It's very rare for a director to have had films nominated for Best Picture in five different decades and only a few have ever achieved that feat. Alongside Martin Scorsese, the latest director to do so was Steven Spielberg who helmed two Best Picture nominees in the last few years. Rather than being contemporary tales though, Spielberg's latest offerings featured on times gone by and were on the whole rather stagnant.
This is certainly true of Spielberg's cinematic interpretation of Michael Morpurgo's best-selling family book War Horse. The film tells the story of Joey; a horse who is initially bought by a Devonshire farmer who is keen to get one over on his arrogant landlord. Although unhappy with his purchase at first, Ted soon discovers that his son Albert has formed a bond with Joey. Joey's trust of Albert eventually leads to him surprising everyone when he ploughs Ted's field. But, as the title suggests, war is coming and a bad harvest leads Ted to sell Joey to the war effort. From there we follow Joey's journey as he undergoes military training and forms a bond with a fellow horse. However, with the British army under attack, Joey is then trained to pull ambulances for the Germans before being taken away by two deserting brothers. Oddly, Joey then spends time with a jam-maker and his ill granddaughter before going back into war again. Rather conveniently, Joey is eventually freed from some barbed wire by a member of Albert's platoon. Finally, horse and boy are reunited in one of the sickliest endings to a Spielberg film I've ever seen as Albert comes back to Devon with Joey in toe. Part of my problem with War Horse was that no character stayed on screen long enough for you really to connect with anyone but Joey. Whilst the animal actors were superb, I find it hard to get emotionally attached to a horse and I feel that that's the key conceit of the film.
Additionally, War Horse is a film that could do with losing a good twenty minutes off its overall running time with its first half hour being extremely tiresome. Indeed, the lead up to the ploughing of a field is hardly the excitement you'd expect from the man who created Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park. The Devonshire that Spielberg imagines is wonderfully shot by his long term collaborator Janusz Kamiński however I still feel the sunny skies of England are a little exaggerated. Of the cast I enjoyed Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch as the two army men who were tasked with caring for the horses. Peter Mullan and Emily Watson were also fine as Albert's parents even if the former's drunken routine was a little clichéd at times. Unfortunately the main focus of the human players is Jeremy Irvine, a young actor who lacks the charisma to pull of some of the cornier elements of the plot. I was quite surprised to learn that Richard Curtis worked on a second draft of the script as character development is usually his strong suit. However I thought the characters in War Horse were thinly drawn at best and were gone again before you got to know them properly. Even the usually reliable John Williams delivered an overblown score that did nothing but signify that War Horse was incredibly melodramatic. Like all Spielberg films, War Horse looks great and this was proven by the film's six Oscar nods which came mainly in the art direction and sound categories. Although I enjoyed War Horse the first time around, it's not a film that stands up to repeat viewings and is one of Spielberg's most tiresome films.
While War Horse is a very British tale, Spielberg's return to the Best Picture category a year later saw him take on an incredibly American story. The film saw Spielberg tell the story of Abraham Lincoln's attempts to have the thirteenth amendment passed by the US House of Representatives. The very straight-forwardly titled Lincoln also looked at the president's relationship with his wife and children during the final four months of his life. At the heart of Lincoln is the story of a man who fought hard to free the slaves despite opposition from elsewhere. The film doesn't paint Lincoln as a saint but instead as somebody who occasionally made dubious decisions for the greater good. Judging from how Spielberg directs the film I got the impression that this is a story that Americans know already and therefore he doesn't really allow international audiences any time to truly get to know the characters. In fact, for the majority of the film it was hard to tell one politician in a wig from another unless they were played by an actor I was familiar with. Although the story isn't one that particularly lends itself to a cinematic setting, I didn't think that the usual engaging Spielberg put enough time into the visuals of Lincoln. In fact the only memorable moments came courtesy of the Civil War scenes at the start of the film and Lincoln's death at the end. The most interesting parts of Lincoln didn't revolve around the political aspects of the story but rather his relationship with his family. I was particularly intrigued to learn that Mary Lincoln had mental issues and that Abraham only stayed with her after she became pregnant. I personally would've liked to have had more scenes between the Lincolns and less involving the political scheming of the president's associates.
For authentically capturing the period of the time, Lincoln's production design team were awarded with an Oscar for their hard work. However, it was the film's other Oscar recipient who deserves the most praise and who made history with his award win. That recipient is Daniel Day-Lewis who won his third Best Actor Oscar to date for giving another fantastic performance as Lincoln. Having watched him develop over the course of this blog, I think that Lincoln represents Day-Lewis' third era as a performer. Although his performance incorporates some of the more brusque elements of the characters he played in Gangs of New York and There Will Be Blood, he lends a much more sympathetic edge to his turn as the former President. Day-Lewis is utterly mesmerising as Lincoln and makes you know exactly what the President is feeling even when he isn't saying anything at all. To date, Day-Lewis is the only man to win three awards in the Lead Actor category and I would say that this record is utterly well-deserved. For playing Mary Lincoln, Sally Field earned an Oscar nomination and I felt her performance here was certainly better than her Oscar-winning turn in Places in the Heart. The final member of the cast to earn a nod was Tommy Lee Jones, who as campaigning Thaddeus Stevens, added some much needed grit to proceedings. I also felt James Spader gave a suitably scenery-chewing turn as the somewhat devious William N Bilbo. Though I didn't find it as captivating as others did, Lincoln is still a solid piece of film-making by a man who knows exactly how to put an excellent movie together. Despite not being visually engaging, I think Lincoln's strengths are in the performances especially those given by Day-Lewis and Field. I do think that its Day-Lewis' turn as Lincoln which will give the film its lasting legacy and I feel that it'll definitely be the time of movie that will be played in history lessons for years to come.
Next up another director who changed course in the second decade of the 21st century.
Showing posts with label Daniel Day-Lewis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Daniel Day-Lewis. Show all posts
Friday, 22 May 2015
Sunday, 15 March 2015
Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 395-397: Marty & Leo Go for Gold
It's fair to say that Martin Scorsese and Oscar have had a pretty good relationship as he's found one of his films in the Best Picture category in the last three decades. These films; Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Goodfellas, all starred the great Robert De Niro and propelled the actor to stardom. In the early 21st Century, Scorsese all but ditched De Niro in favour of another star; Leonardo DiCaprio. We first met DiCaprio as a young actor who just happened to be cast in the lead role in one of the biggest films of all time; Titanic. Although the film itself was visually spectacular, I didn't really rate DiCaprio's performance and found him a little immature. However, as the noughties rolled on it appeared as if Scorsese and DiCaprio brought out the best in each other and their partnership finally saw the former pick up his well-deserved Best Director Oscar.
Scorsese's first collaboration with DiCaprio was Gangs of New York a film that the director had been working on for several decades. Based loosely on Herbert Asbury's non-fiction work of the same name Gangs of New York looks at the 19th century conflict between Irish immigrants and American natives as they fought for supremacy over several decades. I found that Scorsese dragged you into the picture kicking and screaming with an opening fight between Irish Priest Vallon's Dead Rabbits and the merciless Bill 'The Butcher' Cutting's Natives. This opening fight scene ultimately sees Vallon murdered by Cutting and his son Amsterdam being shipped off to an orphanage. DiCaprio then appears as the older incarnation of Amsterdam whose set on revenge against the man who killed his father. Instead of waging war against Cutting straight away, Amsterdam instead infiltrates his gang and at one point even saves his life. Cutting eventually begins to look upon Amsterdam as a son and therefore feels even more betrayed when he finally learns the truth. The film's third act sees Amsterdam's recovery from Bill's attack on him and his attempts to gain power in the city. It's in this third act that DiCaprio comes alive as Amsterdam empowers his Irish brethren and in doing so appoints one of his father's old allies as the town's sheriff. The film ends with another incredibly engaging fight sequence as Amsterdam takes the place of his father in the new incarnation of The Dead Rabbits. However, this fight plays out slightly differently as it coincides with the New York City Draft Riots and means that Cutting and Amsterdam have to contend with another conflict going on behind them. I found that this final sequence was a fitting end to a film that was problematic but ultimately satisfying.
