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Atonement
This is my second viewing on Blu since I bought the disc a few years back. I was interested in how it would play when I knew the plot, did the letter still have the shock value and were the ramifications as profound as the first time viewing?
Well, yes and no. The first act was a master-class in sexual tension, Keira Knightley was better than she has ever been and showed that in the hands of a really good director how good an actor she can be. She shimmered and pouted and preened, coming out of the fountain like Ursula Andress in Dr No, yet demure at the same time.
Saoirse Ronan showed the potential that she has since fulfilled and stole every scene.
James McEvoy was a great foil and again because he was well directed showed vulnerability and nuance.
And then there was act two...
Not great. France was just a bit tedious, expositional and one dimensional. I wanted to know more..how did they get separated, had they killed, how did the trauma of war impact on what they had escaped in Blighty. I wanted to learn about his experiences in prison, but no, not a jot. Even the famous steadicam shot felt a bit contrived this time around.
I liked how they played with time and the period was really well captured, the production designer did a great job.
Act three redeemed the film. The denouement and twists were enhanced by the contemporary nature of the final act, Vanessa Redgrave brought gravitas and a sense of desperation to the role - perfect casting!
Overall the film was pretty good. The difficult second act didn't quite work but gave me enough to drive onto the third which was really compelling.
Seamus McGarvey's lighting and cinematography was exemplary, his use of pro-mists gave an ethereal look, in fact it was quite brilliant, as was the sound and production design.
The blu ray shimmered like KK emerging from the fountain! Picture quality was lovely and the sound design was dynamic for a dialogue based film.
Overall highly recommended.
Paul