Nothing is spoken, and yet everything is said. This is probably one of the best films I’ve ever seen. The lighting and textures within are evocative of the period and mirror the painting perfectly. The opening shots of vegetables cut with the accent on the knife slicing them and different sounds they make mirror the crushing, and grinding, and the mixing involved in making paints.
Film is the perfect medium, to convey stories about painters and artists. And this film, short though it is, cannot fail to remind you that just as big budget blockbusters with the latest special effects can make a great film — a great film can also be made in by paying attention to these details.
I hope that the BAFTA nominations (and maybe Oscar too…) help to get more people than the five (including me) when I went, to see this film. The patchy reviews have done this an a disservice in concentrating on moaning about the lack of dialogue, complaining that Scarlett Johannson doesn’t get an opportunity to show she can act. Are you kidding?!! She is brilliant. Her acting is so perfect that you believe in her completely, as does Colin Firth with his return to smouldering gazes (any lady who liked Pride & Prejudice, go and see this film…).
One more thing. Why does Tom Wilkinson never get to play the good guy or the out and out villain, but always the one that you think is going to be alright and quite nice, but ends up being, just a little shit?
LOL, I never thought of Tom Wilkinson as “just a little shit”, but I know what you’re getting at. Has he done any film before? He’s a superb tv actor.
I think he was the in Shakespeare in Love, and a number of those kind of ensemble British cast period/period-ish films. One of those characters that keep on cropping up…
I forgot “The Full Monty”! His finest hour, for me, was “Martin Chuzzlewit” (Seth Pecksniff). Years ago he was in a tv film/play about a couple of kids who go up to Oxford or Cambridge for an interview – he was the father of one of them, and during the course of the play we saw his disintegration as the lies he had built his life upon started to crumble (he had kept up the pretence of having studied there).
I think that play was the first time I noticed him, and I’ve been a fan ever since. He’s one of the great underrated actors.
Eskimo Day
That was a good TV movie – understated but good…
I’m looking forward to seeing it. It’s a beautiful book.