After watching three fairly epic Scorsese films in a row I was ready for a little bit of a break and thankfully there was a little bit more refinement waiting for me in my next selection of Joe Wright's Atonement. However, though it initially looks sedate, Atonement deals with some rather shocking themes and ends with a rather heartbreaking admission.
The majority of Atonement is devoted to the story, and the storytelling ability, of Briony Tallis who we first meet as a thirteen-year-old in the summer of 1935. Almost the entire first half of Atonement takes place over the course of a single day as Briony's lies have far-reaching consequences. What I found clever about Atonement was the way we see events from Briony's point-of-view and then we flashback to see how they came about. So for example we spy her sister Cecilia emerging from a fountain in front of the dashing Robbie before finding out why. It's Robbie's feelings for Cecilia that land him in trouble when Briony finds an explicit letter from him meant for her sister. As revenge she tells the police that she saw Robbie force himself on her cousin Lola. This accusation, combined with Robbie's letter, means that he's sent to prison where he stays for four years. The action then flashes forward where Robbie is now a soldier in World War II after agreeing to join the army as a way out of prison. The majority of Robbie and Cecilia's interaction in the film's second half comes via letters which are read in some incredibly well-edited set pieces. Elsewhere, the now eighteen-year-old Briony has realised just what she's done and is attempting to make amends with both Robbie and Cecilia. After an excellent reconstruction of the war-torn scenes on the sea at Dunkirk; we see what we believe happened to the film's tragic couple. However the epilogue, featuring a much older incarnation of Briony, reveals what truly happened to her sister and Robbie. It ends with the news that the modern day Briony has finally written her own book; Atonement, based on the events of the film.
Christopher Hampton's adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel puts Atonement's focus fully on storytelling and he and Wright definitely demonstrate this throughout the course of the film. I personally loved seeing the narrative from different angles and also the way in which Seamus McGarvey framed Robbie's letter writing so we could see the rude word that his correspondence contained. The film plays with narrative conventions and, when I first saw the film back in 2007, I was shocked by the older Briony's final confession. Watching it now, I have to say that I enjoyed the first half of the film much more than the second. The lust-filled summer night was to me a much more engaging proposition than another film set during World War II. However, I feel that it's the war portion of Atonement which piqued the interest of the Academy. To his credit McGarvey's five-minute sweeping shot of the Dunkirk beaches were superbly handled. I personally also enjoyed Dario Marianelli's Oscar-winning score which enhanced the drama perfectly and was at its best when it included the ominous typing of Briony's typewriter. Of the cast only young Saoirse Ronan was Oscar-nominated for her role as the youngest incarnation of Briony. To her credit the then unknown Ronan was utterly engaging as a young girl who'd just seen her first love in a compromising position with her sister. Ronan definitely gave the strongest portrayal of Briony which is surprising seeing as the oldest version of the character was played by Vanessa Redgrave. Meanwhile Keira Knightely and James McAvoy shared a heated chemistry as Cecilia and Robbie, a fact that made their romance all the more believable. Although not on the level of some of the epic films I've watched recently, Atonement is definitely a well-produced grown-up drama. Whilst I personally enjoyed its first half a lot more, there's no denying that Joe Wright's film more than deserved its place among that year's five Best Picture nominees.
Next time we focus on a much-nominated actress who finally got her hands on an Oscar during the noughties.
