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Atonement [2007]


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

Atonement reunites Keira Knightley with her Pride & Prejudice director, Joe Wright, for the movie based on Ian McEwan’s book of the same name. The result? Once of the most widely acclaimed pictures of 2007.

Atonement tells the story of Cecilia Tallis (Knightley), and the housekeeper’s son, Robbie Turner (played by the increasingly prevalent James McAvoy). Set during the heat of 1935, their coming together and the ensuing drama brings in Cecilia’s thirteen-year old sister, Briony, whose actions prove to have far-reaching repercussions.

With a terrific cast and superb direction from the aforementioned Wright, it’s utterly understandable as to how Atonement has earned itself such praise. Diligently told, with some superb photography, Wright is blessed by terrific central performances by Knightley and McAvoy, both of whom have never been better. His trick also is to get the pacing of the film bang-on, taking his time to build up and layer events before he looks for any kind of pay off.

As a result, as Atonement heads into its latter stages, it proves itself as a top quality drama, with a real emotional punch. Furthermore, it’s one of the increasingly rare breed of films that sticks in your head for days after.

As a result, for once, it really is worth seeing what critics the world over have been raving about: Atonement really is something very special indeed. --Jon Foster

Editorial
DVD Description

On the hottest day of the summer of 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis sees her older sister Cecilia (Kiera Knightley) strip off her clothes and plunge into the fountain in the garden of their country house. Watching Cecilia is their housekeeper's son Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), a childhood friend who, along with Briony's sister, has recently graduated from Cambridge.

By the end of that day the lives of all three will have been changed forever. Robbie and Cecilia will have crossed a boundary they had never before dared to approach and will have become victims of the younger girl's scheming imagination, and Briony will have committed a dreadful crime, the guilt for which will colour her entire life.

From the director of Pride & Prejudice and based on the novel by Ian McEwen comes "the best British film in years" – Sunday Times.

"As close to perfect as a movie can get" – Daily Mirror.

"An Essential" 5 Stars - Empire

Editorial
Synopsis

On a sultry summer day in 1935, an upper-class British family prepares for a dinner party at their country estate. The participants include Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan), a precocious preteen writer, her older sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley), Cambridge graduate and femme fatale, Robbie Turner (James McEvoy), the housekeeper's virtuous son, who carries a torch for Cecilia, and various visitors and family members. A series of misperceptions, fuelled by the summer heat and Briony's childish hurts and fevered imagination, lead to a dramatic false accusation that lands Robbie in jail. We meet all three characters five years later in the thick of World War II, as foot soldier Robbie prepares for the Dunkirk evacuation and the two estranged sisters train as nurses in London.
Director Joe Wright (PRIDE AND PREJUDICE) deserves high praise for translating Ian McEwan's highly internalised, multilayered tale of guilt, redemption, and the power and limits of the artistic imagination, into a sumptuous visual feast that not only conveys the intricate plot points of the novel, but dives headfirst into the emotional subtleties that make the story so wrenching. Whether any of the characters' actions are ultimately atoned for by the end of the film is a matter of perception, but Wright's sympathetic eye ensures that every player gets a fair trial. The young director favours long, lingering close-ups that trace every flicker of feeling--Ronan's luminous blue eyes clouding over with righteous gravity; the tremors of hurt and anger and love in McEvoy's sensitive face; the defiant jut of Knightley's jaw as it melts into tender affection. The honey-drizzled look of the first two thirds of the film contrasts achingly with the tension and seriousness of the action unfolding (and the grim intensity of the wartime sections), and the scenes on the beach at Dunkirk include masterly camera. ATONEMENT is a powerful story, retold in a way that even diehard fans of the book will appreciate.

Absolute tosh
Review date: 2008-08-27 Rating: 2 out of 10

This film is boring and badly acted especially by Miss Knighty. The story not clear and missing vital information from the book well not so much missing but not making it clear.

I looked forward to taking my wife to this and wished I had not it was truly truly bad. She like myself had read the book at some time but seriously felt let down.

Would not recommend at all, stay at home with your feet up and watch paint drying its more fun honest!

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Reviews


A very strange film
Review date: 2008-08-26 Rating: 4 out of 10

This is a very strange film. Firstly, it is beautifully shot. There are some great performances, particularly from McAvoy. I even quite enjoyed it at times.

However, in the transference from book to film you are simply left with a bit of a mess. Parts of the plot (and there really isn't much of a plot so no chance of a spoiler) are examined in great detail - and suffer accordingly. Other parts are entirely glossed over, presumably losing out in the move to film, leaving you somewhat confused.

