Posts Tagged ‘Joely Richardson’

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale

Director: Simon Curtis

Cast: Michelle Dockery, Joanne Froggatt, Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Laura Carmichael, Joely Richardson, Alessandro Nivola, Dominic West, Phyllis Logan, Allen Leech, Robert James-Collier, Sophia McShera, Raquel Cassidy, Brendan Coyle, Penelope Wilton, Jim Carter, Lesley Nicol, Michael Fox, Harry Hadden-Paton, Douglas Reith, Simon Russell Beale, Arty Froushan

Running Time: 2 hours and 3 minutes

Film Rating: 8 out of 10

It’s the 1930 season in London and scandal erupts when at a royal gathering, Lady Petersfield played by Joely Richardson (Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Anonymous) discovers much to her shock and horror that Lady Mary Talbot of Downton Abbey, superbly played by Michelle Dockery, is divorced. Lady Mary resplendent in a ravishing red gown abruptly leaves the party with her reputation in ruin.

So begins the fractious premise of the final film Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale beautifully directed by Simon Curtis and featuring an all-star cast including newcomers Alessandro Nivola (American Hustle, Kraven the Hunter) as a scheming American Gus Sambrook and Persian American actor Arty Froushan as the witty playwright Noel Coward.

It is the age of Noel Coward and the Crawleys need to face some fresh challenges without the wit and sharp humour of the late Lady Gratham, a role written especially by screenwriter Julian Fellowes for the late Oscar winner Maggie Smith.

Besides Lady Mary’s divorce, there is the future of Lord and Lady Grantham, a sophisticated combination of British tradition and American wealth which is now on shaky ground. Paul Giamatti plays Lady Grantham’s brother Harold Levinson fresh off the boat from New York with startling news that the American wealth has somehow been depleted.

Lord Grantham played with vigour by Hugh Bonneville is facing the prospect of an early retirement, but screenwriter Julian Fellowes with skill and determination creates an elegant narrative tapestry expertly weaving several subplots into a brilliant storyline involving a character heavy story about a new decade in which old traditions are challenged and fresh ideas are hinting at an approaching modernity.

With beautiful costumes by Scottish designer Anna Mary Scott Robins particularly evident in the fabulous Ascot scene, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale brings all the joy of the original series along with the cinematic grandeur of the big screen as the film follows the final chapter of The Crawleys as they navigate a changing world in which many of their customs vanish while the noble family learn to adapt, survive and embrace change.

Some notable scenes are between Laura Carmichael and Alessandro Nivola and of course between Oscar nominees Elizabeth McGovern (Ragtime) and Paul Giamatti (Cinderella Man, The Holdovers). It’s as if the supporting cast now has an opportunity to shine without the cynical gaze of Dame Maggie Smith looking at them with contempt. Although Maggie Smith’s absence in the film is felt keenly and Julian Fellowes acknowledges her ever lasting legacy.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is an exquisite film centred on a masterful script filled with wit, humour and nuance written so beautifully by Oscar winner Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park) who has a knack of discovering the fine line between the landed gentry and the servants downstairs, whose lives are continually entwined.

If audiences enjoy etiquette, good wit and sophistication, then be sure not to miss Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale a lovely British film about the elegant transfer of power from one generation to the next in a rapidly changing world.

With a massive supporting cast, beautiful houses and gorgeous costumes, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale gets a film rating of 8 out of 10 and is highly recommended viewing especially for those that loved the TV series.

Lady Chatterley’s Lover

Director: Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre

Cast: Emma Corrin, Jack O’Donnell, Matthew Duckett, