Atonement (Widescreen Edition)
Universal Studios - Universal Studios
Release date: 2008-03-18
DVD
Actors: Keira Knightley, James Mcavoy, Saoirse Ronan, Brenda Blethyn, Harriet Walter
Atonement, Drama, Ian McKewan, James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, Romance, World World II
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Atonement (Widescreen Edition)
Date undefinedIn full disclosure mode... I am one of four of us that saw this movie that did not like it. I won't rehash the storyline. There are many, many reviews that do that. I will simply point out the big problem areas for me:....
Period pieces are tough. They run the risk of dragging a storyline down. Forty-two minutes into the movie I was about to lose my mind from sheer boredom. The pace of the movie was logged down by an inept unfolding of a period piece.
Flashback sequences are tricky. Do it wrong and you confuse your audience. This was horrifying. There was a lack of consistency in order and I began wondering "Three weeks earlier?" Is that three weeks earlier than the six months earlier we are moving away from or is it three weeks earlier from the completion of the six months span of time?
Theatrical screen shots rapidly become parody if they do not support the storyline. I actually laughed out loud at many of the theatrical shots. A soldier standing in front of a black and white movie screen.... the closeup of a broken vase. It did not support the story, these moments that are liberally sprinkled through this movie felt like the overfawning inner artiste' of bad direction. It truly took time out of the movie and did not pull the story forward.
And... NEVER offer up a story about a storyteller if you cannot actually tell a story. Some movies are not storytelling greatness. The main character is a writer. A Storyteller. And this movie is her "story" of what happened.
And lastly - if you are going to name a movie "Atonement"... show atonement. (I will have to say that two of the three people who watched this movie and liked it, agreed with me on this point). If Atonement was the title and the subject, it would have been interesting to actually see that. You get a small admission of wanting atonement, but there is no "aha" moment you see with the main character. And part of the reason for that is there is no focus on her process other than to show her nursing. But Atonement is a deep process and this was a shallow reference.
I would feel very put upon if I should ever be forced to watch this movie again. And although it appears that I stand alone... I cannot recommend this movie.
Atonement (Widescreen Edition)
Date undefinedits a disgusting movie.. i kept waiting to find something interesting in the movie but NO it just got worse. very boring and a total waste of time.
Atonement (Widescreen Edition)
Date undefinedBeautifully shot, Atonement begins by introducing us to the wealthy Tallis family, ensconced in an impressive estate in England during the late 1930s. Briony (played as a young girl by Saoirse Ronan), the youngest member of the family at 13, is a budding writer, concocting plays and other works to be presented at family gatherings. We also meet Cecilia Tallis (played with heartbreak by Kiera Knightley), Briony's gorgeous older sister. During the early course of the film, Cecilia learns that Robbie (James McAvoy), educated son of the family housekeeper, is in love with her. In a moment of almost-shock, Cecilia realizes that she returns this love.
Young Briony, who happens to have a crush on Robbie herself, accidentally walks in on the two lovers one pivotal evening. Events later that night lead to Briony accusing Robbie of a crime he didn't commit. His quick arrest, and subsequent enrollment in the British army (WWI), deny Robbie and Cecilia the time together that they so long for.
Years later, Briony sorts through what happened, understanding her terrible error and what it meant, leading to the title of the film.
This film is beautiful to look at. Shots are carefully composed. Period costuming, hair, makeup, and props are impeccable. Keira Knightley wears an emerald gown that is a revelation. It is cut so delicately that it even makes her stick-thin body look curvy.
Performances are amazing. Knightley portrays Cecilia as achingly bewildered by her feelings, then stricken with yearning at being separated from her lover. McAvoy's Robbie is a triumph, particularly in the scenes during his military service. There is a slow, uninterrupted shot of his face, during which he discovers the evidence of a mass execution, that will stay with me a long time. An older Briony is played in a genius turn by Vanessa Redgrave at the end of the film, summing up the heart of the tale.
I sobbed like a baby at the end. Sooo worth seeing.
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