Showing posts with label Vanessa Redgrave. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vanessa Redgrave. Show all posts
Sunday, 15 March 2015
Sunday, 22 June 2014
Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 330-331: Emma T and Ivory Work Together in Perfect Harmony
Back in the 1980s we witnessed the first success of director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant as their adaptation of Forster's A Room with A View was nominated for Best Picture. Their success continued with two Best Picture nominations in the 1990s, the first of which came via another Forster adaptation in Howard's End
Howard's End also saw Merchant Ivory's first of two collaborations with both Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins. Thompson won her only acting Oscar for her role as Margaret Schlegel, a young woman who currently resides in London with her sister Helen and brother Tibby. The country estate of the title is an abode owned by the Wilcox family with whom the Schlegel sisters have their various dealings with over the course of the film. Their initial interaction comes when Helen rashly agrees to marry the younger Wilcox brother before they both change their mind. But Margaret gets wind of the event and the social faux pas that has been committed inadvertently leads her to befriend the lady of the house, Ruth. With Ruth at death's door and the Schlegel's requiring a new home; she bequeaths Howard's End to her newest friend. But Ruth's husband Henry, played by Hopkins, and the rest of her family tear up her handwritten will and agree not to tell Margaret of his late wife's wishes. However his guilt over this decision ends up with agreeing to find the Shlegels a new abode and in turn he starts to grow fond of Margaret. Meanwhile the sisters take to Leonard Bast, working class gentleman who they view as being intelligent beyond his standing. It's implied that Helen and Leonard are drawn to each other despite the fact that he's married to the quite uncouth Jacky. The Wilcoxes, the Schelgels and the Basts all collide in the film's memorable wedding scene in which revelations are made and families come to blows. The final third of the film really sees Thompson at her best as she realises the importance of those around her and sees her learn the ultimate truth about her place at Howard's End.
There's no denying that Thompson's performance in Howard's End see the actress at her very best. Three years after making her big screen debut, in then husband Kenneth Branagh's version on Henry V, Howard's End really made Thompson a star. She deals well with Forster's snappy dialogue and makes you care about the fact that Margaret missed out on owning the house she truly deserved. Thompson perfectly portrays Margaret's transformation from the free and easy Miss Shlegel to the reserved future Mrs Wilcox. Her body language alone is able to convey a multitude of emotions and at times she's the best thing about the entire film. I feel that Helena Bonham Carter deserves an equal amount of praise for her role as the feisty Helen, who is the one character who speaks her mind regardless if she's in the wrong. Carter has certainly grown a lot since we last saw her in A Room with a View but still maintains that joyful innocence that makes her the perfect actor to appear in these sort of films. Despite his character being detestable for the most part, Anthony Hopkins still lends some gravitas to the role of Henry. Hopkins is particularly great at perfecting the small looks that suggest that he is developing feelings for Margaret. One thing that confused me slightly was the fact that Vanessa Redgrave received a Supporting Actress nomination for her small role as Ruth. Although I found Redgrave captivating, she was only on screen for a matter of minutes and never astounded me in the way that Thompson did. As you would expect, the film looked fantastic with every costume and set feeling utterly convincing. The film won a further two awards; one for the brilliant Art Direction and one for Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's adapted screenplay which was incredibly well-paced from start to end. Despite all of these positives I couldn't help but feel oddly removed from Howard's End and it wasn't a film that I ever warmed to. Thompson's performance aside, there was nothing much that really made the film stand out from all of the other costume dramas around and I felt that Ivory could've made more use out of having the talented Hopkins on board.
Luckily, just one year later, Ivory got his chance to better utilise Hopkins and pair him with Thompson in such a way that the trio would create something special. The film was The Remains of The Day, another literary adaptation this time of the book written by Kazuo Ishiguro, with Jhabvala once again on screenplay duties. The movie centres round Hopkins' Mr Stevens, the loyal butler at Darlington Hall, a building that has just been saved from demolition by a new American owner Mr Lewis. Whilst in the present day Stevens begins a journey to see Darlington Hall's former housekeeper Miss Kenton, the film flashes back to explore their relationship over the years. Through these flashback scenes we quickly learn that Stevens is a loyal butler who never questions his master's orders and always believes in formality. His style somewhat clashes with that of Kenton's to the extent that he can't understand why she's brought a flower in to brighten up his study. They later argue over the extent of duties that Stevens' elderly underbutler father can perform after she notices that he's becoming more forgetful. These scenes culminate in Stevens learning of his father's death during a banquet and we see him continue to serve despite receiving this tragic news. Stevens' lack of outward emotion is a recurring theme of the film with Hopkins excelling at letting the audience know when his character his hurting inside. This is certainly true of Hopkins' relationship with his employer, Lord Darlington who is gradually revealed to be involved in having direct contact with the Nazi party. In the present day we learn that Darlington has recently died after being outed as a Nazi conspirator in The Daily Mail. Stevens lack of opinion on any matter extends to his possible romance with Miss Kenton who is seemingly drawn to her boss. The two share several glances over the years but it's his lack of ability to open up that ultimately sees her marry another man. Their exchanges in the present day are extremely emotional and their parting on a seaside bench is particularly memorable. As the film comes to an end Ivory suggests that Stevens is like a trapped bird who is stuck in Darlington Hall until his dying day.