It's clear to see that Gangs of New York was a labour of love for Scorsese and it apparently took him several years to complete. Part of the reason for this was his struggle to make the piece as authentic as possible down to making sure that each character's accent was spot on. One of the most impressive elements of Gangs of New York was its production design, which shockingly didn't win the Oscar in that category. Production designer Dante Ferretti recreated over a mile of mid-nineteenth century buildings in Rome where the filming took place. Ferretti's design is eye-catching from the initial scene which focuses on Cutting and The Priest's battle for the Five Points. Everything about Gangs of New York is designed within an inch of its life from the outstanding costumes to the perfectly coiffed moustached of Daniel Day-Lewis, who plays Bill 'The Butcher' with great aplomb. In fact Day-Lewis holds the film together at times and his performance earned Gangs of New York its only acting Oscar. Day-Lewis dominates the screen and showed us glimpses of There Will be Blood's Daniel Plainview; a role that snatched him his second Best Actor Oscar five years after Gangs of New York. The decision to cast Cameron Diaz as Amsterdam's love interest Jenny was an interesting one and I personally felt she fell short of the mark. Meanwhile, I found DiCaprio's acting style to be rather petulant and didn't think he was a match for Day-Lewis' scenery chewing. At the same time there were hints that Scorsese was bringing the best out in DiCaprio as his performance was certainly more assured than when we saw him in Titanic. As a whole I found Gangs of New York to be overly long and there was at least half a dozen scenes that were surplus to requirements. But it's hard to knock a film to which the director has clearly devoted so much time to perfecting. The combination of exquisite production design, a fine supporting cast and Day-Lewis' turn as The Butcher means that Gangs of New York is an enthralling watch even if it isn't the masterpiece that Scorsese intended it to be.
Two years later, Scorsese found himself at the Oscars once again with his Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator being nominated for Best Picture. In contrast to Gangs of New York, The Aviator didn't start of as Scorsese's baby and instead had been an idea floating around Hollywood since the 1970s. The Hughes biopic finally gained legs in the late 1990s with DiCaprio signed on to star whilst Michael Mann was set to direct. However, Mann was later dropped by the studio and replaced by Scorsese; partially due to his prior working relationship with DiCaprio. It was certainly clear that in the two years since Gangs of New York DiCaprio had come on leaps and bounds as an actor. It was also evident that he'd done his research into Howard Hughes' OCD; a condition that made him unable to deal with germs of any kind. If I had a particular issue with The Aviator then it was with John Logan's screenplay which I felt was rather episodic. The first act dealt with Hughes' creation of Hells' Angels before going on to look at his relationship with Katherine Hepburn. It was the Hughes and Hepburn story that really captured my imagination, partially as I'd followed the latter's career throughout the course of this blog. The film then follows Hughes' continued problems with Pan-Am and his eventual trial by the Senate. I thought that this latter half of the film was a lot less interesting with the trial scenes feeling rather clichéd. Additionally, I believe that Ava Gardner wasn't as compelling a female lead as Hepburn had been during the film's earlier moments. However, at least Logan ended the film superbly with a small victory for Hughes being followed by the suggestion that his mental health may be at its worst.
If I remember correctly, The Aviator was the definite favourite to win the Best Picture prize going into the 2005 Oscars. Although it ultimately didn't triumph in that category, it did go on to pick up an impressive five statuettes on the night. Winners included cinematographer Robert Richardson and editor Thelma Schoonmaker both of whom made the aerial scenes absolutely stunning. Dante Farretti was also rewarded with an Oscar for his recreation of Hughes' many aircrafts as well as recreating classic Hollywood landmarks. Most deserving of all was Cate Blanchett who, in my humble opinion, stole the show as the feisty Katherine Hepburn. As somebody who has watched a large amount of Katherine Hepburn films in the last few years, I can say without a doubt that Blanchett captured the actress' key mannerisms to a tea. It's a telling sign of Blanchett's skill that after she leaves the film the quality dips with Kate Beckinsale's Ava Gardner being incredibly inferior in comparison. Alan Alda was given a Best Supporting Actor nod for his role as the corrupt Senator Brewster, who attempted to bring down Hughes in order to help his friend at Pan-Am airways. However, the most impressive turn came from DiCaprio himself who I felt perfectly anchored the film as the troubled Hughes. One of Logan's strengths was to gradually build up the theme of Hughes' OCD which was aided by Schoonmaker's editing of certain situations. DiCaprio was therefore able to hint at his character's downfall before he descended briefly into madness. Although DiCaprio lost that year's Best Actor award to Ray's Jamie Foxx he still demonstrated for the first time that he was capable of leading an epic such as The Aviator. Whilst I wasn't a fan of the film's episodic structure, Scorsese once again put together a classic Hollywood epic that looked fantastic. Unfortunately it was yet another film that failed to net him that elusive Best Director prize.
That prize would finally come his way two years later in yet another film that featured Leonardo DiCaprio in one of the lead roles. This time it was The Departed; an adaptation of the Korean Infernal Affairs series which saw the action transplanted to downtown Boston. As well as teaming up with DiCaprio for the third time, The Departed also saw Scorsese work with blog favourite Jack Nicholson in his most recent Oscar-nominated film to date. The film saw Nicholson play Boston mob boss Frank Costello, who was based on real-life Boston gangster Whitey Bulger. The early scenes of The Departed focus on Costello's mentoring of the impressionable Michael Sullivan who would later go on to become an officer in the Boston PD. Sullivan, played by Matt Damon, uses his new found position to feed information to Costello in order for him to evade detection. At the same time the Boston Police Chief enlists DiCaprio's police cadet Billy Costigan to go undercover in Costello's gang in order to feed them information. The film then follows Sullivan and Costigan's stories as they attempt to evade detection in the organisations that they've found themselves in. Another connection between the pair is police psychologist Madolyn Madden, who begins a relationship with Sullivan and eventually becomes his live-in girlfriend. At the same time Madden treats Costigan as a patient and the two begin an affair behind Sullivan's back. Like Gangs of New York and The Aviator before it, The Departed is a little overlong and like Scorsese's previous two Oscar contenders it clocks in at two and a half hours. However, after a slow start, The Departed finally gets going in its final hour where revelations are thrown out at an alarming speed. The finale is especially breathtaking and I remember being taken aback the first time I watched it over seven years ago.
