Atonement: The Poll

[FilmFan720]

She needs more than a sandwich or three--she should have a filet mignon smothered in Gorganzola sauce with whipped garlic potatoes and a cheese and fruit plate, accompanied by a nice Spanish wine. Ok, that was my dinner last night, and it was delicious.

That sounds delicious. (I was *this close* to writing 'delish' but decided I didn't want to be Rachael Ray).

Did you make it yourself?

No, it was restaurant just down the street, operated by lesbians called Tomboy. :p

Man, I'm there.

[Penelope]

But is anyone else thinking: My God, Keira Knightley could use a sandwich or three?

She needs more than a sandwich or three--she should have a filet mignon smothered in Gorganzola sauce with whipped garlic potatoes and a cheese and fruit plate, accompanied by a nice Spanish wine. Ok, that was my dinner last night, and it was delicious.

That sounds delicious. (I was *this close* to writing 'delish' but decided I didn't want to be Rachael Ray).

Did you make it yourself?

No, it was restaurant just down the street, operated by lesbians called Tomboy. :p

[anonymous1980]

But is anyone else thinking: My God, Keira Knightley could use a sandwich or three?

She needs more than a sandwich or three--she should have a filet mignon smothered in Gorganzola sauce with whipped garlic potatoes and a cheese and fruit plate, accompanied by a nice Spanish wine. Ok, that was my dinner last night, and it was delicious.

That sounds delicious. (I was *this close* to writing 'delish' but decided I didn't want to be Rachael Ray).

Did you make it yourself?

[Okri]

I just finished reading Atonement a few days ago. Now, if we don't want to sound ridiculous, let's make a few points clear: it's not a masterpiece, it's not the greatest contemporary novel ever, and Briony Tallis isn't the best character in modern literature

I agree it's not the greatest contemporary novel ever (it wasn't even the best novel of it's year), but I think it comes quite close to masterpiece status, if only for those glorious descriptions of the Dunkirk retreat and the exquisite character writing for Cecilia and Robbie.

The first 120 pages are some of the most tiresome pieces of writing Ian McEwan ever did - one of those neverending collections of extremely well-written, but overly detailed phrases full of adjectives and lifeless descriptions which English writers especially seem to traditionally like. And that wouldn't be necessarily wrong - but in this case (unlike, for example, in Alan Hollinghurst's definitely superior, and also very detailed, "The Line of Beauty") you don't feel the need of it - you are left with the disappointing first impression that this is a still technically gifted writer who has unfortunately lost the URGE to write - something I felt about McEwan at least since his dreadful Enduring Love. The difference, of course, was that Enduring Love had a great beginning and a terrible development, while with Atonement it's more like the opposite, which is better. But let's face it - this isn't the writer of The Comort of Strangers anymore.

True, but it definitely feels like a natural progression, and I say this someone who quite liked Enduring Love but hated, hated Amsterdam.

As for the descriptions, I didn't mind them. I particularly like how McEwan sets up the mindset of his three main characters.

In this first part (I will try not to spoil it for those who don't know anything about it) an impressionable teenager - Briony - witnesses not one, not two, but three moments of intimacy between two adults (one through a letter) - and misunderstands all three. She mistakes love for violence, which isn't surprising or unusual (it is Freud's primal scene taken to extreme consequences) - but the amount of coincidences (especially considering that these events are the first and only experienced by the couple) can potentially be troublesome in a movie, without an experienced prose to conceal them.

Good point. The first coincidence, I feel, will be the hardest to buy. I bought it when reading it, again thanks to McEwan's skill in setting up the characters.

(Still, at least on paper, this is the only role which could lead to an Oscar nomination for one of the actresses playing it - forget about Cecilia which, unless a big surprise happens, in the hands of pouty Keira Knightley won't amount to much, I'm afraid).

I don't know. While I'm generally not all that impressed with Knightley, the role an emotional lynchpin of the story (you mentioned The English Patient, and it strikes me that Cecilia Tallis is very much like Katherine Clifton in terms of importance).

--

I reread the book recently, and I'm surprised by how quickly it flew by. That ending is certainly a doozy and I agree, that ending will be very hard to pull off onscreen.