The Remains of the Day was almost a purely perfect film primarily thanks to the complex performance from Hopkins. Hopkins' performance lets the audience in on Steven's secrets to the extent where we realise he's lying even though the other characters don't. It's his subtle turn in the film that makes the reserved Stevens a character we want to follow despite not being an overly likeable person. Whilst not as emotionally-stunted as Stevens, Emma Thompson still makes us believe that Miss Kenton isn't as open about her feelings as she should be. This is demonstrated when Darlington orders Stevens to fire some refugee maids, an order that Kenton is opposed to but at the same time isn't prepared to wholly stand up for what she believes in. Thompson and Hopkins share a lot more chemistry here than they did in Howard's End which is odd seeing as their characters were a couple in Ivory's previous film. I believe that their chemistry is needed here in order for the audience to will Stevens and Kenton to be together even though we realise that their match is doomed to fail. James Fox provides reliable support as Darlington as he portrays him as a man who wants to do the right thing but is ultimately swayed by stronger forces. Both Christopher Reeve and Hugh Grant are on form as Lewis and Darlington's journalist godson respectively with the latter particularly shining in a scene where Stevens has to explain the facts of life to him. Richard Robbins score perfectly captures the emotional nature of the film whilst once again the art and costume direction are flawless. Unfortunately, The Remains of The Day had the bad luck to come up against Schindler's List at that year's Oscars and therefore didn't win a single one of the eight Oscars it had been nominated for. I feel that it's a real shame that Hopkins in particular didn't win a Best Actor Oscar for what I consider to be his best performance to date.
Next time we see Emma Thompson win her second Oscar as she introduces a new British actress to the public's attention.
There's no denying that Thompson's performance in Howard's End see the actress at her very best. Three years after making her big screen debut, in then husband Kenneth Branagh's version on Henry V, Howard's End really made Thompson a star. She deals well with Forster's snappy dialogue and makes you care about the fact that Margaret missed out on owning the house she truly deserved. Thompson perfectly portrays Margaret's transformation from the free and easy Miss Shlegel to the reserved future Mrs Wilcox. Her body language alone is able to convey a multitude of emotions and at times she's the best thing about the entire film. I feel that Helena Bonham Carter deserves an equal amount of praise for her role as the feisty Helen, who is the one character who speaks her mind regardless if she's in the wrong. Carter has certainly grown a lot since we last saw her in A Room with a View but still maintains that joyful innocence that makes her the perfect actor to appear in these sort of films. Despite his character being detestable for the most part, Anthony Hopkins still lends some gravitas to the role of Henry. Hopkins is particularly great at perfecting the small looks that suggest that he is developing feelings for Margaret. One thing that confused me slightly was the fact that Vanessa Redgrave received a Supporting Actress nomination for her small role as Ruth. Although I found Redgrave captivating, she was only on screen for a matter of minutes and never astounded me in the way that Thompson did. As you would expect, the film looked fantastic with every costume and set feeling utterly convincing. The film won a further two awards; one for the brilliant Art Direction and one for Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's adapted screenplay which was incredibly well-paced from start to end. Despite all of these positives I couldn't help but feel oddly removed from Howard's End and it wasn't a film that I ever warmed to. Thompson's performance aside, there was nothing much that really made the film stand out from all of the other costume dramas around and I felt that Ivory could've made more use out of having the talented Hopkins on board.
Luckily, just one year later, Ivory got his chance to better utilise Hopkins and pair him with Thompson in such a way that the trio would create something special. The film was The Remains of The Day, another literary adaptation this time of the book written by Kazuo Ishiguro, with Jhabvala once again on screenplay duties. The movie centres round Hopkins' Mr Stevens, the loyal butler at Darlington Hall, a building that has just been saved from demolition by a new American owner Mr Lewis. Whilst in the present day Stevens begins a journey to see Darlington Hall's former housekeeper Miss Kenton, the film flashes back to explore their relationship over the years. Through these flashback scenes we quickly learn that Stevens is a loyal butler who never questions his master's orders and always believes in formality. His style somewhat clashes with that of Kenton's to the extent that he can't understand why she's brought a flower in to brighten up his study. They later argue over the extent of duties that Stevens' elderly underbutler father can perform after she notices that he's becoming more forgetful. These scenes culminate in Stevens learning of his father's death during a banquet and we see him continue to serve despite receiving this tragic news. Stevens' lack of outward emotion is a recurring theme of the film with Hopkins excelling at letting the audience know when his character his hurting inside. This is certainly true of Hopkins' relationship with his employer, Lord Darlington who is gradually revealed to be involved in having direct contact with the Nazi party. In the present day we learn that Darlington has recently died after being outed as a Nazi conspirator in The Daily Mail. Stevens lack of opinion on any matter extends to his possible romance with Miss Kenton who is seemingly drawn to her boss. The two share several glances over the years but it's his lack of ability to open up that ultimately sees her marry another man. Their exchanges in the present day are extremely emotional and their parting on a seaside bench is particularly memorable. As the film comes to an end Ivory suggests that Stevens is like a trapped bird who is stuck in Darlington Hall until his dying day.
The Remains of the Day was almost a purely perfect film primarily thanks to the complex performance from Hopkins. Hopkins' performance lets the audience in on Steven's secrets to the extent where we realise he's lying even though the other characters don't. It's his subtle turn in the film that makes the reserved Stevens a character we want to follow despite not being an overly likeable person. Whilst not as emotionally-stunted as Stevens, Emma Thompson still makes us believe that Miss Kenton isn't as open about her feelings as she should be. This is demonstrated when Darlington orders Stevens to fire some refugee maids, an order that Kenton is opposed to but at the same time isn't prepared to wholly stand up for what she believes in. Thompson and Hopkins share a lot more chemistry here than they did in Howard's End which is odd seeing as their characters were a couple in Ivory's previous film. I believe that their chemistry is needed here in order for the audience to will Stevens and Kenton to be together even though we realise that their match is doomed to fail. James Fox provides reliable support as Darlington as he portrays him as a man who wants to do the right thing but is ultimately swayed by stronger forces. Both Christopher Reeve and Hugh Grant are on form as Lewis and Darlington's journalist godson respectively with the latter particularly shining in a scene where Stevens has to explain the facts of life to him. Richard Robbins score perfectly captures the emotional nature of the film whilst once again the art and costume direction are flawless. Unfortunately, The Remains of The Day had the bad luck to come up against Schindler's List at that year's Oscars and therefore didn't win a single one of the eight Oscars it had been nominated for. I feel that it's a real shame that Hopkins in particular didn't win a Best Actor Oscar for what I consider to be his best performance to date.
Next time we see Emma Thompson win her second Oscar as she introduces a new British actress to the public's attention.
Monday, 19 August 2013
Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 226-227: Growing Quite Fonda Jane
Continuing our retrospective on stars who have more than one film nominated for Oscar in the 1970s, we come to one Jane Fonda. Jane, daughter of Henry Fonda, had come to prominence in the 1960s and at the 1972 Oscar Ceremony won her first Best Actress Oscar for playing a high-class call girl in the movie Klute. By the late 1970s, a period in which both these nominated films were released, Fonda was only making films relating to serious issues and here we saw her try to evade the Nazis and care for soldiers who'd be wounded in Vietnam. It was interesting for me to go back and watch these films as I'm only aware of Fonda through her exercise videos and her comeback in ropey movies such as Monster-in-Law and Georgia Rule. What I found was an actress who gave extremely big performances that weren't necessarily suitable for the roles she was playing.