When Scorsese won his Oscar for The Departed, which itself was that year's Best Picture winner, it was said that it was like him being awarded a Lifetime Achievement award for an inferior film. Although The Departed is far from Scorsese's most accomplished film it's still an interesting crime picture which has a lot to say about identity and what truly defines us. Screenwriter William Monahan's screenplay was definitely the strongest of the three films in this post and all of the major characters' motives are perfectly explained. Though it doesn't look as good as the two prior films, I believe that The Departed is Scorsese at his best as it's a grimy film that explores the underbelly of city life. Boston appears as a character in its own right thanks to Michael Ballhaus' fantastic cinematography. Meanwhile Leonardo DiCaprio shines once again as the conflicted Costigan who is constantly looking over his shoulder just in case he gets rumbled. Costigan is definitely the most interested role that DiCaprio has played up to this point although he wasn't awarded with a Best Actor nomination for this particular film. However DiCaprio did feature in that year's line-up for his turn in another film; Blood Diamond and I think this is possibly due to the fact that he and Matt Damon share equal screen time. I was also impressed by Damon's turn as the quick-witted Sullivan who ultimately destroys the man he work so hard to protect. Elsewhere Nicholson gives a scene-stealing turn as the terrifying Costello and Vera Farmiga held her own as Madolyn; the only woman to really feature strongly in the film. It was odd then that none of these performers earned an Oscar nod with The Departed's only acting nomination being given to Mark Wahlberg as the foul-mouthed Staff Sgt. Dignam. The Departed also utilised popular music well with The Rolling Stone's 'Gimme Shelter' and Dropkick Murphys' 'Shipping Up to Boston' being used several time throughout its run time. Ultimately, though not Scorsese's best work, The Departed deserved the plaudits it garnered thanks to its enthralling final act and a fine ensemble cast. It also proved that DiCaprio and Scorsese were a winning partnership and I think this post proved that they definitely brought out the best in one another.
That's not the end for Scorsese and DiCaprio whose partnership would result in another Oscar-nominated film in the following decade but that's another story. Next time however we look at a little British film that struck a chord with audiences and critics alike.
Scorsese's first collaboration with DiCaprio was Gangs of New York a film that the director had been working on for several decades. Based loosely on Herbert Asbury's non-fiction work of the same name Gangs of New York looks at the 19th century conflict between Irish immigrants and American natives as they fought for supremacy over several decades. I found that Scorsese dragged you into the picture kicking and screaming with an opening fight between Irish Priest Vallon's Dead Rabbits and the merciless Bill 'The Butcher' Cutting's Natives. This opening fight scene ultimately sees Vallon murdered by Cutting and his son Amsterdam being shipped off to an orphanage. DiCaprio then appears as the older incarnation of Amsterdam whose set on revenge against the man who killed his father. Instead of waging war against Cutting straight away, Amsterdam instead infiltrates his gang and at one point even saves his life. Cutting eventually begins to look upon Amsterdam as a son and therefore feels even more betrayed when he finally learns the truth. The film's third act sees Amsterdam's recovery from Bill's attack on him and his attempts to gain power in the city. It's in this third act that DiCaprio comes alive as Amsterdam empowers his Irish brethren and in doing so appoints one of his father's old allies as the town's sheriff. The film ends with another incredibly engaging fight sequence as Amsterdam takes the place of his father in the new incarnation of The Dead Rabbits. However, this fight plays out slightly differently as it coincides with the New York City Draft Riots and means that Cutting and Amsterdam have to contend with another conflict going on behind them. I found that this final sequence was a fitting end to a film that was problematic but ultimately satisfying.
It's clear to see that Gangs of New York was a labour of love for Scorsese and it apparently took him several years to complete. Part of the reason for this was his struggle to make the piece as authentic as possible down to making sure that each character's accent was spot on. One of the most impressive elements of Gangs of New York was its production design, which shockingly didn't win the Oscar in that category. Production designer Dante Ferretti recreated over a mile of mid-nineteenth century buildings in Rome where the filming took place. Ferretti's design is eye-catching from the initial scene which focuses on Cutting and The Priest's battle for the Five Points. Everything about Gangs of New York is designed within an inch of its life from the outstanding costumes to the perfectly coiffed moustached of Daniel Day-Lewis, who plays Bill 'The Butcher' with great aplomb. In fact Day-Lewis holds the film together at times and his performance earned Gangs of New York its only acting Oscar. Day-Lewis dominates the screen and showed us glimpses of There Will be Blood's Daniel Plainview; a role that snatched him his second Best Actor Oscar five years after Gangs of New York. The decision to cast Cameron Diaz as Amsterdam's love interest Jenny was an interesting one and I personally felt she fell short of the mark. Meanwhile, I found DiCaprio's acting style to be rather petulant and didn't think he was a match for Day-Lewis' scenery chewing. At the same time there were hints that Scorsese was bringing the best out in DiCaprio as his performance was certainly more assured than when we saw him in Titanic. As a whole I found Gangs of New York to be overly long and there was at least half a dozen scenes that were surplus to requirements. But it's hard to knock a film to which the director has clearly devoted so much time to perfecting. The combination of exquisite production design, a fine supporting cast and Day-Lewis' turn as The Butcher means that Gangs of New York is an enthralling watch even if it isn't the masterpiece that Scorsese intended it to be.
Two years later, Scorsese found himself at the Oscars once again with his Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator being nominated for Best Picture. In contrast to Gangs of New York, The Aviator didn't start of as Scorsese's baby and instead had been an idea floating around Hollywood since the 1970s. The Hughes biopic finally gained legs in the late 1990s with DiCaprio signed on to star whilst Michael Mann was set to direct. However, Mann was later dropped by the studio and replaced by Scorsese; partially due to his prior working relationship with DiCaprio. It was certainly clear that in the two years since Gangs of New York DiCaprio had come on leaps and bounds as an actor. It was also evident that he'd done his research into Howard Hughes' OCD; a condition that made him unable to deal with germs of any kind. If I had a particular issue with The Aviator then it was with John Logan's screenplay which I felt was rather episodic. The first act dealt with Hughes' creation of Hells' Angels before going on to look at his relationship with Katherine Hepburn. It was the Hughes and Hepburn story that really captured my imagination, partially as I'd followed the latter's career throughout the course of this blog. The film then follows Hughes' continued problems with Pan-Am and his eventual trial by the Senate. I thought that this latter half of the film was a lot less interesting with the trial scenes feeling rather clichéd. Additionally, I believe that Ava Gardner wasn't as compelling a female lead as Hepburn had been during the film's earlier moments. However, at least Logan ended the film superbly with a small victory for Hughes being followed by the suggestion that his mental health may be at its worst.
If I remember correctly, The Aviator was the definite favourite to win the Best Picture prize going into the 2005 Oscars. Although it ultimately didn't triumph in that category, it did go on to pick up an impressive five statuettes on the night. Winners included cinematographer Robert Richardson and editor Thelma Schoonmaker both of whom made the aerial scenes absolutely stunning. Dante Farretti was also rewarded with an Oscar for his recreation of Hughes' many aircrafts as well as recreating classic Hollywood landmarks. Most deserving of all was Cate Blanchett who, in my humble opinion, stole the show as the feisty Katherine Hepburn. As somebody who has watched a large amount of Katherine Hepburn films in the last few years, I can say without a doubt that Blanchett captured the actress' key mannerisms to a tea. It's a telling sign of Blanchett's skill that after she leaves the film the quality dips with Kate Beckinsale's Ava Gardner being incredibly inferior in comparison. Alan Alda was given a Best Supporting Actor nod for his role as the corrupt Senator Brewster, who attempted to bring down Hughes in order to help his friend at Pan-Am airways. However, the most impressive turn came from DiCaprio himself who I felt perfectly anchored the film as the troubled Hughes. One of Logan's strengths was to gradually build up the theme of Hughes' OCD which was aided by Schoonmaker's editing of certain situations. DiCaprio was therefore able to hint at his character's downfall before he descended briefly into madness. Although DiCaprio lost that year's Best Actor award to Ray's Jamie Foxx he still demonstrated for the first time that he was capable of leading an epic such as The Aviator. Whilst I wasn't a fan of the film's episodic structure, Scorsese once again put together a classic Hollywood epic that looked fantastic. Unfortunately it was yet another film that failed to net him that elusive Best Director prize.