Then there is the casting of Knightley. Whilst her figure may be in keeping with 30's waif-chic, casting someone who looks like a pre-pubescent boy as a romantic leading lady leads to some highly uncomfortable viewing as the love scenes between the two leads start to look like some weird, homo-erotic paedophilia!

The scene at Dunkirk is a perfect example of what went wrong. Nothing happens. Three men arrive at Dunkirk and are told boats are being sent for them. They then wander around for a bit. This gives the director ample chance to show the awe-inspiring re-creation of the beach at Dunkirk and the chaos of 300,000 soldiers. One particular pan, which seems to go on forever, is just jaw-dropping. However, it is clearly only so long BECAUSE of the expense that went into producing it. It adds nothing to the film. The earlier story of how our lead found himself to be in France in the first place and how he came to be injured is entirely missing - one can only assume to make room for the expensive bit. A strange decision that goes some way to ruining a film that was already heading downhill!

We are then led into a bizarre final charade in which everyone suddenly starts acting entirely out of character and then you are left with a final shot of someone, entirely unsatisfactorily, explaining why.

It is worth renting for the cinematography and performances but don't try to think about it too much. It just doesn't stand up to any kind of scrutiny.


the slightest of tales
Review date: 2008-08-26 Rating: 6 out of 10

When Ian McEwan's Booker-prize nominated novel was released, there must have been an instant queue of British film producers waving options contracts at him. After all, Atonement contains all the elements for a successful British film. The country house location. The upper classes, cut glass accents, the period drama. The war! Even better. And so it came to pass, that the film of Atonement was praised by many critics and nominated for lots of awards.

But how does it play when I'm sat in front of the TV on a Friday night? Therein lies the problem. I have not read the novel but I can see what the themes are, and the film is simply unable to carry them off. Without them, it is a very slight story, in which the characters are never developed fully enough for us to care what happens to them. Yes, it looks beautiful. The script is cleverly worked and tries valiantly to reproduce the effect of the multiple viewpoints of the novel. The actors, particularly the leads, are uniformly excellent, and the director has plenty of good ideas.

The big set piece scene set at Dunkirk in 1940 has attracted plenty of attention. It is certainly a tour de force and hats off to Joe Wright for pulling it off. I do feel it greatly dominates the entire film; nothing that precedes or succeeds it has anything like the same impact. Neither am I worried by its authenticity; it is ironic that in a fictional piece which questions the reliability of the authorial voice that viewers have complained about what would or would not have happened.

Ultimately, the film fails to exert any kind of emotional pull. It is a pleasant enough way of spending a couple of hours, but will not live long in the memory.


I SHALL TOP MYSELF NOW SHALL I
Review date: 2008-08-23 Rating: 6 out of 10

IF YOU WANT A WONDERFUL ROMANTIC NIGHT IN WHERE AFTERWARDS YOU FEEL A WARM SUMMERY MEADOW OF AAAAHHH ALL OVER YOU...DONT GO ANYWHERE NEAR THIS.
THIS IS THE SEBASTIAN FLYTE IN MORROCCO MIXED IN WITH LEGENDS OF THE FALL,YES THE PRODUCTION IS BEAUTIFUL,YES THE ACTORS ARE WONDERFUL...BUT AND ITS A BIG BUT...BE PREPARED TO GO UP THE WOODEN STAIRS TO BEDFORDSHIRE JUST MUTTERING THE WORDS WHY OH WHY DID I WATCH THAT....DAYS LATER..WHY..YOU WILL MEET OTHERS AND TRY TO EXPLAIN WHY YOU ARE SO DOWN...BUT THEY DONT UNDERSTAND,BECAUSE THEY HAVENT WATCHED THE PURE BUCKET OF SADNESS THAT IS ATONEMENT...I AM STILL GETTING FLASHBACKS.TRUST ME DONT DO IT TO YOUR BRAIN, IT WILL BE LIKE GIVING A PUPPY TO A DRUNK SKINHEAD CALLED DOGKILLER.

Lovely
Review date: 2008-08-21 Rating: 8 out of 10

Loved it, another example of me reading the book before i see the film. this worked well because the book covered elements of the plot which i thought were important which the film missed, and the film made the ending clearer because at this point i was bored of the book and just skimmed it. it was a lovely pleasant sad film.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
James McAvoy
Vanessa Redgrave
Saoirse Ronan
Keira Knightley
Romola Garai

Creators:
Keira Knightley (Primary Contributor)
Saoirse Ronan (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Universal Pictures UK
Manufacturer: Universal Pictures UK
EAN: 5050582532517
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2008-02-04
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 118 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2007
Language: English (Original Language)

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