First up we have Fonda portraying playwright Lillian Hellman, in a film based on a chapter in the author's book Pentimento, in which we see her tortured relationship with childhood friend and titular character Julia. The film sees Lillian and Julia take different paths in life with the latter journeying to Vienna to complete a medical degree while the former attempting to write a play at the same time as living with famed author Dashiell Hammett. After serving some time in Europe, Julia become involved in the battle against the Nazis and is injured in a blast at an apartment building. Lillian, having arrived in Paris, attempts to make contact with her friend but finds the task difficult. Eventually, Lillian hears from Julia, who wants to meet her in Berlin and asks for her help carrying an item across the border. The two eventually meet in a cafe, however their meeting is tense due to Lillian's nervousness surrounding the mission she's been given. Lillian later discovers Julia has had a daughter and sets out to find the child in order to give it a better home.
Interestingly the story of Julia is one that has been criticised as pure fiction and many have claimed that Hellman never had a childhood friend nor did she have to endure the tricky ride from Paris to Berlin that she did here. I found the majority of the film to be fairly melodramatic and lacking in any really compelling form of storytelling. I thought that Fonda's performance as Lillian was completely over-the-top and I didn't really find her that believable, or indeed likeable. I found that the scene on the train took far too long and I was really bored by the time that Lillian had to execute the mission she has been given. When she was on screen, I felt that Vanessa Redgrave's Julia was the complete antithesis of Fonda's character in that she was calm and reasonable. In fact I would've liked to have seen a lot more from Julia, though in fact Redgrave only appears in a handful of scenes which is a shame. I'm surprised then to learn that Redgrave won the Best Supporting Actress award for her role in Julia, as she didn't make much of an impression on me at all. Similarly Jason Robards, as Hammett, won the Best Supporting Actor award with his role being confined to a couple of scenes in which he attempted to calm down the hysterical Lillian. What I did enjoy was the style of the whole piece, it was well-shot and Georges Delerue's score was fairly memorable. The problem was that the lead character was neither that compelling nor particularly likeable and part of me would attribute that to the fact that director Fred Zinneman felt utter hatred towards Hellman by the end of their working relationship together. One fun Oscar-related fact is that Julia saw the film debut of a woman by the name of Meryl Streep, who we'll be talking a lot more about from here on in.
One year later, Fonda starred in Coming Home a film in which she played Sally Hyde, loyal wife to Marine Captain Bob. As Bob journeys to Vietnam, Sally changes aspects about her life - she buys a new car, stops straightening her hair and gets a new apartment near the beach. Sally also starts working as a volunteer at the VA Hospital where she meets an old school acquaintance in Luke Martin, who lost the use of his legs in Vietnam. Luke has since become a depressive who lashes out at everyone around him, but Sally's presence in his life sees him being lifted from his depression. As their relationship grows, Sally and Luke find themselves attracted to one another but Sally is forced to meet up with Bob in Hong Kong. However, on her return, she finds out that Luke has been released from hospital and now has his own apartment. But the death of one of the hospital's patients has a profound effect on Luke who decides to start protesting the war. Sally tries to stand by him, but Bob's return from the war sees her torn between the men in her life.
I have to say I really enjoyed Coming Home however, once again, I felt that Jane Fonda overplayed her role as Sally, for which she won the Best Actress Oscar at that year's ceremony. In fact, her performance was really the only negative in a film that had a lot to say about the Vietnam War and why people were protesting it. While Hal Ashby's political views were somewhat overtly portrayed, I never found the film to be particularly preachy and the fact that the film's hero was incredibly flawed was a good move. Best Actor winner Jon Voight was absolutely excellent in his role as the depressive Luke with the actor successfully portraying Luke's transition from angry cripple to inspiring public speaker. The supporting performances were equally as good with Bruce Dern giving a great turn as Bob, the archetypal military man and the complete opposite of Luke. I also enjoyed Penelope Milford as Sally's friend Vi, who was portrayed as a freeing influence on Sally but at the same time had moments of drama due to her brother's death. One of the reviews I read of Coming Home said that the soundtrack was overly explicit, but I personally felt every track added to the mood of the film. From 'Hey Jude' and 'Ruby Tuesday' to 'Born to Be Wild' and the excellent 'Just Like a Woman' this was a bumper collection of 1960s rock classics and I enjoyed every one of them. On the whole Hal Ashby's film had a lot of great moments, performances and songs but again was let down by an OTT performance from Fonda.