That prize would finally come his way two years later in yet another film that featured Leonardo DiCaprio in one of the lead roles. This time it was The Departed; an adaptation of the Korean Infernal Affairs series which saw the action transplanted to downtown Boston. As well as teaming up with DiCaprio for the third time, The Departed also saw Scorsese work with blog favourite Jack Nicholson in his most recent Oscar-nominated film to date. The film saw Nicholson play Boston mob boss Frank Costello, who was based on real-life Boston gangster Whitey Bulger. The early scenes of The Departed focus on Costello's mentoring of the impressionable Michael Sullivan who would later go on to become an officer in the Boston PD. Sullivan, played by Matt Damon, uses his new found position to feed information to Costello in order for him to evade detection. At the same time the Boston Police Chief enlists DiCaprio's police cadet Billy Costigan to go undercover in Costello's gang in order to feed them information. The film then follows Sullivan and Costigan's stories as they attempt to evade detection in the organisations that they've found themselves in. Another connection between the pair is police psychologist Madolyn Madden, who begins a relationship with Sullivan and eventually becomes his live-in girlfriend. At the same time Madden treats Costigan as a patient and the two begin an affair behind Sullivan's back. Like Gangs of New York and The Aviator before it, The Departed is a little overlong and like Scorsese's previous two Oscar contenders it clocks in at two and a half hours. However, after a slow start, The Departed finally gets going in its final hour where revelations are thrown out at an alarming speed. The finale is especially breathtaking and I remember being taken aback the first time I watched it over seven years ago.
When Scorsese won his Oscar for The Departed, which itself was that year's Best Picture winner, it was said that it was like him being awarded a Lifetime Achievement award for an inferior film. Although The Departed is far from Scorsese's most accomplished film it's still an interesting crime picture which has a lot to say about identity and what truly defines us. Screenwriter William Monahan's screenplay was definitely the strongest of the three films in this post and all of the major characters' motives are perfectly explained. Though it doesn't look as good as the two prior films, I believe that The Departed is Scorsese at his best as it's a grimy film that explores the underbelly of city life. Boston appears as a character in its own right thanks to Michael Ballhaus' fantastic cinematography. Meanwhile Leonardo DiCaprio shines once again as the conflicted Costigan who is constantly looking over his shoulder just in case he gets rumbled. Costigan is definitely the most interested role that DiCaprio has played up to this point although he wasn't awarded with a Best Actor nomination for this particular film. However DiCaprio did feature in that year's line-up for his turn in another film; Blood Diamond and I think this is possibly due to the fact that he and Matt Damon share equal screen time. I was also impressed by Damon's turn as the quick-witted Sullivan who ultimately destroys the man he work so hard to protect. Elsewhere Nicholson gives a scene-stealing turn as the terrifying Costello and Vera Farmiga held her own as Madolyn; the only woman to really feature strongly in the film. It was odd then that none of these performers earned an Oscar nod with The Departed's only acting nomination being given to Mark Wahlberg as the foul-mouthed Staff Sgt. Dignam. The Departed also utilised popular music well with The Rolling Stone's 'Gimme Shelter' and Dropkick Murphys' 'Shipping Up to Boston' being used several time throughout its run time. Ultimately, though not Scorsese's best work, The Departed deserved the plaudits it garnered thanks to its enthralling final act and a fine ensemble cast. It also proved that DiCaprio and Scorsese were a winning partnership and I think this post proved that they definitely brought out the best in one another.
That's not the end for Scorsese and DiCaprio whose partnership would result in another Oscar-nominated film in the following decade but that's another story. Next time however we look at a little British film that struck a chord with audiences and critics alike.
Saturday, 28 February 2015
Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 388: An Idiot's Guide to Milkshake Drinking
When we last met Daniel Day-Lewis he was a fresh faced star still working in small budget British films for Jim Sheridan. But since then his star soared and he was in an demand figure primarily due to the fact that he didn't accept all that many projects. Later on we'll see an Oscar-nominated turn from him but first we look at the film that won him his second Academy Award.
It takes a special kind of actor to make a line about milkshake drinking sound intense, but thankfully Day-Lewis is that kind of Thespian. However, There Will Be Blood isn't a film set in a Wimpy, instead the milkshake line is an analogy used by the film's lead character Daniel Plainview to explain oil drainage. Paul Thomas Anderson's film centres on Plainview; a ruthless oilman who manipulates communities at the turn of the century in order to drill their land for oil. An atmospheric opening twenty minutes look at Plainview's rise to the top and also explain how he came to become the adopted father of a young lad simply known as H.W. The majority of the film takes place in Little Boston, California; where Paul Sunday has informed Daniel that his family's ranch has oil underneath it. After paying off Paul; Daniel travels to the ranch where he meets the family including Paul's twin brother; sanctimonious preacher Eli. Anderson attempts to make There Will be Blood epic in scale by including some rather memorable moments starting with an oil spill that ends with H.W. losing his hearing. Later H.W. burns down the house he and his father are staying in and this results in him being sent off to a school for the deaf. However Anderson's screenplay is more concerned with the feud between Eli and Daniel which sees both embarrass the other. Eventually they become family of sorts when H.W. marries Eli's youngest sister Mary. However, the aforementioned milkshake scene doesn't end well for Eli as he has a run in with a drunken Daniel and a bowling pin.
This final scene sees Day-Lewis maintain the intensity that he has displayed throughout almost the entire two and a half hour film. His brilliance is displayed early on when he is forced to communicate without the aid of a script. However, thanks to Anderson's storytelling ability, Day-Lewis gives us a strong idea of his character without saying a word. Day-Lewis similarly is able to turn on the charm when needs be and occasionally showcases Plainview's vulnerable side. Additionally he interacts well with Paul Dano, who we last saw in Little Miss Sunshine, who excels as both Paul and Eli Sunday. One of the film's most memorable scenes sees Eli getting Daniel to admit that he's abandoned H.W. by sending him off to school. This scene is later reversed when Daniel gets Eli to renounce himself as a false prophet in order to let him drill on the land that he's already drained. As well as Day-Lewis' win; There Will Be Blood also triumphed in the cinematography category thanks to Robert Elswit's sumptuous camera work. Elswitt makes us believe that we're in the early 20th century and is able to capture the spirit of a close-nit community drawn together by a God-fearing preacher. Also worthy of praise is Radiohead's Johnny Greenwood who provided an emotive score that added another dimension to the film. Greenwood's score was best utilised in the earlier scenes as it allowed the audience to understand just what was being said by the characters. Unfortunately, Greenwood was ineligible to be considered for the Best Original Score award due to the fact that some of the music was based on prior material. Whilst this is a mini travesty, it doesn't take away from what is ultimately a masterpiece in film-making and a worthy Best Picture nominee. In fact I would go as fas as to say that There Will be Blood deserved the Best Picture that year; a point I will assess in more detail once we get to the movie that was awarded the top prize at the 2008 ceremony.
Next time we focus on a director who was nominated for the Directing Oscar twice in the same year.