[Penelope]

But is anyone else thinking: My God, Keira Knightley could use a sandwich or three?

She needs more than a sandwich or three--she should have a filet mignon smothered in Gorganzola sauce with whipped garlic potatoes and a cheese and fruit plate, accompanied by a nice Spanish wine. Ok, that was my dinner last night, and it was delicious.

[anonymous1980]

I liked the book. The trailer looks awesome.

But is anyone else thinking: My God, Keira Knightley could use a sandwich or three?

[Penelope]

And then there is the (justly famous) ending - one of the best in recent memory, and one which redeems some of the early flaws I mentioned (actually it even explains them).

Marco, I mentioned that I, too, found the first section slow going with all the detail, but that the second half of the book justifies the detail, because it's necessary from the idea of perspective. I'm glad you stuck with it, since, yeah, that ending is both amazing and cinematically problematic. Indeed, in a way that's why I'm so eagerly looking forward to the film, to see how the filmmakers solve that problem.

[ITALIANO]

I just finished reading Atonement a few days ago. Now, if we don't want to sound ridiculous, let's make a few points clear: it's not a masterpiece, it's not the greatest contemporary novel ever, and Briony Tallis isn't the best character in modern literature. Just not to create false expections in those who still haven't read it or who look forward to watching the movie. It is a good novel, as intelligent as one can expect from its writer, but with a good number of problems, some of which will be very difficult to solve in its film version (and while I can trust Christopher Hampton as a screenwriter, I hated Jow Wright's Pride and Prejudice - and this seems an even more complicated task). The first 120 pages are some of the most tiresome pieces of writing Ian McEwan ever did - one of those neverending collections of extremely well-written, but overly detailed phrases full of adjectives and lifeless descriptions which English writers especially seem to traditionally like. And that wouldn't be necessarily wrong - but in this case (unlike, for example, in Alan Hollinghurst's definitely superior, and also very detailed, "The Line of Beauty") you don't feel the need of it - you are left with the disappointing first impression that this is a still technically gifted writer who has unfortunately lost the URGE to write - something I felt about McEwan at least since his dreadful Enduring Love. The difference, of course, was that Enduring Love had a great beginning and a terrible development, while with Atonement it's more like the opposite, which is better. But let's face it - this isn't the writer of The Comort of Strangers anymore.
Still, this wouldn't be a problem that a good screenwriter can't solve - there are others. In this first part (I will try not to spoil it for those who don't know anything about it) an impressionable teenager - Briony - witnesses not one, not two, but three moments of intimacy between two adults (one through a letter) - and misunderstands all three. She mistakes love for violence, which isn't surprising or unusual (it is Freud's primal scene taken to extreme consequences) - but the amount of coincidences (especially considering that these events are the first and only experienced by the couple) can potentially be troublesome in a movie, without an experienced prose to conceal them. All this leads to a terrible accusation - which is obviously blindly believed by practically anyone in the book - and the imprisonment of one of those two adults. And never for one moment the reader is allowed to forget that there is a writer behind all this - ok, an expert writer, one who can write very well (the love scene between the couple, in the library, is the first truly emotional moment in the novel - and luckily not the last), but still a "deus ex machina" planning actions and reactions of his characters rather than letting them grow. Even Briony - who could potentially be a great character - is too often described from a mechanically adult point of view, which is a pity, considering that this was once the author of The Cement Garden. (Still, at least on paper, this is the only role which could lead to an Oscar nomination for one of the actresses playing it - forget about Cecilia which, unless a big surprise happens, in the hands of pouty Keira Knightley won't amount to much, I'm afraid).

The second part of the book- the "atonement" part - is better, and much more affecting. There are some powerful pages devoted to war both in the battlefield and in a hospital, and once free from the constrictions of plotting, McEwan shows how he can still be a great writer, one of the true contemporary masters of fluid English writing (I took three months to get through those first 120 pages, one day to read the rest of the novel). And then there is the (justly famous) ending - one of the best in recent memory, and one which redeems some of the early flaws I mentioned (actually it even explains them). An intelligent, brilliant, even moving ending. The last four, five pages are so perfect that I reread them several times - something I rarely do. But also a very literary ending - and a major challenge to the filmmakers who deal with this material. Only if they find a way to preserve it in its full force (and still translate it in "cinema" terms) the movie could be truly considered successful. Not easy, I know - but not impossible - Anthony Minghella and his adapation of The English Patient come to mind as a possible comparison. We just have to wait and see.