After watching these two films, I have to say I'm not overly taken by Fonda's style, but at the same time I feel it's quite harsh to judge an actress by two films alone. Fonda will pop up again in the 1980s and I'm willing to give her acting another chance but these two films led be to believe that her acting style was often melodramatic and didn't really lend itself to the tone of the film in which she appeared.
Up next we journey abroad to watch an alternative style of film to the mainstream American movies we've been watching up to this point.
First up we have Fonda portraying playwright Lillian Hellman, in a film based on a chapter in the author's book Pentimento, in which we see her tortured relationship with childhood friend and titular character Julia. The film sees Lillian and Julia take different paths in life with the latter journeying to Vienna to complete a medical degree while the former attempting to write a play at the same time as living with famed author Dashiell Hammett. After serving some time in Europe, Julia become involved in the battle against the Nazis and is injured in a blast at an apartment building. Lillian, having arrived in Paris, attempts to make contact with her friend but finds the task difficult. Eventually, Lillian hears from Julia, who wants to meet her in Berlin and asks for her help carrying an item across the border. The two eventually meet in a cafe, however their meeting is tense due to Lillian's nervousness surrounding the mission she's been given. Lillian later discovers Julia has had a daughter and sets out to find the child in order to give it a better home.
Interestingly the story of Julia is one that has been criticised as pure fiction and many have claimed that Hellman never had a childhood friend nor did she have to endure the tricky ride from Paris to Berlin that she did here. I found the majority of the film to be fairly melodramatic and lacking in any really compelling form of storytelling. I thought that Fonda's performance as Lillian was completely over-the-top and I didn't really find her that believable, or indeed likeable. I found that the scene on the train took far too long and I was really bored by the time that Lillian had to execute the mission she has been given. When she was on screen, I felt that Vanessa Redgrave's Julia was the complete antithesis of Fonda's character in that she was calm and reasonable. In fact I would've liked to have seen a lot more from Julia, though in fact Redgrave only appears in a handful of scenes which is a shame. I'm surprised then to learn that Redgrave won the Best Supporting Actress award for her role in Julia, as she didn't make much of an impression on me at all. Similarly Jason Robards, as Hammett, won the Best Supporting Actor award with his role being confined to a couple of scenes in which he attempted to calm down the hysterical Lillian. What I did enjoy was the style of the whole piece, it was well-shot and Georges Delerue's score was fairly memorable. The problem was that the lead character was neither that compelling nor particularly likeable and part of me would attribute that to the fact that director Fred Zinneman felt utter hatred towards Hellman by the end of their working relationship together. One fun Oscar-related fact is that Julia saw the film debut of a woman by the name of Meryl Streep, who we'll be talking a lot more about from here on in.
One year later, Fonda starred in Coming Home a film in which she played Sally Hyde, loyal wife to Marine Captain Bob. As Bob journeys to Vietnam, Sally changes aspects about her life - she buys a new car, stops straightening her hair and gets a new apartment near the beach. Sally also starts working as a volunteer at the VA Hospital where she meets an old school acquaintance in Luke Martin, who lost the use of his legs in Vietnam. Luke has since become a depressive who lashes out at everyone around him, but Sally's presence in his life sees him being lifted from his depression. As their relationship grows, Sally and Luke find themselves attracted to one another but Sally is forced to meet up with Bob in Hong Kong. However, on her return, she finds out that Luke has been released from hospital and now has his own apartment. But the death of one of the hospital's patients has a profound effect on Luke who decides to start protesting the war. Sally tries to stand by him, but Bob's return from the war sees her torn between the men in her life.