It takes a special kind of actor to make a line about milkshake drinking sound intense, but thankfully Day-Lewis is that kind of Thespian. However, There Will Be Blood isn't a film set in a Wimpy, instead the milkshake line is an analogy used by the film's lead character Daniel Plainview to explain oil drainage. Paul Thomas Anderson's film centres on Plainview; a ruthless oilman who manipulates communities at the turn of the century in order to drill their land for oil. An atmospheric opening twenty minutes look at Plainview's rise to the top and also explain how he came to become the adopted father of a young lad simply known as H.W. The majority of the film takes place in Little Boston, California; where Paul Sunday has informed Daniel that his family's ranch has oil underneath it. After paying off Paul; Daniel travels to the ranch where he meets the family including Paul's twin brother; sanctimonious preacher Eli. Anderson attempts to make There Will be Blood epic in scale by including some rather memorable moments starting with an oil spill that ends with H.W. losing his hearing. Later H.W. burns down the house he and his father are staying in and this results in him being sent off to a school for the deaf. However Anderson's screenplay is more concerned with the feud between Eli and Daniel which sees both embarrass the other. Eventually they become family of sorts when H.W. marries Eli's youngest sister Mary. However, the aforementioned milkshake scene doesn't end well for Eli as he has a run in with a drunken Daniel and a bowling pin.
This final scene sees Day-Lewis maintain the intensity that he has displayed throughout almost the entire two and a half hour film. His brilliance is displayed early on when he is forced to communicate without the aid of a script. However, thanks to Anderson's storytelling ability, Day-Lewis gives us a strong idea of his character without saying a word. Day-Lewis similarly is able to turn on the charm when needs be and occasionally showcases Plainview's vulnerable side. Additionally he interacts well with Paul Dano, who we last saw in Little Miss Sunshine, who excels as both Paul and Eli Sunday. One of the film's most memorable scenes sees Eli getting Daniel to admit that he's abandoned H.W. by sending him off to school. This scene is later reversed when Daniel gets Eli to renounce himself as a false prophet in order to let him drill on the land that he's already drained. As well as Day-Lewis' win; There Will Be Blood also triumphed in the cinematography category thanks to Robert Elswit's sumptuous camera work. Elswitt makes us believe that we're in the early 20th century and is able to capture the spirit of a close-nit community drawn together by a God-fearing preacher. Also worthy of praise is Radiohead's Johnny Greenwood who provided an emotive score that added another dimension to the film. Greenwood's score was best utilised in the earlier scenes as it allowed the audience to understand just what was being said by the characters. Unfortunately, Greenwood was ineligible to be considered for the Best Original Score award due to the fact that some of the music was based on prior material. Whilst this is a mini travesty, it doesn't take away from what is ultimately a masterpiece in film-making and a worthy Best Picture nominee. In fact I would go as fas as to say that There Will be Blood deserved the Best Picture that year; a point I will assess in more detail once we get to the movie that was awarded the top prize at the 2008 ceremony.
Next time we focus on a director who was nominated for the Directing Oscar twice in the same year.
Tuesday, 15 July 2014
Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 348-349: Daniel and Jim go for gold
Over the course of this blog we've seen many actors and actresses who've won multiple awards for their performances. Currently Katherine Hepburn holds the most acting Oscars with four awards in her possession but the male actor who has the most wins in the Lead Actor category is a more surprising choice. The actor in question is Daniel Day-Lewis, an English actor who we first saw in the 1980s giving a comedic turn in A Room With a View. At the beginning of the 1990s we saw Day-Lewis break out as a big name and establish his reputation as a method actor. Two of Day-Lewis' three Lead Actor nominations throughout the decade came through collaborations with Irish director Jim Sheridan the first of which was My Left Foot.
The film tells the story of Christy Brown, a young man who was born paralysed and could only use his left foot to communicate. The opening scenes of the film take place at a charity gala where Christy is placed in a holding room with a nurse who begins reading his autobiography. It's this autobiography that the film is adapted from and the flashbacks represent various pieces from the book. The first part of Christy's story deals with his attempts to get noticed by his family most of whom see him as nothing more than a worthless cripple. The only person who really seems to care about him is his mother and therefore she's delighted when he spells out her name with chalk, using only his left foot to do so. From there Christy develops a love of painting and becomes a well-regarded artist in the community, even opening his own exhibition. But Christy's main ambition in life appears to be finding somebody who loves him in more than just a platonic manner. The first example of this is when a local girl rejects a painting he created for her as a symbol of his love. Christy's next meaningful relationship is with Dr. Eileen Cole, who helps improve his speech but who later breaks his heart when she reveals she's in love with somebody else. Buoyed on by this rejection Christy uses his left foot to type out his autobiography which then sends the film full circle as nurse Mary Carr has the book in her hands. The final sequence is rather sweet as Christy, who has been in a holding room with Mary for the film's duration, asks her out which she finally agrees to. After a number of depressing moments, Sheridan ends the film on a high by revealing that Christy and Mary were later married.
Depicting characters with physical deficiencies is a sure fire way to get nominated for or even win an Oscar. What Day-Lewis brought to the role of Christy was an element of believability and also the feel that this man wasn't perfect just because he was crippled. Day-Lewis' method acting extended to the fact that during filming he'd demand to be carried around in his wheelchair constantly. This allowed the actor to experience the embarrassments the character faced on a daily basis as crew members had to aid him across any number of electrical wires. Ironically the actor had to use his right foot for all of Christy's paintings so a lot of the film was shot with special mirrors an effect that I didn't notice at all. But Day-Lewis' performance was one of many positive features that made My Left Foot so compelling. Brenda Fricker was absolutely astounding as Christy's mother and for her tender portrayal of a loving matriarch she was awarded that year's Best Supporting Actress award. Shane Connaughton and Sheridan's screenplay brilliantly dilutes Christy's autobiography into a well-paced story which covers all the major plot points successfully. Sheridan's direction really focuses on the Brown household who are all crammed into a small abode but are happy nonetheless. For a biographical film, I found My Left Foot to be visually arresting especially when Sheridan was focusing on Christy's artwork. Whilst My Left Foot isn't a particularly grand film what it does do is tell the story of an underdog in a way that is compelling but never patronising. I'm glad that the film picked up two acting awards and feel that it probably should have won Best Picture as well.
In the four years till they'd work together again, Day-Lewis was nominated for another Oscar for his part in Last of the Mohicans whilst Jim Sheridan directed The Field. Actor and director would then reconvene for In the Name of the Father, in which Day-Lewis would play the wrongly convicted Gerry Conlon who was thought to be a member of the IRA. Conlon, along with three others, went on to be known as 'The Guildford Four' as they were thought to be responsible for the Guildford Pub Bombings of 1974. Just like My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father is based on an autobiographical story by the lead character who never claims to be perfect. Conlon is a petty thief who, in the midst of the hostilities in Northern Ireland, journeys to London to be part of a free love commune. But he, along with three friends, are wrongly implicated in a bombing that happened nearby and are essentially tortured by the police until they confess. Along with the Guildford Four, seven members of Gerry's family are arrested as a supposed terror network and all are eventually convicted. Part courtroom drama and part prison film I found In the Name of the Father to primarily be a story about the love between a father and son. Although Gerry occasionally berates his dad Giuseppe, their relationship improves as they share time in prison together. As Giuseppe's health deteriorates, he calls in a campaign lawyer in an attempt to get an appeal. The lawyer Gareth Peirce is a feisty woman who finds herself bombarded by protocol and red tape until she finally discovers the truth to due to a mistake at the police station. Although it had a somewhat happy ending, In the Name of the Father was a frustrating watch at times as we knew from the start that Gerry and his friends were innocent.
