Director: Stephan Elliott
Year: 2008
Play by: Noel Coward
Adapted by: Stephan Elliott, Sheridan Jobbins
Cinematographer: Martin Kenzie
I don't know what makes a director think that casting solid actors like Katherine Parkinson, Colin Firth and Kristin Scott Thomas into his film will redeem it, or guarantee good acting.
This director makes horrible choices, from casting Jessica Biel and Ben Barnes as love interests, (neither is fit to carry a film, despite their pretty faces) and I just can't believe that that kind of voluptuous woman, a character made out to be a rebellious woman could actually fall in love with a skinny little Ben Barnes. I just don't buy it. Sure, in real life it could happen, but this film does nothing to explain their immediately assumed love.
Furthermore, the script is clunky and forces itself forward without any chance for us to actually connect with the characters. And I don't know if even the normally solid actors were just feeling lazy or if the editor chose poor takes or if the director just failed to inspire them to strong acting, but either way, the responsibility falls to Elliott to make good choices, and he doesn't.
I couldn't even get interested in the first 10 minutes of this film, so I did not watch any further. If you can't grab me, if you can't make me care about your story or your characters... I couldn't even tell what the conflict or direction of this film was going to take in the first 10 minutes... if you can't hold my interest, then you don't deserve to ever direct again.
I was actually angry last night that this director robbed me of 10 minutes of my life, when those who have the money and resources could give them over to good directors to make more films like "The Apartment". If you are going to spend all that money and effort to make a big film, using locations like mansions and castles and cool antique cars and elaborate costumes... please make good use of those things to tell a great story. Props do not make a movie, they don't make a play either. And I hate most when a film is cast treating the actors like props themselves, and here, that's exactly what Jessica Biel is. She has that kind of knock-out beauty that might fit this period, but that doesn't mean she automatically should be cast in a role she can't handle. If her beauty is to be used as a prop, then put her in a minor role that calls for a bomb-shell, but don't ask her to play lead. You not only waste the role, but you denigrate it, you make the character less important when you don't allow the character to come alive through the performance of a good actor, when you make the character just as shallow as Jessica Biel's beauty.
Please, do not watch this movie, do not waste your time nor money.
If you want to see a good musical, see 1972's "Cabaret" starring Liza Minnelli and directed by Bob Fosse.
I don't know what makes a director think that casting solid actors like Katherine Parkinson, Colin Firth and Kristin Scott Thomas into his film will redeem it, or guarantee good acting.
This director makes horrible choices, from casting Jessica Biel and Ben Barnes as love interests, (neither is fit to carry a film, despite their pretty faces) and I just can't believe that that kind of voluptuous woman, a character made out to be a rebellious woman could actually fall in love with a skinny little Ben Barnes. I just don't buy it. Sure, in real life it could happen, but this film does nothing to explain their immediately assumed love.
Furthermore, the script is clunky and forces itself forward without any chance for us to actually connect with the characters. And I don't know if even the normally solid actors were just feeling lazy or if the editor chose poor takes or if the director just failed to inspire them to strong acting, but either way, the responsibility falls to Elliott to make good choices, and he doesn't.
I couldn't even get interested in the first 10 minutes of this film, so I did not watch any further. If you can't grab me, if you can't make me care about your story or your characters... I couldn't even tell what the conflict or direction of this film was going to take in the first 10 minutes... if you can't hold my interest, then you don't deserve to ever direct again.
I was actually angry last night that this director robbed me of 10 minutes of my life, when those who have the money and resources could give them over to good directors to make more films like "The Apartment". If you are going to spend all that money and effort to make a big film, using locations like mansions and castles and cool antique cars and elaborate costumes... please make good use of those things to tell a great story. Props do not make a movie, they don't make a play either. And I hate most when a film is cast treating the actors like props themselves, and here, that's exactly what Jessica Biel is. She has that kind of knock-out beauty that might fit this period, but that doesn't mean she automatically should be cast in a role she can't handle. If her beauty is to be used as a prop, then put her in a minor role that calls for a bomb-shell, but don't ask her to play lead. You not only waste the role, but you denigrate it, you make the character less important when you don't allow the character to come alive through the performance of a good actor, when you make the character just as shallow as Jessica Biel's beauty.
Please, do not watch this movie, do not waste your time nor money.
If you want to see a good musical, see 1972's "Cabaret" starring Liza Minnelli and directed by Bob Fosse.
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