They Say a Picture is Worth 1000 words

Self Explanatory.

Having James McAvoy play Robbie Turner made this movie worth watching all on its own ....hehe

Random Thoughts

When you are watching a film, usually you do not think about the production because you are so interested in the movie.  Everything takes practise and often times scenes take multiple shots to perfect.  Atonement was no different.  It seemed like all of the actors and actresses loved their roles and had a great time making this movie.  Many friendships sprouted from this movie between actor/ess' and overall it was a fantastic, well made movie.

Behind the Scenes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7qYPIzG274

For some reason, I loved how throughout the movie there was the sound of a type writer at times.  It was like a message, constantly reminding you of when Robbie wrote the note with the 'c' word.  But also tragic for such a reminder.

The movie did not begin as slow as the novel.  Obviously this is for the reason that, if you drag out a movie no one will want to watch it and they only have 1.5-2 hours to actually fit a book-into-film time frame.  I loved that it got to the point, I definitely disliked how slow the novel was for the first eight chapters.

I was not expecting the movie to be so dark, in the way that the entire house was always so poorly lit.  Of course it would cost a fortune to have lights on all the time throughout, but it was kind of scary watching Briony walk down the halls ... Speaking of Briony walking down the halls, am I the only one who thought she looked super robotic turning those corners?

In the movie, Paul Marshall was extremely creepy.. like to the point where I cannot look at that actor, Benedict Cumberbatch, the same anymore because of it.  Especially when he tells Lola to "bite it!" but he says it in a sexual, horrifying way.

Watching Cecilia and Robbie on the beach reminded me of the movie "The Notebook".  But I loved that scene.  They looked so in love.  It was so tragic to find out that they never got to live their lives out together.

This movie/book combo is one of my ultimate favourites.  Shout out to Ian for making such a sad story, but it was totally worth it!

Lets talk Differences

Well, of course there are many differences between both the novel and the movie......so lets talk about some of them, shall we?

So it is granted that not every part in the book will be able to reach the big screen.  There are a few reasons for this such as novels tend to go much more in depth, and most of the time readers spend their time reading the words, visualizing the setting.

The biggest difference between the novel and film was the second part, when Robbie is in Dunkirk at War.  In the novel, Robbie went there to get out of prison quicker and he had a purpose.  Robbie has two friends, Tommy Nettle and Frank Mace, who also have a purpose.  In the movie, it looks like he just walks around pointlessly in the countryside and on the beach.  Robbie's two friends just appear to be there to show viewers that Robbie knows two people .. I preferred the novel for this difference, as it made more sense.  Watching the movie I was slightly confused in these scenes.

At the end of the novel, older Briony has a monologue about everything that has happened in her life, and this is when we discover the double ending.  In the movie, older Briony is in the middle of an interview when the audience finds out that Robbie and Cecilia never got reunited and they both passed away.  I preferred the interview ending, as it made it more interesting and effective.

Check out these!!! Unscripted!:


Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuvimD7jMMs

Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZPi7uwFbnM

How do you see it?

So, when watching a movie everyone visually sees the same thing.  But when you are reading a book, everyone's imagination runs wild.  I am sure there are no two people that visually saw everything the exact same way.  Everyone has their own vision of what a person or a couple look like, what a mansion should appear as, how country side comes across as.  However, Joe Wright, director, did a fantastic job matching the novel to set.  For the most part, with only a handful of exceptions, Wright produced a movie so similar to the novel that it was so easy to love the movie.  Often times, movies will be extremely disappointing to those who have read the novel - if there is one.  I was super happy with the outcome of the movie, and thought that Wright did an amazing job matching imagination to big screen. The only thing that troubled me about watching the movie was, how on Earth did those that did not read the novel follow the book?  When scenes flashed back to how one character saw something, and another person saw something, it took a moment for me to realize it was a change in focus.  For example, the fountain scene is repeated from two different perspectives and they repeat when Briony is staring out the window overlooking Cecilia and Robbie.  Overall, Wright and the actors and actresses did extremely well, and it is definitely one of my personal favourite movies now.

To catch a preview of the much anticipated movie of 2007, see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWPZDi723Eo

Becoming the Role

Choosing actors and actress' that can successfully portray the characters from books is often no small task.  Director Joe Wright had difficulty finding people who could take on the complicated roles, but it paid off when he did.  Keira Knightley was cast for Cecilia Tallis.  For Keira, she was excited.  Keira wanted to be Cecilia and loved her character, including the time it was taken place (1935-1940) and her attitude.  Keira said, “I should think, because it would be very savvy, business-wise of me to go, ‘Yes, I’m going to do this, and then I’m going to do a big one.’ But I can’t think like that. It has to be what interests me at the time. I think there is a brilliant place for entertainment for entertainment’s sake. I think it’s completely wonderful to go to the cinema and see a complete ride and enjoy your popcorn and have a great time. And sometime when I’m in the mood, I will find a script and that’s exactly what I’ll do. I think it is partly because Pirates did take such a long time, and I was within that for such a long time, that I’ve just craved something that’s different. For me, the point of acting has been to change, as much as possible, and I’ve been very fortunate to be able to do that.”  Keira in fact found this role challenging, however, she sought the novel, and found it extremely helpful.  Reading the novel helped Keira mold into Cecilia better. 

Selecting James McAvoy was a tough decision.  James "came in to audition for the part along with some really, really great British actors who were really top notch."  Considering the role was of an English boy and James is a Scottish man, he took on the role beautifully.  Keira said,  "I just think he has the rare ability to completely morph into whatever character he’s playing. I think he’s one of the most talented actors around, at the moment. And he really respects what he does, sees it as a craft and hones it. When you watch him, you watch somebody really working at constantly making it truthful and constantly making it better, and finding it really important to be in film and respecting what he does. There’s an incredible integrity to him. He’s also incredibly giving as a partner. It’s very much a collaboration. It’s very much about the company and the team, and about getting the best out of everyone, like Joe Wright is. I think he’s completely phenomenal, and it will be very exciting to see what he does.”

In most movies that require twins, one person will just take on both roles.  Fortunately for Wright, he found a real set of twins that fit the criteria perfectly.  Charlie von Simson and Felix von Simson were two young red headed twins that took on Jackson and Pierrot characters well.  The twin’s sister, Lola, was played by Juno Temple who luckily suited the part perfectly.  In addition to Juno having similar features to the twins, she acted as Lola perfectly - the way the novel portrays her.

Although you would not expect so, Briony Tallis' character were three different people who all scarily looked alike, despite the age gaps.  The American born Irish actress, Saoirse Ronan, played the young thirteen-year-old Briony.  With a heavy accent like Saoirse's, it would be expected that she had much difficulty pretending to have an English accent.  In a matter of fact, with minimal problems, Saoirse took on the English accent of a young girl well.  Romola was cast a few weeks after Saoirse, so she had a chance to see the decisions that Saoirse had already made.

Vanessa Redgrave, was the senior Briony Tallis and did a fantastic job of explaining the plot twist at the end of the movie.  Vanessa was perfect for the role of Briony with vascular dementia developing.

See Romola Garai's full interview here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj2DfDePgnM