Sheridan is unflinching in his depiction of the brutality inflicted on Gerry by the police and these scenes probably stuck with me the most. The editing and cinematography during these scenes is fantastic and really adds to the character's sense of disorientation. In the Name of the Father wasn't a film that I ever felt comfortable watching and instead it made me incredibly angry. Although I knew snippets of the story, watching it in this much detail was really tough. Day-Lewis demonstrates his range throughout the film as Gerry goes from happy-go-lucky thief to riotous prisoner and finally to vindicated victim. The actor constantly lets us know what his character is feeling and as the film progresses you feel even more sympathy for him. Even though Day-Lewis is excellent as always, I felt the best performance in the film came from Pete Postlethwaite as Giuseppe. Postlethwaite portrays Giuseppe as a traditional man who is found guilty purely because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The actor gives a subtle portrayal of a loving father and his descent into illness is just heartbreaking to watch. The always reliable Emma Thompson is great when she's given a chance to shine as the campaigning Mrs Peirce. In fact I would've like to have seen more from Thompson as her majority of screen time is her in a car listening to Gerry's story on her stereo. The tape recording that Gerry makes for Gareth is a great narrative device and stops the dreaded expositional voiceover from grating too much. Once again Sheridan and Day-Lewis prove they make a fine team as In the Name of the Father was nominated for a mighty seven Oscars even if it didn't win a single one.
Sheridan and Day-Lewis would go on to work together one more time however The Boxer didn't prove as fruitful as their first two outings together. Sheridan would go on to have a prolific career directing the semi-autobiographical In America as well as the 50 Cent movie Get Rich or Die Tryin'. Meanwhile Day-Lewis continued to perfect his method acting and as previously mentioned would go on to break an Oscar record, but more on that in the next decade.
Next time we witness multiple murders committed against a snowy backdrop.
Depicting characters with physical deficiencies is a sure fire way to get nominated for or even win an Oscar. What Day-Lewis brought to the role of Christy was an element of believability and also the feel that this man wasn't perfect just because he was crippled. Day-Lewis' method acting extended to the fact that during filming he'd demand to be carried around in his wheelchair constantly. This allowed the actor to experience the embarrassments the character faced on a daily basis as crew members had to aid him across any number of electrical wires. Ironically the actor had to use his right foot for all of Christy's paintings so a lot of the film was shot with special mirrors an effect that I didn't notice at all. But Day-Lewis' performance was one of many positive features that made My Left Foot so compelling. Brenda Fricker was absolutely astounding as Christy's mother and for her tender portrayal of a loving matriarch she was awarded that year's Best Supporting Actress award. Shane Connaughton and Sheridan's screenplay brilliantly dilutes Christy's autobiography into a well-paced story which covers all the major plot points successfully. Sheridan's direction really focuses on the Brown household who are all crammed into a small abode but are happy nonetheless. For a biographical film, I found My Left Foot to be visually arresting especially when Sheridan was focusing on Christy's artwork. Whilst My Left Foot isn't a particularly grand film what it does do is tell the story of an underdog in a way that is compelling but never patronising. I'm glad that the film picked up two acting awards and feel that it probably should have won Best Picture as well.
In the four years till they'd work together again, Day-Lewis was nominated for another Oscar for his part in Last of the Mohicans whilst Jim Sheridan directed The Field. Actor and director would then reconvene for In the Name of the Father, in which Day-Lewis would play the wrongly convicted Gerry Conlon who was thought to be a member of the IRA. Conlon, along with three others, went on to be known as 'The Guildford Four' as they were thought to be responsible for the Guildford Pub Bombings of 1974. Just like My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father is based on an autobiographical story by the lead character who never claims to be perfect. Conlon is a petty thief who, in the midst of the hostilities in Northern Ireland, journeys to London to be part of a free love commune. But he, along with three friends, are wrongly implicated in a bombing that happened nearby and are essentially tortured by the police until they confess. Along with the Guildford Four, seven members of Gerry's family are arrested as a supposed terror network and all are eventually convicted. Part courtroom drama and part prison film I found In the Name of the Father to primarily be a story about the love between a father and son. Although Gerry occasionally berates his dad Giuseppe, their relationship improves as they share time in prison together. As Giuseppe's health deteriorates, he calls in a campaign lawyer in an attempt to get an appeal. The lawyer Gareth Peirce is a feisty woman who finds herself bombarded by protocol and red tape until she finally discovers the truth to due to a mistake at the police station. Although it had a somewhat happy ending, In the Name of the Father was a frustrating watch at times as we knew from the start that Gerry and his friends were innocent.
Sheridan is unflinching in his depiction of the brutality inflicted on Gerry by the police and these scenes probably stuck with me the most. The editing and cinematography during these scenes is fantastic and really adds to the character's sense of disorientation. In the Name of the Father wasn't a film that I ever felt comfortable watching and instead it made me incredibly angry. Although I knew snippets of the story, watching it in this much detail was really tough. Day-Lewis demonstrates his range throughout the film as Gerry goes from happy-go-lucky thief to riotous prisoner and finally to vindicated victim. The actor constantly lets us know what his character is feeling and as the film progresses you feel even more sympathy for him. Even though Day-Lewis is excellent as always, I felt the best performance in the film came from Pete Postlethwaite as Giuseppe. Postlethwaite portrays Giuseppe as a traditional man who is found guilty purely because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The actor gives a subtle portrayal of a loving father and his descent into illness is just heartbreaking to watch. The always reliable Emma Thompson is great when she's given a chance to shine as the campaigning Mrs Peirce. In fact I would've like to have seen more from Thompson as her majority of screen time is her in a car listening to Gerry's story on her stereo. The tape recording that Gerry makes for Gareth is a great narrative device and stops the dreaded expositional voiceover from grating too much. Once again Sheridan and Day-Lewis prove they make a fine team as In the Name of the Father was nominated for a mighty seven Oscars even if it didn't win a single one.
Sheridan and Day-Lewis would go on to work together one more time however The Boxer didn't prove as fruitful as their first two outings together. Sheridan would go on to have a prolific career directing the semi-autobiographical In America as well as the 50 Cent movie Get Rich or Die Tryin'. Meanwhile Day-Lewis continued to perfect his method acting and as previously mentioned would go on to break an Oscar record, but more on that in the next decade.
Next time we witness multiple murders committed against a snowy backdrop.
Monday, 5 May 2014
Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 307: Give Peace a Chance
So we're finally here, and a lot quicker than I thought we would be, as I've finished in the 1980s in just over two months. As always the decade is ending and with, you guessed it, yet another historical epic. Although not directed by David Lean, Gandhi almost feels like a tribute to Lean by its director Richard Attenborough. I suppose I feel this way because of the film's spectacular exterior scenes and the way ii which India is shot throughout the film. In fact Lean was on board at one point to direct Gandhi but due to different circumstances it was Attenborough who ultimately helmed the project. Like a lot of the epics I've looked at in this decade, Gandhi takes place over a number of years beginning in 1893 and ending in 1948. The opening scene depicts the young Mohandas Gandhi being thrown off a train after he refused to move classes. From there Gandhi begins to fight injustice, firstly in South Africa when a new rule comes in which essentially makes Indians feel like second class citizens. Throughout the movie, we learn that Gandhi is only interested in peaceful protests and doesn't get angry when he's thrown in prison for his beliefs. As well as making a number of enemies, Gandhi builds up a following and he has a few loyal friends who he's able to count on. Much of the film depicts Gandhi's attempt to end the British Empire's control of India and his participation in the country's eventual independence. But Gandhi soon realises that he still cannot fully bring about peace due to the fact that India's different religious groups begin to squabble amongst one another. To attempt to counteract this, Gandhi goes on a hunger strike and eventually convinces his countrymen to throw down their weapons. Although he's ultimately murdered, Gandhi's message of an eye for an eye leaves all of us blind is one that resonates long after the film has ended.
