Two cups art direction, a tablespoon of flashy set
design, and a pinch of “funny”-sounding dialogue makes
for the average period piece. Vanity Fair, on the
other hand, isn’t the average period piece.
This is more than a special
movie. It’s a beautiful movie. Why? Because there is
emotion and observation in its contents, two crucial
ingredients needed to make a good motion picture that
directors in this genre often forget to add to their
batter.
Watching Mira Nair’s Vanity
Fair is a poetic, flowing experience. It puts us in
a position in which we’re so enraptured in every scene
that what’s coming is insignificant; the heat of the
moment is more important. That’s why, with each sketch,
the audience will be subtly stunned, reliant upon each
word and motion the characters choose to use or make.
The nearly two-and-a-half-hour running-length feels like
nothing, for the film’s sumptuousness is incredible.
The heart of its
tremendousness lies in its dialogue and performances,
which find an evitable mixture of poignancy and
sophistication. Here, the lines of the script are more
biting than simple wordplay, written in a latching way.
We anticipate the dynamics of each conversation. All of
the characters, ironically, react to society in bitterly
similar ways and their discussion, back-and-fourth, is
clever and observant. In direct correlation with this
inventiveness is strikingly alive acting. Heading the
cast, Reese Witherspoon does some of her best work as
Becky Sharp, a woman who moves up England’s social
ladder, throughout the course of Vanity Fair. The
supporting performances are also terrific; Rhys Ifans,
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, and Geraldine McEwan rank among my
favorites in the movie.
Vanity Fair was based
on a very popular novel by William Makepeace Thackeray,
which I have not read, and do not have much of a desire
to. While part of me would love to absorb more of the
story and its apparent richness, word on the street is
that Becky is a completely different person in the
Thackeray version. Not to denounce the idea that the
book could, very well be, a masterpiece, I don’t think I
would’ve enjoyed Vanity Fair anywhere near as
much if Becky wasn’t this likable. The sympathy I had
for her at the beginning of the film made for a great,
deceptive third act. The sensuous Indian dance
Witherspoon engages in, during one of the final scenes
in Vanity Fair, would never have been as
effective, had Becky not maintained such a level of
violent compassion.
A valid complaint against the
film has been its mishmash of characters. I will admit,
I didn’t always know who was who, lineage-wise.
Apparently several other viewers have been confused by
this, too. But, I think, in a sense, this is Nair’s
intent. Isn’t she merely toying with the concept of
vanity, by not thoroughly identifying some of the
characters, when we’re first introduced to them? Instead
of our minds’ referring to them by their name and
personality, at first, we match them with their social
classification. This is not to say that, by Vanity
Fair’s end, we do not learn who every character
specifically is. I would argue that Nair’s technique
works, profoundly, whether it was her intent, or not.
As much as I enjoyed the flow
of the plot, on several occasions, it’s hard to deny
that it is often distractingly choppy. Yes, I was caught
up in the moment, but is Nair’s emphasis in the right
places? Whatever engagement may come out of certain
scenes may be overshadowed by out-of-place indulgences,
upon reflection. My attachment to them withstanding,
they may be a tad unhealthy for Vanity Fair’s
progression. While incredibly technically respectable,
my extreme enjoyment of the product is still partially
guilty.
But, putting imperfections
aside, Vanity Fair is one of the most
entertaining and immersive films of the year. I will not
soon forget it. When tackling monumentally respected
literature, a director must be ambitious, if nothing
else. Nair does this and succeeds, whatever her
shortcomings may be. In the fashion of Gosford Park,
which co-adaptor Julian Fellowes took the Oscar for,
Vanity Fair ranks among the best period dramas of
recent years.
-Danny, Bucket Reviews (9.4.2004)