Based on William Thackeray's panoramic social critique of English society, director Mira Nair's Vanity Fair (2004) is a lushly exotic, occasionally erotic and always flamboyant celebration of period costume. That the central performances sometimes become secondary to Declann Quinn's gorgeous cinematography is a misgiving I have no doubt Thackeray himself would have approved of, particularly when the story focuses on the absurdities of the aristocracy.
Made in 1935 as Becky Sharp starring Miriam Hopkins, this remake also proved to be an expensive dud at the box office. Yet, this is indeed a shame, because unlike the 1935 version, Nair's remake is both clever and concise, no small feat given the expansiveness of Thackeray's novel.
It should be pointed out that Thackeray's central character, Becky Sharp is hardly a stock Hollywood heroine and this is perhaps the difficulty many have when viewing any film derived from the book, because their level of expectation for a winsome gal in a bodice and corset is at odds with the complexities of the character that Thackeray wrote into immortal literature. Becky Sharp is a shrewd, conniving and manipulative social climber. Her thirst for riches is unquenchable and will cease at nothing to be satisfied.
In Nair's version, Becky is played with exceptional reverence by Reese Witherspoon, who was pregnant at the time of filming no less! In the Matthew Faulk, Julian Fellowes, Mark Skeet screenplay we are first introduced to Becky as a child inside her father's impoverished artist's studio, determined to barter with the exceptionally wealthy Marguess of Steyne (Gabriel Byrne) for a price to be paid on her father's latest portrait.
The Marguess acquiesces to the child's demand and, after the death of her father, Becky is sent to Miss Pinkerton's (Ruth Sheen) Academy for Young Ladies where she is generally abused and overworked. At the end of her tenure at this finishing school, Becky is sent to the dilapidated country estate of Sir Pitt Crawley (Bob Hoskins) to manage the education of his two young daughters.
Becky's one true friend, Amelia Sedley (Romala Garai) continues to write to her at Sir Pitts regularly. Amelia's rather oafish, though kindly brother, Joseph (Tony Maudsley), who is an officer in the army, is entranced by Becky from the start but heartily discouraged from pursuing a romance with her by his fellow officer George Osbourne (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers).
Sir Pitt is most impressed by Becky's tutelage and the way that she has whipped his unkempt house into shape for the arrival of his wealthy sister, Matilda (Eileen Atkins) whom he depends on for his own inheritance. Matilda is a shrewd woman and recognizes Becky's intensity to be of this upper class rather than simply a slave to them.
To this end, and even moreover because it will frustrate the family, Matilda brings Becky back with her to London where she eventually falls in love with Matilda's favourite nephew, Rawdon (James Purefoy) who is a Captain in the Royal Army. Meanwhile, Amelia fancies herself engaged to George. But he is selfish prig who considers Amelia an unfit match after her father's estate is ruined by his father (Jim Broadbent). To defy his father's edict that he should marry a wealthy woman rather than out of true love, George marries Amelia instead and is promptly ostracized from the family. The same fate befalls Rawdon after he sweeps Becky off her feet and is disowned by Matilda. This forces Rawdon and Becky to survive on his soldier's salary, which is meagre at best, and by her wits, which are amply endowed.
Amelia, George, Rawdon and Becky take their holiday in Brussels. However, after the outbreak of war with Napoleon, George and Rawdon are called into service while Becky and Amelia are driven into seclusion to wait out the duration of the Battle of Waterloo. George is killed during this skirmish, leaving Amelia with child. Mr. Osbourne refuses to acknowledge Amelia as his late son's wife, but takes a definite interest in his grandson, whom he will eventually steal away from Amelia.
In the meantime, Becky enters into an arrangement with the Marguess. This 'trade' secures Becky and Rawdon the necessary monies to live off but also destroys their marriage after it is revealed that Becky is expected to come to the Marguess whenever she is called to satisfy his sexual favours. Distraught, Rawdon leaves Becky for good and is forced to abandon their son with his brother, Pitt (Douglas Hodge) before accepting a commission on Coventry Island where he succumbs to Yellow Fever and eventually dies.
Revealing to Amelia that George once attempted to seduce her while still married, Becky pursues Joseph in India where he has become quite a wealthy land owner. Realizing that she has been a fool in love, Amelia surrenders her memory of George and their child to marry Major William Dobbin (Rhys Ifans), the only man who ever loved and cherished her from afar.
Vanity Fair is sumptuous and extraordinarily engrossing at times. The screenplay is adept at keeping all of the characters at play. Yes, the show belongs to Becky Sharp, but we're also introduced to a miraculous ensemble of witty, adroit and deceptively handsome characters, all entertaining fascinating back stories that only serve to enrich our experience as a whole. If there is a criticism to be made about the film, it is that Nair's direction at times seems to momentarily depart from the true period in which the tale is set into a suspended neo-classic realism that remains slightly at odds with the rest of the story.
As example, the sequence in which a discarded Becky performs a rather erotic India ballet could almost take its cue from a vintage MTV music video. While staged with finesse and beautifully photographed, the sequence does tend to stand apart from the scenes that bookend it and this can be quite jarring. Nevertheless, Vanity Fair proves itself a riveting melodrama. It is a must see/must own visual cream sundae with solid performances that will live on long after the elegant Ms. Sharp has departed for greener pastures.
Alliance Home Video's Blu-ray is quite beautiful. Mastered in full 1080p, the image exhibits some very breathtaking colours, gorgeously rendered fine details, and an all around stunning image that will surely not disappoint. Flesh tones are bang on as are contrast levels. Blacks are solid and velvety deep. Whites are crisp and clean. Film grain is represented as grain not digital grit. There are no digital anomalies to speak of. The audio is 5.1 DTS and very hearty indeed. Mychael Danna's sultry score is the real benefactor. Dialogue is natural sounding.
Extras are scant but well placed, included three brief featurettes that cover similar ground on the making of the film, plus an audio commentary by Nair that is comprehensive to say the least. Aside: I could have done without Alliance Home Video's interminable litany of trailers that precede the feature, but overall I have to say that in this case, their handling of the Blu-ray format is most satisfying.
FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)
3.5
VIDEO/AUDIO
4.5
EXTRAS
2
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