I was interested to learn that novelisation of Gandhi's screenplay starts with an introduction from the film-makers explaining that no man's life can be encompassed in one telling. That's certainly evident throughout Gandhi, which at times feels like a potted history of the man rather than a cinematic version of his life story. It was clear that this was a passion project for Attenborough, who had attempted to get the project off the ground for almost thirty years. I do feel his need to tell as much of Gandhi's story as possible has meant that the film was a lot longer than it should've been and contained many superfluous scenes that were full of expositional speeches. Like most epics, Gandhi was at least great to look at with the film's cinematography capturing the brilliant scenery that India had to offer. Though it needed to be cut down, the film's editing was great nonetheless especially when newsreel from the time was intercut into the main body of the picture. Period detail appears to be another element that Attenborough was keen on getting right and he accomplished that thanks to some superb art direction and costume design. On top of the film's technical achievements, Gandhi's other saving grace was the fantastic central performance from Ben Kingsley. Kingsley was cast due to his Indian heritage and through his performance he really explained why so many people wanted to follow Gandhi. Kingsley's performance is one of the most captivating I've seen over the course of this project and he was rightfully rewarded with a Best Actor Oscar. There were plenty of familiar faces among the supporting cast with Martin Sheen, Candice Bergen and Geraldine James all giving impressive turns. But, aside from Kingsley, the best performance in the film came from Rohini Hattangadi as Gandhi's wife and I personally feel that she should have least received a nomination for her part in the movie. Ultimately Gandi combines a brilliant central term with some fairly outstanding set pieces but is let down by a baggy script and an overly long run time.
But did Gandhi deserve to win the Best Picture prize? Find out next time as I review every Oscar ceremony from the 1980s.
Sunday, 13 April 2014
Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 294-295: Forster's Flicks
Recently, when reviewing Tess, I talked about how a lot of the Best Picture nominees have been adaptations of classic works of English literature. That is the theme that ties the next two films on the list as both have been adapted from novels by EM Forster.
The first film, A Passage to India, is also the list picture to be directed by the legendary David Lean whose films had previously featured in four different posts. By this time in his career Lean had become synonymous with the audacious epic and, from a visual standpoint, A Passage to India. But, unlike some of his other films, I feel that A Passage to India was as concerned with its characters as it was with its stunning scenery and incredibly filmed set pieces. Set in during the 1920s, it tells that tale of Adela Quested who journeys to India to visit her fiancée Ronny who has become a magistrate in the country. Adela is joined by Ronny's mother Mrs Moore who is a lot less stuffy than a lot of the English folk they encounter in India. During one of her first nights in India, Mrs Moore meets the widowed Dr Aziz and the two strike up a friendship of sorts as they talk about their lives. Adela quickly discovers that Ronny's friends in India have quite a bigoted view on the natives and try to keep themselves to themselves as much as they can. After asking Aziz to help them find the real India, Adela and Mrs Moore quickly find themselves on an expedition to the Marabar Caves. When Mrs Moore becomes claustrophobic, Adela and Aziz go along with only a guide for company. However, Adela later emerges from the cave with her clothes torn and it's later insinuated that she's been raped by Aziz. Although the hysterical English folk rally round Adela and Ronny, Mrs Moore fails to believe her friend would act in such a way while Aziz's ally Richard Fielding feels the same. The court case soon brings out everybody's true feelings and results in a couple of tragic events along the way. I also found that everything that came after the court case went on far too long and A Passage to India could've ended about ten minutes before it did.
When I see a film is over two and half hours long I often approach it with some trepidation however A Passage to India just flew by. Part of the reason for this was the combination of Lean's sumptuous direction and is adaptation of Forster's compelling novel. Ernest Day's cinematography transported you to 1920s India allowing us to experience the sights and sounds of what the country offered at the time. Lean's long-time collaborator Maurice Jarre won another Oscar for his original score which once again perfectly suited the tone of the film. But possibly the biggest reason for A Passage to India's success was in its casting of actors who brilliantly brought the characters to life. I'm not alone in thinking that the stand out performance in the film belonged to Peggy Ashcroft as Mrs Moore. In fact Ashcroft won the Best Supporting Actress prize for her portrayal of an elderly woman who is still a lot more open-minded than her younger counterparts. Ashcroft's performance is both tender and strong as she makes you really believe in the courage of Mrs Moore's convictions. I do feel that Judy Davis' performance as Adela should have also earned her an Oscar as the Australian actress superbly portrayed a rather naive English rose. Davis lit up the screen as the damaged yet principled young woman who struggled to know where her loyalties should lie. Similarly excellent was Victor Banerjee as the wronged Dr. Aziz as he is able to switch his character from eternal optimist to jaded realist. Fantastic support is lent from a cavalcade of memorable British actors including Nigel Havers, Richard Wilson, James Fox and Art Malik. In fact the only questionable piece of casting comes in the form of Alec Guinness as Indian Professor Godbole. It just seemed a little odd that an incredibly famous Brit was playing a role that could've easily been taken by a talented Indian actor. But that's just a minor criticism in a costume drama that I enjoyed a lot more than I thought I would. Though overlong, I was swept up by the performances and Lean's superb direction. It's odd to think that the master of the epic will no longer feature on this list and I feel that A Passage to India was a perfect way to end his marvellous career.
Picking up the baton from Lean in a way were director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant who became synonymous with costume drama during the 1980s and 1990s. Merchant Ivory productions' first entry into this blog comes in the form of another Forster adaptation - A Room with A View. In addition to being the first Merchant Ivory film to feature during the challenge, A Room with A View was also one of the first movies to be co-produced by the then-fledgling Film 4 company. Although a lot lighter in tone, A Room with A View shares many similarities with A Passage to India including the fact that it focuses on a foreign holiday taken by a young woman and an older companion. In this case the country is Italy, the young woman is Miss Lucy Honeychurch and her older companion is her cousin and chaperone Charlotte Bartlett. The first half of the film looks at their stay in Italy which is initially plagued by the fact that they haven't got the room with the view they ordered. Their holiday is partly influenced by the people they meet including their local vicar, a pair of gentlewomen and a worldly novelist who is currently researching her next book. However Lucy's head is turned by the free-thinking George Emerson, who is staying at her hotel along with his father. Their time in Italy is cut short by a kiss that George steals from Lucy, an act that Charlotte is later appalled by. The second half of the film then takes place in Lucy's small Surrey town where her somewhat foppish family is criticised by the local snobs. One such snob, Cecil Vyse, is intrigued by Lucy and eventually asks her to marry him, a proposition she accepts. But when George, and later Charlotte, arrive in town things chance for Cecil and Lucy all together.
