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I got my atonement in early after all

Thursday, 13th September 2007

So, Mrs-P-to-be suggested we see Atonement, and off we trotted. Despite my remarks on Monday, I went with an open mind. There are few better pleasures than unexpected pleasures, and I hoped this would be one of those.

If only. As I write, the film is still playing at the Phoenix. We, however, are at home having a drink. I felt a sense of torpor almost immediately, brought on by the languid photography, the portentous music, the lingering shots, and the - there's really no other way of putting it - dreadful acting. The characters - caricatures, rather - were uniformly dull.

Early on, Mrs-P-to-be whispered to me: "it's very...beautiful". I wasn't sure if she was being complimentary or pointing out that that is all it was. I found out after about three quarters of an hour that we were on the same wavelength when she said: "It's boring, isn't it?" When I nodded, she asked if I wanted to leave. I asked if she did. "Yes", she replied, as if released from a dreadful burden.

And so here I am, writing this, as the film is still running.

It has to be one of the worst films I have ever seen, given that it takes itself so seriously and so comprehensively fails to achieve any of its intentions.

I have no idea what happened to the characters after we left, and I really couldn't care less - which is, of course, why we left. The whole thing was utterly uninvolving, so we uninvolved ourselves from it.

(It was a wonderful revelation to me a few years ago that one could actually leave a play or a film if it was bad. I used to endure the whole thing, as if obligated to stick it out by having bought a ticket. But who wants to waste one's life watching rubbish? The solution is simple. If it's no good: leave.)

As for Keira Knightley, I just don't get it. She's no more attractive than half the women one sees walking down the high street. And all she seems capable of doing is to pout, in a rather purposeless, vacant stare.

As Clive wondered: why on earth has it had such near-universal raves?

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Jennie

September 14th, 2007 10:31am

It's the Emporer's new clothes syndrome!

jameshigham

September 14th, 2007 11:02am

Overrated, inflated sense of self importance - that's Keira Knightly too. As for Keira Knightley, I just don't get it. She's no more attractive than half the women one sees walking down the high street. Precisely.

Geoff103

September 14th, 2007 6:29pm

Keira Knightley. Ah, I remember the type from my schooldays (yonks ago). The prettiest girl in the school and, boy, didn't she know it. And way too pretty to be bothered with any of the boys in her class. Barely gave you the time of day. As for girl classmates. Happy to have acolytes but never friends. Cut out for better things you see. I met one of this type again recently at a 50 year on reunion (there I've given the game away!). Hadn't worn too well but, oh my, didn't she want to talk! On and on and on. 50 years ago and it was too much to say 'Hello' when she flounced down the corridor, retroussé nose in the air.

Scipio

September 14th, 2007 8:44pm

I agree 100% with you regarding Keira Knightley. The pouting is a total turn off.

HarryH

September 14th, 2007 9:50pm

Glad to hear that I'm not the only person who hated it. Saw it with a group of people who though it was fantatic whilst I thought it was the most over-directed piece of stodge I'd ever seen. So many scenes felt like they should have had a subtitle from the director saying "Did you see what I did there?"; Keira's getting angry and the kettle's boiling, Keira jumps in the lake and James pops out of a bath... Even the 5-minute shot on the beachs at Dunkirk was so Strangely, the entire film was really just the set-up for the last ten minutes where Vanessa Redgrave gave the best performance of the film.

Michael N

September 15th, 2007 10:33am

Harry H, if a Vanessa Redgrave cameo is the highlight of the film, that is reason enough to avoid it like the plague. That woman makes my skin crawl. I think it's her politics; I can't put her political nastiness to the back of my mind when watching her act. Strangely enough I don't have this problem when I watch Jane Fonda in Barbarella. I wonder why.