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Atonement is directed by Joe Wright. The film stars
James McAvoy (Penelope), Keira Knightley (Pirates of the
Caribbean series), Saoirse Ronan, and Romola Garai. Dario
MarianelliThe movie is based on the novel of the same name
by Ian McEwan. ***
Atonement follows the story of an ill-fated romance
that begins in 1930s Europe. Robbie, the son of a housekeeper,
falls for Cecilia, the older of two daughters in the household,
despite her initial attempts to drive him away. The two
gradually fall for one another, but the younger sister of
the household misunderstands what is going on between the
twosome - and the couple is split apart, with Robbie being
carted off to prison following the accusation. Eventually,
war breaks out in Europe, and the twosome reunite with Robbie
being able to leave prison to join in the war effort. ***
Atonement isn't quite a masterpiece. What it is, though,
is one of the better book-to-movie adaptations of recent
years. Sure, there are some issues here and there, but a
mix of brilliant cinematography, fantastic performances,
and a gripping, dramatic storyline, it's certainly good
enough to recommend. ***
At the Academy Awards, the movie received seven Oscar
nominations - Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, Best
Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography,
Best Costume Design, and Best Original Score. Of the seven
nominations (all of which the film was certainly worthy
of), it only won the Best Original Score award. While I
admit the film isn't quite a masterpiece, it definitely
deserved more wins than this. ---
Image And Sound:
A fantastic port to DVD, enough said. The picture quality
is bright and clear, and beautifully showcases the fantastic
cinematography - one of the movie's greatest strengths.
This is the way newly-released films should always look
on DVD! Sound quality is nothing less, all of the dialogue
and musical score come across excellently. To put it simply,
this is the way any new release DVD should look and sound.
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| Special
Features: |
We get an average number of extras on the disc. Amongst
them are a plethora of deleted scenes, all of which have
optional commentary from the director. And unlike most movies'
deleted scenes, these ones are actually worth watching!
The optional commentary on these scenes makes them all the
more enjoyable, and gives some insight as to why they were
removed from the film. Two featurettes are also included,
giving some nice behind-the-scenes conversations with the
cast, revealing what went on during the making of the film,
as well as information on porting the novel to the big screen.
The last noteworthy extra is the director's feature-length
commentary. Sadly though, it does tend to drag on more than
a few occasions. Still, it's worth watching the film with
it on at least once if you're a fan. Good material here,
but you'll wish there was more.
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