Vanity Fair Review
by Robin Clifford (robin AT reelingreviews DOT com)September 1st, 2004
"Vanity Fair"
Director Mira Nair is best known for smaller, more personal films such as "Salaam Bombay" and "Mississippi Masala" but made her first foray into large-scale picture making with her own Bollywood film, "Monsoon Wedding." Now, she takes on not just a large cast and multiple stories, Nair tackles period piece filmmaking, too, with "Vanity Fair."
Based on the William Makepeace Thackery novel (adapted by Matthew Faulk, Mark Skeet and Julian Fellowes), the film tells the story of Becky Sharp (Reese Witherspoon), the daughter of a talented but weak artist who leaves the girl to fend for herself at a young age. But, Becky is an intelligent and ambitious young woman who, through her hard won education and brains, lands a job as the governess for a minor aristocrat, Sir Pitt (Bob Hoskins). From there, the story spans two decades and involves the lives of a score of players from the charismatic Rawdon Crawley (James Purefoy) to the staunchly loyal Captain Dobbin (Rhys Ifans). Fans of the Thackery book will be at ease with the film – maybe not liking the adaptation, but at ease, anyway.
I am not familiar with the original Thackery story but I am with the 1935 adaptation, "Becky Sharp," by director Rouben Mamoulian, starring Miriam Hopkins in the title role. That film is a landmark and memorable not for its acting or production but for it being the first released in three-color Technicolor. Mira Nair's take on the material is uneven and sometime wooden but, in the end, entertaining.
The one thing that Nair really succeeds with in "Vanity Fair" is the showcasing of Reese Witherspoon in a period British drama. The actress has become a sentimental favorite for many due to her comedy roles in "Election" and the "Legally Blond" franchise – you may not like the "LB" movies but you cannot deny the likable exuberance of Witherspoon. She is called upon to anchor a complex, large production effort that spans many years and many lives. Reese, as Becky, is a social climber (or, as one character calls her, "a mountaineer") who takes every risk to get what she wants, win or lose. Throughout the film, Becky remains a sympathetic character, probably because of the working class appeal she has. Witherspoon eases into the British accent and, after noting it initially, became thoroughly integrated with the natives.
The supporting cast is an embarrassment of riches with Purefoy getting great empathy as Rawdon Crawley, the dashing cavalry officer who captures Becky's heart. Or, at least, one of a number of men who capture Becky's heart through the course of "Vanity Fair." Eileen Atkins is excellent as Crawley's wealthy, spinster Aunt Matilda who takes Becky under her wing despite the protestations of her jealous family. Other notables include Hoskins as a slovenly squire who Becky turns from a sow's ear into a silk purse, at least outwardly. Jim Broadbent is solid as the merchant father to George (Jonathan Rhys-Myers), the selfish, handsome dandy who unknowingly holds the heart of Amelia (Romola Garai), Becky's only and best friend. Gabriel Byrne is coldly analytical as the Becky's calculating benefactor, Marquis of Steyne.
"Vanity Fair" is really an elaborate soap opera where love is either misunderstood or used like a cudgel. As such, this adaptation has a great deal to look at, visually and artistically, and many story threads to follow. It holds your attention with all its machinations but, in the end, leaves you with an uncaring attitude. (And, with additional respect for Witherspoon.)
Technically, you are hard pressed to find flaws. Lensing, by veteran cinematographer and long time Nair collaborator Declan Quinn, is lushly delivered as it captures the broad palette of colors and helps raise the entertainment value of an inappropriate Hindu belly dance. This scene, where Becky dances a seven-veils kind of number that is jarringly out of place but, still, looks good. Beatrix Aruna Pasztor tackles "Vanity Fair's" complex costuming needs and provides a rich look to the upper crust British society, using colors to beautiful effect. Maria Djurkovic handles the time-spanning production design, from British drawing room to Napoleonic battlefield, expertly.
There is one major flaw, from a production standpoint, now that I think about it. While we follow the adult Becky over a span of two decades, nobody shows any signs of aging. At a time when a long, happy life only extended into one's forties, everyone looks surprisingly youthful to the end. Must be that rejuvenating British weather we always hear about. Oh, yeah, I also had a problem with the Bollywood number at the end of the film - another out-of-place detractor.
Mira Nair has bitten off a big piece with this epic scale period drama and sometimes succeeds. The two-plus hour run time is not a problem, but the film fades quickly after you leave the theater. I continue to like Witherspoon and have increased respect for the talented actress. "Vanity Fair" is like flavored popcorn – tastier than regular popcorn but it is still popcorn, nonetheless. I give it a B-.
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