James Absolon explains how this Pope-themed film, despite its risky premise, works
Alex Pollard reviews Hollywood's biopic of the controversial Margaret Thatcher
Initially I dreaded writing this review because it’s been ages since I saw the film and read the book. But I walked out of Atonement with such mixed feelings that the reflection has probably been a good thing. I’ve got a small confession, unusually for me, I didn’t read the book before seeing the film but I don’t think it matters all that much (don’t shoot me Ian McEwan fans). I say this, now having read the book, because I think that Christopher Hampton’s adaptation is remarkably faithful to both the plot and, more importantly, the feel of it. It also adds its own sensory dimension and is an exquisite gem of a film. The brief, golden, burnished gilt of both the country poised and the brink of World War II and frantically denying it and the stunning young cast who literally glow in the oppressive heat of the hottest day of the year 1935.
The plot is complex, delicate, thoughtful and devastating. The key theme is words; how careful selection and lies can devastate peoples’ lives. It focuses on one lie by an innocent (a too knowing innocent) which rips two families apart and cuts short a fledgling love affair. This is made particularly poignant by the filming which loops back on itself replaying the same scene from a different perspective, notably the sexual magical-realism underwater sequence and the rug pulling twist at the end which lets us know that the truth is at any point subject to revision. For those who haven’t read the book I don’t want to give the plot away because it really is heart in the mouth, tension building stuff with an atmosphere you can cut with a knife. But I will gush about the set, cast and ravishing costumes. Atonement brought us a future iconic green dress, dazzling lavish country estate scenes, the most erotic sex scene in years- I’ve maintained throughout my university life that libraries are sexy places- and an oppressive heat that seduces and engages you while storm clouds perceptibly gather in your peripheral vision.
There is near perfect casting and performances. Keira Knightley gives a grown-up, coming-of-age performance as young, oh-so-bored, rail thin, brittle Cecelia Tallis and I think missed out undeservedly on an Oscar nomination. The white hot, stiff upper lip passion between her and James McAvoy, a virile and charming Robbie, her social inferior, is beautifully directed. The three Briony’s bring different things to the table. Romola Garai is slightly overshadowed by the captivating young Saoirse Ronan but gives a solid performance none the less and Vanessa Redgrave’s portrayal of Briony near the end of her life, finally trying to atone, nearly broke my heart it was so damn good.
So what’s wrong with it? Clearly, not a lot. I preferred the first hour for the aforesaid reasons but did struggle slightly to make the transition to war torn France and I found the four minute pan across Dunkirk beach technically astonishing with its Ferris wheel, hundreds of extras and dead horses but struggled to get back into the film- it was perhaps too long and threw me.
All in all an absolute must see. Although it is perhaps not a film to watch with your parents.
Atonement directed by Joe Wright is currently showing at City Screens.
Alice Bushell
Rescue Dawn is essentially a tale of survival – it could almost be summed up in the clichéd terms ‘fighting against the odds’ and ‘triumphing over adversity.' Set in Laos in 1965, Werner Herzog’s film is based on the true story of German born American Soldier Dieter Dengler, who was shot down and taken as a POW during the Vietnam War. Herzog’s film, surprisingly, isn’t overly political or preaching. He doesn’t use Denglar’s story as a platform to condemn the U.S government for its actions, but rather focuses on the bravery, ingenuity, and perseverance of one man.
Shot primarily in Thailand, the film opens with breathtaking shots of lush, green, overpowering landscapes, with an elegant score provided by Klaus Bedelt. We are then taken aboard the U.S.S Ranger, where American soldiers are being prepped for a ‘classified’ mission – a bombing raid in Laos, one of many such attacks that were denied for years by the U.S Government. Rather than being solemn or sinister, the scene is light-hearted and comical. The men are shown a cliché film reel explaining how to survive in the jungle, should they be stranded, and they act like schoolchildren – jeering and mocking the ‘smart soldier’ on screen. Spook, played by Toby Huss, is the class clown, keeping his shipmates in stitches as he comments ‘he’s got a nice ass for a sailor. I don’t mean that in a weird way…’. The scenes on the ship feel absurd and unreal in their domesticity, with Dieter (Christian Bale) bargaining with a military supplier as if they were in a shoe shop.
Once he has been shot down and stranded in Laos, we are finally given the film we were expecting. Dieter is entirely alone in completely foreign territory – his every feature betraying him as the enemy. There are direct parallels between shots of Dieter and the heavily mocked film reel. But the helicopter passing overhead doesn’t see him, and leaves him stranded atop a massive rock, an isolated figure against unyielding cliffs and swarms of enemy militia in the grass.
Dieter is then taken from complete isolation to a smothering constant closeness in a prison camp, bound to his fellow prisoners with planks of wood. The joking and camaraderie somehow resurface amongst these men, even in extreme circumstances – they’ve even given their captors nicknames – Crazy Horse, Little Hitler, and of course, a midget named Jumbo. The effects of torture are there, in the nervousness of Duane (Steve Zahn) and Gene’s eerily vacant eyes (an amazingly disconcerting performance by Jeremy Davies). Within the prison it is a sociological study of how these men cope. This is where Dieter’s perseverance and ingenuity shine through in an amazing display of real-life heroism – he orchestrates a complex and sophisticated escape for a group of men who have entirely given up.
Based on a true story, the plot is limited to events that have actually been documented. There is no extreme Marlon Brando figure to epitomise the evils of mankind as in Apocalypse Now. Rescue Dawn is not an outright critique or an interpretation, it is a retelling, a fact which makes Dieter Dengler’s accomplishments all the more miraculous. Set in a beautiful location, the film is a spectacular, but fundamentally believable portrayal of a man ‘beating the odds’.
"Rescue Dawn" directed by Werner Herzog
Nicola Fairhead
You must log in to submit a comment.
