"I love you, because you are the only person who made sense of me. And made me, possible."
Tom Hooper's latest film is a fictionalized portrayal of real life Danish artists Einar and Gerda Wegener. It is a period piece that reimagines the love story between these two artists. Einar who later becomes Lili is recognized as one of the pioneers in transgender, but the film takes many liberties and is far from representing the true relationship between the artists. Alicia Vikander plays Gerda, the artist who painted her husband as a lady. Eddie Redmayne is Einar Wegener, who after enjoying the transformation in his wife's painting discovers himself as Lili. The film focuses on the couple's struggle to accept these changes, although history proves that this depicted love story is far from true. David Ebershoff's novel takes several liberties, ignoring the fact that Gerda herself was a lesbian.
Now that I got that settled and out of the way, I can focus on the film itself. It is a formulaic biopic that does little to stand out from other period pieces. This is my fourth Tom Hooper film and despite being gorgeously filmed, I found it to be one of his weakest efforts. My favorite from him continues to be The Damned Untied, which ironically was the first film from him I've seen. The King's Speech and Les Miserables were also movies I enjoyed, but to a lesser degree. The Danish Girl has a fantastic production design, but it stands out exclusively for its two lead performances. Both Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander are superb and worthy of their Oscar nominations. Redmayne comes fresh out of his Oscar win for portraying Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, but I think his performance here is even better and just as physically demanding as his previous one. He probably won't win, but I think this performance is stronger. Vikander has had a wonderful year after her stunning performance in Ex Machina. Here she gets to shine along Redmayne and even steals several scenes from him. Ever since I first saw her in the Danish film, A Royal Affair, I've always been a fan of Vikander's work. This might be her best performance to date, but competing against Kate Winslet in the supporting category for this year's Oscar will make it hard for her to stand a chance. The Danish Girl is worth the watch for the strong performances alone, but there isn't much more to the story. I found the pacing a bit dull and lost interest in the story halfway through. The Danish Girl is a forgettable formulaic biopic, but it's worth the watch for the fantastic performances.
¨But remember this, my brother, see in
this some higher plan. You must use this precious silver to become an honest
man. By the witness of the martyrs, by the Passion and the Blood, God has
raised you out of darkness; I have bought your soul for God! ¨
Academy Award
winning director, Tom Hooper (The King`s Speech), brings one of the most
famous musicals based on Victor Hugo`s 1862 novel, Les Miserables, to the big
screen with quite a remarkable screenplay adaptation, a beautiful production
design, and some stunning performances from the cast. The film is directed in
such a way that you feel like you are watching a conventional stage musical
rather than a movie. For the viewers like myself that live far away from the
big cities and have no option of watching a live musical this is as close as it
gets for us. Hooper took a huge risk by letting his actors sing live on set
while they were performing instead of simply having them doing playback like in
most musical adaptations. This is in my opinion what gave the film such a
livelier feel to it and made me feel like I was watching a play. The film is
almost entirely sung as there is very little dialogue, so if you aren’t a big
fan of musicals you will want to stay away from this one. My only complaint
about Hooper`s style of direction is that he used extreme close ups on every
character during most of the film, which didn’t allow us to enjoy the grandeur
of the production design as much as I would have liked. These close ups were a
bit too much for my taste. Most of the songs performed were done in long takes
so I can imagine how hard and exhausting it must have been for the actors to
get each take right. I enjoyed this film very much, but did have some issues
with the length of the movie. Even so, this is a great film and Tom Hooper successfully manages to adapt this well known play. It deserves all the
recognition it is getting.
For those of
you familiar with the novel or the stage play you might want to skip this
second paragraph focusing on the plot. The film takes place during the post-French
revolution time period where we are introduced to prisoner 24601, Jean Valjean
(Hugh Jackman), who has spent the past 19 years in prison for stealing a loaf
of bread for his dying niece. He is finally being released, but Inspector
Javert (Russell Crowe) warns him that he must not break parole. ¨Once a thief,
always a thief¨ is his motto and he`s sure Valjean will end up behind bars
again. Jean finds it extremely difficult to find a job after being marked as a
criminal and is very bitter about life, but he finds redemption in a Bishop who
saves him from returning to prison and makes him turn his life around. Jean
breaks parole and begins a new life as a successful businessman who becomes
mayor. He is a kind person, but his past continues to haunt him as Javert
appears several years later and recognizes him. Jean has to go on the run
again, but not before he makes a promise to a former employee of his, Fantine
(Anne Hathaway), to care for her child. Jean wasn’t aware that she was fired
from his business after the employees discovered she had a child and was
single. Fantine was forced to turn into a prostitute in order to maintain her
child, Cosette, who is being cared for by the Thenardiers (Sacha Baron Cohen
and Helena Bonham Carter) who take advantage of her. Feeling guilty for what
has happened to Fantine, Jean pledges to care for Cosette and buys her from the
Thenardiers. Several years later we see Jean and Cosette (Amanda Seyfried)
enjoying life together as father and daughter, but once again Jean`s past
catches up to him as he runs into Javert during the student revolution led by
Marius (Eddie Redmayne). When Cosette and Marius fall in love with each other,
Jean realizes he won`t be able to run all his life.