I have to say I really enjoyed Coming Home however, once again, I felt that Jane Fonda overplayed her role as Sally, for which she won the Best Actress Oscar at that year's ceremony. In fact, her performance was really the only negative in a film that had a lot to say about the Vietnam War and why people were protesting it. While Hal Ashby's political views were somewhat overtly portrayed, I never found the film to be particularly preachy and the fact that the film's hero was incredibly flawed was a good move. Best Actor winner Jon Voight was absolutely excellent in his role as the depressive Luke with the actor successfully portraying Luke's transition from angry cripple to inspiring public speaker. The supporting performances were equally as good with Bruce Dern giving a great turn as Bob, the archetypal military man and the complete opposite of Luke. I also enjoyed Penelope Milford as Sally's friend Vi, who was portrayed as a freeing influence on Sally but at the same time had moments of drama due to her brother's death. One of the reviews I read of Coming Home said that the soundtrack was overly explicit, but I personally felt every track added to the mood of the film. From 'Hey Jude' and 'Ruby Tuesday' to 'Born to Be Wild' and the excellent 'Just Like a Woman' this was a bumper collection of 1960s rock classics and I enjoyed every one of them. On the whole Hal Ashby's film had a lot of great moments, performances and songs but again was let down by an OTT performance from Fonda.
After watching these two films, I have to say I'm not overly taken by Fonda's style, but at the same time I feel it's quite harsh to judge an actress by two films alone. Fonda will pop up again in the 1980s and I'm willing to give her acting another chance but these two films led be to believe that her acting style was often melodramatic and didn't really lend itself to the tone of the film in which she appeared.
Up next we journey abroad to watch an alternative style of film to the mainstream American movies we've been watching up to this point.
Thursday, 18 July 2013
Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 209: More English History Lessons
As I've been trawling through the 1960s nominees I've been amazed at how many British films I've come across. Those of you who read my Peter O'Toole piece know that the actor starred in two films in which he played Henry II, those being Becket and The Lion in Winter. I'd like to think that those two films make up some sort of trilogy with my final 1960s film - A Man for All Seasons. The film, which won Best Picture at the 1967 ceremony, also concerns English monarchy and is full of idyllic outdoor locations. Like Becket, the film is about the relationship between a King and one of his nobleman, in this case Henry VIII and his Chancellor Sir Thomas More. The film is all based around the story of Henry attempting to get a divorce from Catherine of Aragon so he can marry his mistress Anne Boleyn. The incredibly pious More doesn't think that Henry should get the divorce and moreover refuses to implant him as head of the Church of England. It's clear that Henry really loves Thomas, however he can't understand his friend's decision not to let him do whatever he wants. In the end, Thomas realises that resistance is futile so he resigns as Chancellor and the marriage later goes through. However, Henry is keen to punish More for both refusing the marriage and not attending the wedding. Henry requests that the new Chancellor, Thomas Cromwell, try to find evidence that proves More is a traitor. However, More remains steadfast in his silence and is arrested for his supposed betrayal of the King. Anybody who knows their English history knows how the story ends, however I'm not going to spoil it for those who didn't listen during class.
From the opening few scenes of A Man for All Seasons, it's pretty easy to see that the film was based on a play. A lot of the scenes involve characters simply talking to each other in rooms while I times I felt I was simply watching a filmed version of the play. Having said that, the film attempts to make the most of its exterior locations most notably the journey More makes between his house and court using the river. The Oscar-winning costumes are all also stunning and really add to the realism of the film as you really believe you're in Tudor England. However, the film's best quality is definitely its ensemble cast, all of whom completely embody their respective characters. Paul Scofield won the Best Actor Oscar for his role as More and I found him completely engrossing throughout. Scofield is able to convey More's moral standing with ease but also makes him somewhat of a flawed hero. As his wife, the Oscar-nominated Wendy Hiller puts in another great turn as she pleads with her husband to forgo his morals and save himself. In addition, the film boasts several scene-stealing performances most notably Robert Shaw as the boisterous King Henry and Orson Welles as the shady Cardinal Wolsely. In one of his first on-screen roles, John Hurt makes a big impression as the slimy Rich who plays both sides of the court to get his own way. My main issue with A Man for All Seasons was that it remained fairly static throughout and I never really found myself immersed in the story in the way I probably ought to be. This is probably because I studied this period of history quite extensively and therefore found it quite hard to enjoy A Man for All Seasons as pure entertainment film.
Overall, A Man for All Seasons is an incredibly well-acted film that boasts gorgeous costumes and art direction. At the same time a lot of the scenes are quite static and I never felt I could truly relax while watching the film. But did the film deserve to win Best Picture? Join me next time as I look back at the 1960s ceremonies and reveal my decisions on whether the ten winners all deserved their awards.
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