[Penelope]

From The Guardian:

What's the best single shot in British cinema? It's not something you ponder too often when watching the often visually unadventurous output from the UK but there's a stunning moment in Joe Wright's Atonement when you realise the sheer ambition and scale of the scene before you. Can you think of any other UK film moments like this?

It's a beach scene at Dunkirk, when the dazed James McAvoy makes it back from his mission in France only to stumble into the chaos of the British army in disarray. Wright introduces us to the carnage with a magnificent tracking shot that winds its way through a minefield of devastation.

It's one of those shots you only understand as it nears its end, when you start to feel its breathless, unbroken gaze. It reminded me of Barry Davies' famous commentary about Gazza's free kick for Spurs against Arsenal in the 1991 FA Cup semi-final: "He's surely not having a go from there? He is you know..." and the ball fizzes into the top corner.

Wright's achievement in that shot, with his cinematographer Seamus McGarvey, sums up the whole film: brilliantly, elegantly simple. Atonement, which will open Venice on Aug 29 and roll out across the UK on Sept 7, will be one of the films of the year. I think even Ian McEwan fans will like it. Keira Knightley is sensational in it, too.

[flipp525]

There a scene from the film online. Check it out.

[Okri]

There's a new trailer on youtube, and it's very good. It certainly has me stoked.

[Mister Tee]

I'm a little more wary about this, if only because the book (which I really liked) is pretty explicitly literary, a form that doesn't always translate well to the screen. (As someone once said, a sadness of the film medium is it's often more hospitable to second-rate than first-rate novels) I'm also not completely sold on Joe Wright: parts of Pride and Prejudice -- especially the early scenes -- struck me as overly frenetic, like he was aspiring to Altman effects where they didn't remotely fit.

But the cast does strike me just right -- McAvoy very much included. It's testament to how we all read novels differently, even when we mostly agree about them, because, when I heard McAvoy had been cast, I thought, that's right on the money.

[flipp525]

I'm not sure about Vanessa Redgrave -- don't you think it won't amount to more than just a cameo? And what about James McAvoy? Robbie is a terrific, complex character, and though he didn't fit the physical image I had as I read the book, I'm hopeful he can get the emotional and mental aspects right.

Oh, absolutely. Robbie's a fantastic character. It's been awhile but I remember being particularly intrigued by his relationship with his mother when I read the book. A nomination for McAvoy would be a nice "welcome to the club" sign from the Hollywood community to an actor who's been on the precipice of recognition for a couple of years now.

The Redgrave mention is more based on veteran status and the nature of the role than anything else. She probably has the least showy version of Briony to portray but that look she gives herself in the mirror in the trailer just sort of froze me. I love the "play-within-the-book" performance at the end. Just a brilliant narrative.

Judging from Pride and Prejudice, Joe Wright's style and aesthetic are both rather appealing. This movie really could come together quite nicely if all the stars align.



Edited By flipp525 on 1178595052

[Penelope]

I totally agree; the moment I saw Romola Garai in the trailer, I instantly saw her as a likely Supporting Actress nominee; and although I've had reservations about Knightley in the past, like I say, she seems spot-on perfect casting, and looks fabu; I'm not sure about Vanessa Redgrave -- don't you think it won't amount to more than just a cameo? And what about James McAvoy? Robbie is a terrific, complex character, and though he didn't fit the physical image I had as I read the book, I'm hopeful he can get the emotional and mental aspects right.

[flipp525]

I agree, Penelope. This is the one I'm looking forward to the most. Isn't the book just devastatingly good? Briony is one of my favorite characters in modern-day literature. If they get this right, there'll be Oscar nods all around. I can already see Keira Knightley, Vanessa Redgrave, and Romola Garai getting some awards attention for starters.



Edited By flipp525 on 1178591897