilliantly informative at both an intellectual and emotional level. I would recommend it to anyone, but especially to anyone close to someone dealing with cancer. For persons with cancer, watching this film can be an enlightening though painful journey of self-exploration.
Movie Review: A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH...
Summary: 5 Stars
This brilliant adaptation of Margaret Edison's Pulitzer Prize winning play is simply superb. Beautifully directed by Mike Nichols, it is peppered with superlative performances by its cast. It is almost hard to believe that this profoundly moving and poignant film was released for HBO, rather than as a major box office, big screen release.
Tautly written, this remarkable film focuses on an intense and brilliant professor of English, forty-eight year old Vivian Bearing (Emma Thompson), whose academic focus has been metaphysical poetry. She has just been diagnosed by a noted oncologist, Dr. Kelikian (Christopher Lloyd), as having stage four ovarian cancer. She agrees to undergo an eight month long clinical trial to fight this illness, which at the juncture of its discovery is, invariably, terminal. This course of experimental treatment is Professor Bearing's only hope, as she realizes that there is no stage five.
As she undergoes agonizing medical procedures which, it is hoped, may save her life, Professor Bearing muses on a number of life issues in the form of droll monologues. It is these reflections on her life and her illness that drive home to the viewer her humanity, as she struggles to reconcile the abstract with reality. An aloof, spare woman, with a penchant for being a demanding and exacting teacher, Professor Bearing is now trying to hang on to her humanity and dignity, as she is reduced to being a mere lump of flesh.
Made to suffer the indignities imposed by an experimental medical treatment that is brutally aggressive and by the ravages of an illness that is relentless, Professor Bearing keeps a stiff upper lip throughout, never letting down her guard, until the end draws near. During her medical odyssey, she is buoyed by the ministrations of her compassionate, primary care nurse, Susie (Audra McDonald), who seems to be the only member of the medical staff interested in her as a person, rather than as just another cog in the world of medical research. Susie is a perfect foil to the ambitious medical treatment fostered by a callow, though brilliant, young doctor, Jason Posner (Jonathan M. Woodward).
The most singular scene in this film, however, occurs near its end. It is the scene in which Professor Bearing's mentor, Professor E.M. Ashford (Eileen Atkins), visits her one time protege at the hospital. Heartrending, poignant, and infinitely beautiful, it is a scene so richly drawn that it that will haunt the viewer long after the film is over.
Ms. Thompson gives a consummate, beautifully nuanced performance, as does Eileen Atkins. Audra McDonald gives a tender performance, and Christopher Lloyd and Jonathan M. Woodward are, likewise, excellent in their respective roles. Harold Pinter does a wonderful, though brief, turn as Professor Bearing's father. All in all, this is a deftly directed, outstanding film with award caliber performances by the entire cast. Bravo!
Movie Review: No Man is an Island
Summary: 5 Stars
Wit offers a sharply observed portrait of a professor of 17th Century poetry who is diagnosed with 4th stage ovarian cancer. There is no 5th stage, as she wryly observes. Dr. Vivian Bearing (brilliantly played by Emma Thompson) has spent her life studying the poetry of John Donne, to great scholarly acclaim. Yet in the final chapter of her life, she finds that she has never really engaged the poetry that has been her life's work. Until now, that is.One would think that such a subject matter would be utterly depressing. Yet, it is oddly full of hope. And that is the genius of the film.
Donne's poetry is overtly referred to throughout the film. Yet in the scenes in which Bearing recalls her lectures on the subject, one learns little about the poetry. Donne's attempt to grapple with death is discussed in a superficial way by the characters. But the film's deeper meaning comes directly from Donne's writing.
Dr. Bearing has lived her life as woman who uses her intellectual prowess to avoid meaningful connections with people. As a result, she undergoes her long and painful illness with no companionship. Donne's famous line that "no man is an island" comes immediately to mind. When one turns to the meditation which is its source, one finds the following:
"When one Man dies, one Chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every Chapter must be so translated; God employs several translators; some pieces are translated by age, some by sickness, some by war, some by justice, but God's hand is in every translation; and his hand shall bind up all our scattered leaves again, for that Library where every book shall lie open to one another."
Wit is about Bearing's "translation." She has worn the mask of intellectual self-sufficiency for her whole life. In her illness, every shred of her self-dignity is stripped away. She loses her hair; she is treated as an object by the medical system; she suffers pain; and finally she confronts her death. The beauty of the film is that by the end, she has lost everything that she thought mattered to her - only to find that it doesn't matter at all. In losing her self-dignity, she has found the genuine dignity that belongs to us all by virtue of our humanity. Her death is not empty suffering, but rather a fitting conclusion to her life - as she finally absorbs the meaning of the poetry that has been her life's work.
We come to care deeply for a woman who is not very likeable. In doing so, we come to see the connection that we all share as human beings.
Wit is an extraordinary film. One of the best that I have seen in the last few years.
Movie Review: The best film I own thats probably the hardest to watch.
Summary: 5 Stars
I found out that this movie was on DVD when I saw it in the cheap bin at Wal-Mart, but I would have paid significant amounts of money to own this movie. This movie only comes out when I particularly want to cry a lot. If you are already familiar with the movie, and want to read my opions of the DVD as a whole, you can skip to the end of the review, otherwise, read on.To start, you should definitely see the stage production, which is profoundly powerful. However, Emma Thompson gives us a better performance than probably anyone we could hope to see as Vivian. I went through a brief period several years ago wherein I looked for all of the major-name sad movies, because I wanted some really good catharsis (this resulted in a purchase of Beaches [which I don't enjoy] Steel Magnolias [which I do enjoy, but still no tears] and sundry other movies). Most of the time, the heartwrenching effects of a movie wear off after the first viewing, but even after multiple viewings, I end up bawling like nobody's business.
Edson's play is definitely something to read, and this is a fantastically faithful screenplay. The makers of this film knew what they were doing. In addition to Emma, Audra McDonald turns in a fantastic performance. She doesn't need to sing to keep you watching. However, despite a top notch supporting cast, Ms. Thompson truly is what helps this film soar.
Take note that this movie has a solid 5 stars. This movie embodies the disturbing scene toward the end when the resident, Jason Posner, discusses cancer as an "awesome" force. If you don't want to admit it, this movie proves that cancer truly is awesome, even if its only in a technical sense, and not at all in a colloquial sense. The journey of this independent woman from hard-willed educator to a woman who is dependent on everyone is awful to watch. Its captivating at the same time. No scene is as painful and beautiful to watch as when Vivian's elderly Professor (E.M. Ashford) cradles next to her to read The Runaway Bunny. In fact, I am completely overcome just thinking about the scene.
I can't avoid it, anytime I talk about a DVD, I have to talk about the DVD itself. I have grown so accustomed to extra features, that I look at every DVD with regards to features. This one has none whatsoever, except for really good Actor bios. In fact, this DVD has some of the best actor bios that I have seen on a DVD. But that's all it has, there are no special features. Of course, it doesn't require special features. This movie stands alone and is worth any price you can pay for it, special features or not.