Atonement

I saw Atonement this weekend - it's just come out, and I do like to see films when they've just been released. There's a real buzz surrounding this film; I suppose because it's British, but also because of the Ian McEwan factor; he's just been put on the Booker prize shortlist for On Chesil Beach, and he's probably the most high-profile British author around at the moment. Also, keira Knightley; she's definitely the British actress of the moment. I saw the first 2 Pirates of the Caribbean films, against my better judgement, and couldn't be bothered to see the third (too long and cumbersome, not very funny, not exciting, not interesting on any level), so had zero expectations of KK in Pride and Prejudice. I was pleasantly surprised by her performance; she acquitted herself very well, though I did think she's a little young for Lizzie Bennet. The film as a whole had much to recommend it, and Brenda Blethyn as Mrs Bennet, was, I thought, a huge improvement on Alison Steadman in the BBC's famous production, though Matthew McFadyen was a pale, forlorn Mr Darcy after Colin Firth, who, I think, is a super-hard act to follow.
Anyway, back to Atonement. A great deal of effort has gone into establishing its period authenticity; clothes, accents, hairstyles, even the way everyone walked. So when something isn't quite it really stands out. For example, KK's eyebrows, while right once the 1940s arrived, were far too thick for 1935. Maybe it doesn't matter, but I always find myself spotting this kind of thing. There weren't too many occasions like this, though, and she, and James McAvoy, made a pretty good attempt at Celia Johnson/Trevor Howard-style received pronunciation, something many actors today find extremely difficult. I always notice immediately when Estuary English is spoken in wartime and pre-war films, and I hate it; it's just wrong. Even non-posh people spoke with clipped accents in those days, so I was pleased to see a serious attempt made at getting this right.
James McEvoy has been pretty good in everything I've seen him so far, and he did exceptionally well in this. He's one of those actors who becomes the character, shedding all traces of himself; Knightley, being more high-profile can't quite do this, remaining KK however hard she tries.
Romola Gary, on the other hand, inhabits her character completely, and both my daughter (who came with me) and I felt her performance as the sister (the WWII incarnation) was the highlight of the film. because the sister, who misinterprets the relationship between Knightley and McEvoy, is played by 3 actresses, Gary's part is necessarily smaller and less high-profile, but all the portrayals were exceptional, finishing with Vanessa Redgrave as the elderly version. A charming device, I thought, to link them, was to give them all similar hairstyles - this worked well, giving the film an extra coherence.
Much has been made of the bravura sequence depicting the beach at Dunkirk, quite rightly, I think. It encapsulates the madness and chaos that must surely have engulfed the evacuation of the BEF. So, well done all round. Whether it'll win any Oscars remains to be seen, but it's a worthy first shot across the bows of the industry. And, thank goodness, a decent film with which to kick-start the autumn season.