Wit
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Movie Reviews of Wit
Movie Review: Death, be not proud...
Summary: 5 Stars
If you were fortunate enough to see Wit on HBO, then you probably agree that it made you a better person. Wit takes you through the horrible journey of cancer, down to its rawness, to its darkest moments. Incredibly, though you would think so, this movie was not depressing...it was uplifting. The intelligence and inspiring idea's behind Vivian Bearing (Emma Thompson) is that you can find irony and humility within the written word. She is a literary professor that takes her studies very seriously, believing her lessons will one day help her student's find understanding in life. All too soon she realizes that she will need it more than she could have ever fathomed. Christopher Lloyd does terrifically as her personal physician, and shows a new side to his tallent. Personally, I more enjoyed the scenes when she sits and talks to us as if we were there with her, experiencing the pain, knowing what she knows and feeling what she feels. As if we are Vivian's only friends. Rarely...and I rarely distribute the word rarely...a movie like Wit comes along, and deals with a subject that is all too common, and yet sheds a brighter light, for us to see and learn something new. Emma Thompsons performance is one of the greatest one-woman shows in the history of film. Though her surrounding characters were greatly supportive, she carried the film, there's no doubting it. As Vivian Bearing, she is unshakable as a heart-set woman determined to succeed. By using her wit, those things we find so horrible, will suddenly make sense.Movie Review: Food for thought... no, food for deep contemplation.
Summary: 5 Stars
The best examination of the contrasts between intellectualism and experiential knowledge that I have ever run across."Wit" concerns itself with the private musings of a professor of early 17th century English Literature, a specialist in the sacred sonnets of John Donne.... she is diagnosed with advanced, terminal ovarian cancer, and is persuaded to become guinea pig for eight courses of aggressive chemotherapy.
It is the contrasts and parallels between the uniquely human ability to think critically, to be intellectual, and the basic human needs of every person, that the play concerns itself with. In the process there are some things said that I think are very important. Intellectual labeling and pigeonholing are mere wisps of smoke, distractions from the awesome reality of our existence, our pain, our ecstasy, our fears of death. Our need for human contact. These matters which should concern us most, are hidden or ignored in grotesquely elaborate ways in modern society. These behaviors are exposed, not by exaggeration, but by simple observation, in the film.
The play is full of ironical observations, amusing yet poignant. Many details, many layers. It has been two days since my first viewing, and I continue to find myself stopping in mid-stride, to say "ahah!" as I see subtle things that could not have been accidental. Food for thought? Not exactly... more like a rich, multicourse meal.
The end was incredibly comforting. I bawled. And I'll watch this one again.
Movie Review: EMMA THOMPSON AT HER GREATEST
Summary: 5 Stars
Emma Thompson has established herself as one of the great actresses of this or any generation thanks to her superlative work in Howards End, Remains of the Day, Sense and Sensibility, In the Name of the Father, to name my personal favorites. I wasn't prepared for the powerhouse work on WIT. But WOW--that's the kind of acting that only a handful of actresses have accomplished. It's heartfelt, without being pitiful. It's funny, without being cynical. It's tragic, without being sentimental or melodramatic. In a word: PERFECTION. WIT is the story of an intellecual snob who is dying of cancer and comes to the realization that all her intellect and snobbery means nothing, ultimately. The film takes place in a hospital where Thompson's character, a university professor who specializes in the poems of John Donne, is undergoing an experimental type of chemotherapy that's literally eating her inside out. It's not an easy movie to watch, but in the end you feel transformed emotionally. The scene in which her own university professor reads her a children's book is heartwrenching. I loved this film. It gave me a new perspective on cancer, the suffering patients go through, some of the callousness that sometimes occurs in a hospital setting, and, most significantly to me personally, broadened my understanding of and gave me a new respect for the human spirit, that spirit which transcends pain and fear of the unknown. Thank you Ms. Thompson for this beautiful work of art.Movie Review: For whom the bell tolls.....
Summary: 5 Stars
John Donne's poem, "No Man is an Island" ends with the words, "Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee." The words seemed romantic when I was a teenager. After all, Hemingway derived the title of one of his books about WWI from them and Hollywood made a glam film about his book. These days I am approaching the twilight years at breakneck speed and death doesn't seem romantic. So why on earth would I want to be reminded of my own mortality or the mortality of those I love by a film about a woman dying of cancer? The answers for me are these: 1) Emma Thompson. I've seen every film she's made, even the mediocre ones, and I refuse to miss a single one of her films (CARRINGTON sure wasn't very cheerful); 2) Thompson plays a professor of English who's specialty is the metaphysical poetry of John Donne. I had to see how one could develop a film about this topic; 3) I wanted to see the film version of WIT because I could not get to New York City to see Judith Light play Vivian Bearing in the Pulitzer prize winning play; 4) The stellar supporting cast assembled for the film including the fabulous Eileen Atkins and Audra McDonald; 5) Ms. Thompson's co-writing the screen play (she won the Oscar for her screen play of the book "Sense and Sensibility").
WIT is a profound film. I am still trying to make all the connections, however, the overwhelming sadness of Donne's poem strikes home -- "Ask not for whom the bell tolls..."
Movie Review: The Perfect Film
Summary: 5 Stars
I first learned of "Wit," after it won the Pulitzer Prize and then because I am a huge fan of Audra McDonald and had learned that she would be appearing in it. Later, my community theater produced it to rave reviews, but I didn't get the chance to see it. Finally, I had a friend record it for me off of HBO, and what can you say? This is a perfect film. This is a perfectly-acted, perfectly-directed, perfectly-adapted film. Where could they have assembled a better supporting cast? I have never seen Christopher Lloyd like that before - a revelation! And Audra McDonald adds yet another triumph to her ever-growing resumé! Eileen Atkins was simply heartbreaking in just those two small scenes, and Jonathan Woodward had his character nailed. But perhaps the greatest triumph of this film is Ms. Thompson herself. I had simply known the name and the reputation before "Wit," had never seen any of her performances. This performance was shocking, wonderful, haunting, unforgettable. There is no finer film actress today. Mike Nichols' nimble, inventive direction created the effect of the stage manuscript onscreen. His and Ms. Thompson's adaptation is smart and sophisticated, with an evident knowledge of the screen and deep understanding of the original piece. All in all, I don't think anyone else could have done a better job. And a final thank you to Ms. Edson herself, for such a beautiful piece of work.