The third part of the Merchant Ivory family was screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala who often proved adept at providing accessible adaptations of English literature. I certainly think she did a great job with A Room with a View as I found the film to be well-paced and delightfully comic throughout. The majority of the characters within the film, with the possible exception of Lucy, were utter eccentrics but I have to say I didn't mind this too much. Jhabvala also broke down the story beautifully by interspersing various sections with the original titles of the book's chapters and was rewarded for her work here with an Oscar. Tony Pierce-Roberts' perfectly captured both the Italian scenery and the English countryside giving both unique identities and making sure they were the ideal backdrop for the story to take place. Richard Robbins' score provided great accompaniment for each scene and really enhanced the joy of the film. The art direction and costume design was equally fantastic and both areas were similarly honoured by Oscar. In another similarity with A Passage to India, A Room With a View is bolstered by a cast of reliable English actors. Maggie Smith is excellent as the reserved Charlotte as she excels at playing the woman who has never really lived life. A fresh-faced Helena Bonham Carter excels as the innocent Lucy who grows over the course of the film as do her feelings for Julian Sands' George. Plenty of reliable support is provided by Rupert Graves as Lucy's idiot brother, Judi Dench as the aforementioned novelist and Simon Callow who goes full-frontal as the local vicar. Interestingly, Daniel Day-Lewis also makes his debut on the blog as the incredibly insensitive Cecil whose incompatibility with Lucy didn't seem to affect his desire to propose to her. Even at this early stage in his career, Day-Lewis proved that he could become the character he was tasked with playing and indeed he is able to portray Cecil as the fool of the piece. Whilst not an outstanding film, A Room with a View was an enjoyably light period drama with plenty of eccentrics played by reliable actors. It perfectly demonstrated why Merchant Ivory were successful for so many years and why they would go on to garner a number of Oscar nominations in the next decade.
Next time we remain in British period drama territory as we focus on a war film with a difference.
The first film, A Passage to India, is also the list picture to be directed by the legendary David Lean whose films had previously featured in four different posts. By this time in his career Lean had become synonymous with the audacious epic and, from a visual standpoint, A Passage to India. But, unlike some of his other films, I feel that A Passage to India was as concerned with its characters as it was with its stunning scenery and incredibly filmed set pieces. Set in during the 1920s, it tells that tale of Adela Quested who journeys to India to visit her fiancée Ronny who has become a magistrate in the country. Adela is joined by Ronny's mother Mrs Moore who is a lot less stuffy than a lot of the English folk they encounter in India. During one of her first nights in India, Mrs Moore meets the widowed Dr Aziz and the two strike up a friendship of sorts as they talk about their lives. Adela quickly discovers that Ronny's friends in India have quite a bigoted view on the natives and try to keep themselves to themselves as much as they can. After asking Aziz to help them find the real India, Adela and Mrs Moore quickly find themselves on an expedition to the Marabar Caves. When Mrs Moore becomes claustrophobic, Adela and Aziz go along with only a guide for company. However, Adela later emerges from the cave with her clothes torn and it's later insinuated that she's been raped by Aziz. Although the hysterical English folk rally round Adela and Ronny, Mrs Moore fails to believe her friend would act in such a way while Aziz's ally Richard Fielding feels the same. The court case soon brings out everybody's true feelings and results in a couple of tragic events along the way. I also found that everything that came after the court case went on far too long and A Passage to India could've ended about ten minutes before it did.
When I see a film is over two and half hours long I often approach it with some trepidation however A Passage to India just flew by. Part of the reason for this was the combination of Lean's sumptuous direction and is adaptation of Forster's compelling novel. Ernest Day's cinematography transported you to 1920s India allowing us to experience the sights and sounds of what the country offered at the time. Lean's long-time collaborator Maurice Jarre won another Oscar for his original score which once again perfectly suited the tone of the film. But possibly the biggest reason for A Passage to India's success was in its casting of actors who brilliantly brought the characters to life. I'm not alone in thinking that the stand out performance in the film belonged to Peggy Ashcroft as Mrs Moore. In fact Ashcroft won the Best Supporting Actress prize for her portrayal of an elderly woman who is still a lot more open-minded than her younger counterparts. Ashcroft's performance is both tender and strong as she makes you really believe in the courage of Mrs Moore's convictions. I do feel that Judy Davis' performance as Adela should have also earned her an Oscar as the Australian actress superbly portrayed a rather naive English rose. Davis lit up the screen as the damaged yet principled young woman who struggled to know where her loyalties should lie. Similarly excellent was Victor Banerjee as the wronged Dr. Aziz as he is able to switch his character from eternal optimist to jaded realist. Fantastic support is lent from a cavalcade of memorable British actors including Nigel Havers, Richard Wilson, James Fox and Art Malik. In fact the only questionable piece of casting comes in the form of Alec Guinness as Indian Professor Godbole. It just seemed a little odd that an incredibly famous Brit was playing a role that could've easily been taken by a talented Indian actor. But that's just a minor criticism in a costume drama that I enjoyed a lot more than I thought I would. Though overlong, I was swept up by the performances and Lean's superb direction. It's odd to think that the master of the epic will no longer feature on this list and I feel that A Passage to India was a perfect way to end his marvellous career.
Picking up the baton from Lean in a way were director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant who became synonymous with costume drama during the 1980s and 1990s. Merchant Ivory productions' first entry into this blog comes in the form of another Forster adaptation - A Room with A View. In addition to being the first Merchant Ivory film to feature during the challenge, A Room with A View was also one of the first movies to be co-produced by the then-fledgling Film 4 company. Although a lot lighter in tone, A Room with A View shares many similarities with A Passage to India including the fact that it focuses on a foreign holiday taken by a young woman and an older companion. In this case the country is Italy, the young woman is Miss Lucy Honeychurch and her older companion is her cousin and chaperone Charlotte Bartlett. The first half of the film looks at their stay in Italy which is initially plagued by the fact that they haven't got the room with the view they ordered. Their holiday is partly influenced by the people they meet including their local vicar, a pair of gentlewomen and a worldly novelist who is currently researching her next book. However Lucy's head is turned by the free-thinking George Emerson, who is staying at her hotel along with his father. Their time in Italy is cut short by a kiss that George steals from Lucy, an act that Charlotte is later appalled by. The second half of the film then takes place in Lucy's small Surrey town where her somewhat foppish family is criticised by the local snobs. One such snob, Cecil Vyse, is intrigued by Lucy and eventually asks her to marry him, a proposition she accepts. But when George, and later Charlotte, arrive in town things chance for Cecil and Lucy all together.
The third part of the Merchant Ivory family was screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala who often proved adept at providing accessible adaptations of English literature. I certainly think she did a great job with A Room with a View as I found the film to be well-paced and delightfully comic throughout. The majority of the characters within the film, with the possible exception of Lucy, were utter eccentrics but I have to say I didn't mind this too much. Jhabvala also broke down the story beautifully by interspersing various sections with the original titles of the book's chapters and was rewarded for her work here with an Oscar. Tony Pierce-Roberts' perfectly captured both the Italian scenery and the English countryside giving both unique identities and making sure they were the ideal backdrop for the story to take place. Richard Robbins' score provided great accompaniment for each scene and really enhanced the joy of the film. The art direction and costume design was equally fantastic and both areas were similarly honoured by Oscar. In another similarity with A Passage to India, A Room With a View is bolstered by a cast of reliable English actors. Maggie Smith is excellent as the reserved Charlotte as she excels at playing the woman who has never really lived life. A fresh-faced Helena Bonham Carter excels as the innocent Lucy who grows over the course of the film as do her feelings for Julian Sands' George. Plenty of reliable support is provided by Rupert Graves as Lucy's idiot brother, Judi Dench as the aforementioned novelist and Simon Callow who goes full-frontal as the local vicar. Interestingly, Daniel Day-Lewis also makes his debut on the blog as the incredibly insensitive Cecil whose incompatibility with Lucy didn't seem to affect his desire to propose to her. Even at this early stage in his career, Day-Lewis proved that he could become the character he was tasked with playing and indeed he is able to portray Cecil as the fool of the piece. Whilst not an outstanding film, A Room with a View was an enjoyably light period drama with plenty of eccentrics played by reliable actors. It perfectly demonstrated why Merchant Ivory were successful for so many years and why they would go on to garner a number of Oscar nominations in the next decade.
Next time we remain in British period drama territory as we focus on a war film with a difference.
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