Atonement (2008)

unintended catastrophe

This film opens in 1935 at a spectacular estate in the English countryside, takes us to the bloody beaches of Dunkirk, and then ends in a television studio sixty years later. The well-to-do Cecilia falls in love with Robbie, the son of the housekeeper. Thanks to Cecilia's father, Robbie attended Cambridge and has plans for medical school. Cecilia's younger sister, Briony, also had a crush on Robbie, so when she watches a scene at the estate fountain, reads a love note never meant for anyone's eyes, and interrupts an embrace in the library that would shock any thirteen-year-old, she reacts in fear. Briony tells a lie about a family tragedy, the consequences of which are catastrophic for everyone, especially for her own mind and soul. Briony spends her entire life seeking atonement, and at the end of the film we're not sure that she has convinced herself, much less the audience. Atonement earned seven Academy Award nominations. October 7, 2008

Atonement For My View of the Book

Having put the novel down after almost 100 pages, I rented this DVD with trepidation. Either I missed the point of the book, was having a bad week, or this director magically took dry prose and breathed life into it. First rate story, acting, music, and even tears at the end made this a bravo performance and merited the Academy Award nomination. Highly recommended. (And, yes, I will try the book again). September 14, 2008

One of the strongest movies of 07

James McAvoy gave the best performance in Atonement. I didn't think I would think that but he was terrific. I would give him an Oscar nomination for sure. Redgrave's eyes at the end tell all. Seriously you didn't even need her tremendous speech because it's all in her body language. Garai is great during and after her encounter with the french soldier as well as the apartment scene. The praise for Ronan doesn't capture how good and natural she is. Knightley was fine but doesn't rate with any of the Briony's or McAvoy.

The cinematography in the movie is remarkable. Not only for the stunning tracking shot but for when Briony goes into the library. The way the light comes off that hair thing and then the lamp.

The script was a very good adaptation of the book and the direction of Wright couldn't be better. September 10, 2008

A BITTERSWEET ROMANCE, MAGNIFICENTLY MADE

More than one of the great romantic films of all time, "Atonement" is a pure masterpiece utilizing a three-act structure spanning several decades that begins in an English manor house before World War II and proceeds through the war and after.

The main character is a 13-year-old fledgling writer, Briony, whose imaginative sensibilities congeal with her infatuation with a man who loves her older sister to result in dire consequences she only later understands. From the dramatic and passionate momentum of its early sequences underscored by a music score utilizing a typewriter in its orchestration, it brilliantly employs both child and adult points of view to relate the story of a great romance that is disrupted from the events that occur.

If the story and screenplay seem to have "Doctor Zhivago" characteristics, Joe Wright's magnificent and sensual direction brings out all the passion and tragedy with a beauty that is reminiscent of David Lean at his best. There are camera shots in this film that will continue to haunt my memory for years. Three soldiers trek through a fog-filled landscape past a running brook as planes of war hovering in the sky overhead are seen only as a reflection in its waters, an awesome image like a great painting. But perhaps its greatest shot is a long Orson Wellesian single take, one tracking shot following the Battle of Dunkirk that lasts maybe 8 minutes that, in its emotional context, could reduce you to weeping.

Keira Knightly and James McAvoy are the lovers, and Saoirse Ronan, Romola Garai and Vanessa Redgrave portray the girl Briony through different stages of her life, in this heartbreaking and perfectly directed masterpiece that you will not easily forget. September 10, 2008

Movie left me cold - great disappointment

I was prepared to like this movie (I saw it in the theater) because I enjoy movies with an historical setting and a purported romantic purpose. I also enjoy films that use non-linear storytelling when necessary for plot development. However, the movie and acting left me absolutely cold, although it is hard to pinpoint exactly why. The pacing was glacial; in fact, at the performance I attended, a number of people walked out (not just men). Because of the glacial pace, I could not suspend disbelief enough to accept the gaping holes in the plot. The story line was confusing, and I am still unsure what actually happened versus what older Briony wished had happened. It was as though there was a wall between the audience and the movie so that it just did not connect. The atmosphere of the movie was cold and indistinct, although pretty to look at.

The acting was flat - there was no true passion on the part of any of the major characters, and I felt there was simply no chemistry between the two leads. The only actor who showed any passion and commitment to character was the young Naval officer on the beach organizing the evacuation (I think the actor was Tobias Menzies of HBO's "Rome").

The way the evacuation of Dunkirk was filmed (as much as I admire the technical mastery of the tracking shot) was simply bizarre and did not match any historical description I had ever read. Was this supposed to be McAvoy's hallucinations of the beach from being wounded and dying, or was the whole beach episode supposed to be the director's realistic portrayal of the evacuation?

**SPOILER ALERT**

There was no "atonement". After destroying the lives of two people, simply writing a novel about what Briony wished had happened is a moral cop-out!

Cinematography: very good
The rest of the movie: very disappointing. September 9, 2008

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