We are all
familiar with the story and the universal themes that this classic novel
touches such as love, redemption, mercy, poverty, and the revolutionary spirit.
The film captures all these themes perfectly thanks to some wonderful
performances from Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway who both received Oscar
nominations. My favorite character however was the young Gavroche who was
played brilliantly by Daniel Huttlestone. Samantha Barks as the broken hearted
Eponine also gave a strong performance. Much of the success of the film is owed
to these great and inspiring performances. The songs were also beautifully
delivered and I enjoyed most of them. I think my favorite one came from the
student revolutionaries, ¨Do You Hear the People Sing? ¨ Les Miserables will
please fans, but those who have no taste for musicals or haven’t enjoyed the
stage productions will hate this film because it is manipulative and over the
top. Having that said, I still think Hooper`s effort pays off and he`s made a
great musical, although his best film was the much smaller and far less
ambitious in scale, The Damned United, which catapulted him to fame. I did not
feel as emotional as other people did about this film, and wasn’t moved. In all
honesty I was a bit exhausted by the time the credits began rolling, but it
still was an entertaining film worth checking out for the performances alone.
¨If I am King, where is my power? Can I declare war? Form a government? Levy a tax? No! And yet I am the seat of all authority because they think that when I speak, I speak for them.¨
Being a good public speaker is a necessity for the King of England, because he represents the voice of his nation. If that nation is going through a dark period in time (declaring War on Nazi Germany for example), then the need to be a strong public speaker is even greater. Unfortunately for King George VI that is not the case, since he is known as King George the stammer. Bertie (the nickname his family has given him) has suffered from a severe stammering problem for as long as he can remember. He has tried every means necessary to get over his problem, but they`ve all failed and there is nothing he can do about it. The King`s Speech is the favorite film to take home the Oscar for Best Picture with 12 nominations. Tom Hooper did an excellent job with the direction of this historical drama, which also manages to produce several laughs throughout the film thanks to a witty script written by David Seidler and great performances from Colin Firth (frontrunner to take home the Oscar for Best leading Actor), Geoffrey Rush, and Helena Bonham Carter. David Seidler actually suffered from stammering as a kid and clearly remembered the speech the King gave while declaring War against Germany during World War II. His experience with the problem and memory of the historical facts made him the ideal person to write the script for The King`s Speech, since he was mostly only known for writing movies made for television. This film will probably open many new doors for him as a writer because the script was beautifully written and the Oscar nomination was well deserved.
Colin Firth gives one of the best performances of the year in his role as King George VI. The film is based on true events beginning in 1925 when his character has to give a public speech in Wembley Stadium. George is only a Duke and has to give the speech as a request given to him by his father King George V (Michael Gambon, known for his role as Dumbledore in the Harry Potter franchise). His stammering problem gets even worse as every eye in the stadium is on him and the speech is a complete disaster. It’s a good thing Bertie won`t be King because that responsibility should fall on his older brother Edward (Guy Pearce). Years pass by and Bertie can`t find a way to get over his speaking problem. Every doctor that treats him fails, and his bad temper doesn`t help him any either. His wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) doesn`t give up on him however and finds a speech therapist who claims to be able to fix her husband`s problem. Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) is a pretty unorthodox doctor, but he forms a strong bond with Bertie, and their unlikely friendship becomes one of the main attractions of the film. Their personalities clash several times, but their relationship grows through time. King George V falls ill and passes away, so Edward becomes King of the nation. Unfortunately for George, Edward is in love with a two time divorcé, Wallis Simpson (Eve Best), and is willing to resign the crown of England just to marry her. The King of England is the head of the Church and therefore it is impossible for him to marry a divorced woman. Edward resigns for love, and the responsibility of the nation falls entirely on King George VI. The timing couldn`t have been worse because England is declaring War on Germany and the nation is waiting for the King`s speech.
