Atonement on DVD (2007)

An impossible adaptation?

GreenwichPaul [Highly rated reviewer] , 30/09/2007

In answer to the question as to whether Atonement could be adapted successfully for the screen the answer has to be...almost, but not quite. McEwan's brilliant novel with its themes of redemption and morality could never transfer perfectly but writer Christopher Hampton and director Joe Wright, give it a damn good try.

Starting in 1935 the film follows a doomed romance and how an over-imaginative girl's actions affect the lives of those around her. The film is stylish and intriguing but ultimately the novel's emotional gut-punch can't be delivered as successfully on film and its up to an uneasy coda to clarify everything for those who haven't read the novel.

Despite its limitations this is a very enjoyable film with some remarkable set-pieces and an intelligence that raises it above the run-of the-mill period romance film.

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Overrated !!!

A customer from Nottingham, England , 20/09/2007

Don't believe the hype! Despite most of the critics in the film industry claiming this to be one of the best films of the year, as a piece of entertainment it really isn't that good. While the performances from most of the cast are good, the movie is well filmed (look out for a great tracking shot on the beaches of Dunkirk) and wartime London is recreated very well this can only carry a film so far. In a running time of around 2 hours, there needs to be more happening to maintain the viewers interest. Yet another case of style over content. We never really get to know the two main characters (Knightley & McAvoy) well enough to care what happens to them and as a result very quickly lose interest. While the end of the film tried to be clever it just didn't work and resulted in several people turning to the person next to them with a look as if to say 'Is that it?'.

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everyone who left a 5 star rating needs to atone for their sins!

laura mitchell from cornwall [Highly rated reviewer] , 26/01/2008

Absolutely the most boring film ever! I'm a literary student and usually love adaptations but this film is so slow moving. Dont go there!

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The power of words

Northernsky from Halifax [Highly rated reviewer] , 25/10/2007

The thing that struck me the most after watching Atonement was that I wouldn’t have enjoyed half as much if I head read the book beforehand. I would undoubtedly have still wanted to see the film but the final revelation ….well it wouldn’t have been a revelation would it and would thus have robbed the film of much of its emotional power.

Ian McEwen’s novel was widely regarded as un-filmable seeing as it’s a story about how redemption could be achieved through the written word but the screenplay by Christopher Hampton achieves this effortlessly with the time jumping narrative blending seamlessly in and unfurling the little details that elucidate the central act and its motivations.

The film opens on a wealthy English estate in 1935 , home of the Tallis family . Cecelia Tallis ( Keira Knightley) has something going on with the family groundkeeper Robbie Turner( James McAvoy).His father , we quickly learn was a faithful servant to the family for a long time and they have obliged by putting Robbie through medical school. When Cecelia’s precocious younger sister Briony (Saoirse Ronan) misinterprets an exchange between Cecelia and Robbie as she watches them from her bedroom window it kick-starts a tragic chain of events. She then intercepts a letter from Robbie to her elder sister with a word( Its arguably the most powerful word in the English language and caused the Americans to baulk at its inclusion but so pivotal is it to the plot the director refused to remove it) inadvertently contained therein that cements Briony,s altered perception of Robbie and this leads to a shockingly erroneous allegation against Robbie that lands him in prison and thus means his only escape is to enlist with the out break of war.

The films second act finds Robbie leading ( though he has no officer status they succeed to his greater education and accent)a rag tag bunch of fellow soldiers trying to reach Dunkirk. The scenes of the beaches full of soldiers awaiting evacuation are quite mesmeric .Filmed at Redcar ,with the maximum number of extras allowed on a film set there is one long panning shot that lasts over four minutes but was filmed in only five takes. Some have criticised this as mere pretension or showing off , a move designed to say look at the money we spent.( The set cost one million pounds) Maybe so but the end results more than compensate for any studio or directorial posturing.

The third act reintroduces us to Briony , now 18 ( Played by 25 year old Romola Garia) now a volunteer nurse in London , her first act of atonement .After finally going to see her sister in person after her numerous letters requesting a meeting have been ignored Briony admits she may have been mistaken about her allegation . The films coda featuring a quite stunning performance from Vanessa Redgrave as the aging dying Briony in 1999 and shifts our acuity of events once again and shows the importance of words to the story ,something underlined by the constant clanking of type writer keys in the soundtrack .

Director Joe Wright watched lots of British 1940,s films to get the period feel right and succeeds admirably .The cast are all terrific with McAvoy following up his superb performance in “The Last King Of Scotland” with an assured performance playing a honest decent soul without making him dull or righteous. Kiera Knightley isn’t everyone’s cup of tea (Some wags have dubbed her “Ikea” Knightley) but here she is fine , and sensationally gorgeous, though she is out-acted by Romala Garia in their set piece .The film looks magnificent and it’s hard to imagine a more satisfying and emotionally powerful piece of cinema hitting our screens for some time. I hadn’t read the book before as I said , but I certainly shall now.

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Beautiful

ClaireY from Southampton , 23/09/2007

Atonement is a beautifully crafted and acted film. Although Keira Knightley is getting applauded for her role (as she should), I feel that the better actress is Saoirse Ronan, who plays 13 year old Briony, and James McAvoy also continues to prove he is one of the UKs top actors of his generation. This is probably one of the best dramas I have seen in the cinema for a long time. It is full of human emotion and frailty.

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Pretty but desperately flawed

lulabellarama from London [Highly rated reviewer] , 25/02/2008

I rented this film to watch on an evening when my boyfriend was out, as I knew it wouldn't be his sort of thing. I had no idea I would dislike it so much too.

There are some lovely elements to this film, the cinematography and score are fabulous, but the story was deeply unsatisfying. My main bone of contention was that, even if she were a precocious writer, no 12/13 year old in 1935 would have had the first clue what the c word meant. It simply wouldn't have entered her consciousness. That aside, there was no back story or depth to the romance between the lead characters. We are basically just told they are in love so we are to accept it. I'm sorry, but how can you expect me to invest in a relationship based upon nothing more than a quickie in the library?

Unfortunately, without caring about their relationship the rest of the film is pretty much irrelevant.

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