It is impossible to remain emotionally detached from the film due to the strong performances from the ensemble cast. Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush are just phenomenal in this movie, and the pairing of the two make this movie even stronger. When the movie reaches its climatic scene at the end and we are waiting to hear the King`s speech, it’s just impossible not to feel nervous for Bertie. We want him to succeed after everything that he has gone through. Firth and Rush really made us feel sympathy for their characters and that is what great actors do. As for the director Tom Hooper all I can say is that he was totally in control of his craft and made a strong film. However I still don`t consider this his best film. Last year he directed The Damned United, and in my opinion that is a far superior movie which starred Michael Sheen and Timothy Spall as two football coaches. With these two great films in two years, I will keep Tom Hooper under my radar for his upcoming movies. He has proven twice now that he can make powerful pictures. The relationship between Bertie and Lionel isn`t the only strong point of the film; Bertie`s relationship with his brother Edward is also a key point of the film. Edward is willing to resign the crown for love, but at the same time he is running away from the responsibility of governing a nation in need and leaving that enormous task on George, who happens to be handicapped himself. Well I guess it isn`t Edward`s fault that they don`t let him marry the person he loves, and for that I understand him, and in a way I think George does too. The movie has several things going for it and I highly recommend it. If The King`s Speech ends up winning Best Picture, it will be the second time in consecutive years that Guy Pearce is in a movie that takes home the top prize (he was in The Hurt Locker as well).
¨I wouldn't say I was the best manager in the country. But I'm in the top one. ¨
The Damned United is one of the best sports movies that I have seen recently, and it`s very different from other films in its genre because it focuses more on defeat and humiliation than it does on overcoming obstacles and victories. It`s based on the life of Brian Clough, a very successful football coach in England during the 70`s who really was ahead of his time because he probably was the first celebrity-coach and became famous for his cockiness and big mouth. If I would have to compare him to any coach from the present it would probably be Jose Mourinho. However, The Damned United doesn`t focus on all of Clough`s triumphs and his glory days in Nottingham Forrest; it focuses on the disastrous campaign he had with Leeds United that only lasted for 44 days, and his personal rivalry and obsession with Don Revie, the coach he replaced at Leeds. The film is directed by Emmy Award winner Tom Hooper who is mostly known for his TV miniseries Elizabeth I and John Adams; and it is based on David Peace`s novel The Damned Utd. The screenplay was written by Peter Morgan who has worked with Michael Sheen in the past in The Queen and Frost/Nixon. This is the third historic figure that Sheen has played in a movie and in each one he is truly outstanding and difficult to recognize because he changes so much, but he truly does justice to each character.
The movie opens in 1974, the year when the English national team wasn`t able to qualify for the World Cup, so highly successful Leeds United coach, Don Revie (played by Colm Meaney), seemed to be the right man for the job. Revie turned Leeds United into a powerhouse in the 70`s and dominated the league over the past few years. With Revie in the national team, Brian Clough (Michael Sheen) is offered the position as the Leeds boss, although he was known for being a critic of Leeds style of play which he called dirty and constantly criticized coach Revie for cheating. It makes perfect sense now why Clough wasn`t the right man for the job and that he was doomed to fail from the get go, even more so considering he wasn`t joined by his assistant Peter Taylor (Timothy Spall). The movie takes place in 1974, but we have constant flashbacks informing us how the rivalry between Clough and Revie began. The first flashback takes place during 1968 when Clough and Taylor were training a bottom placed second division team, Derby County. Clough was excited that his team was going to face first placed division one Leeds United for the FA Cup. He admired coach Revie because they grew up in the same neighborhood, but when the team arrived at the stadium, Revie completely ignored Clough (probably because he didn`t even see him) and thus the bitterness and rivalry began. The movie continues in the present (1974) with the tense relationship Clough had with the Leeds players, while returning through flashbacks from 68 to 73 focusing on the rivalry with Revie, the arguments with Derby chairman Sam Longson (Jim Broadbent) and Clough`s relationship with Taylor that help explain the present situation.
The strongest thing about this movie is that it takes a different spin in the sports genre that usually focuses on overcoming adversity and turning a bunch of losers into winners. This time Clough has the difficult task of filling in for a successful team and a group of winners and somehow his ego gets in the way and ends up having one of the worst opening campaigns for the team. The team was destined to fail from the beginning after so much criticism and rivalry built over the years. Clough was a very successful coach and even went on to win back to back European titles with another club, but the film decides to focus on his failures instead. The movie really works outside of the conventions of the sports genre and Michael Sheen is excellent in his portrayal of Brian Clough. There are some very strong performances from the supporting cast as well: Jim Broadbent, Colm Meaney, and Timothy Spall all give strong performances that helped build this movie. I really enjoyed this film and recommend it even though you are not sports fans because Clough had such a unique personality and was loved by some and hated by others. It is said that he was the greatest English manager to have never coached the national team.
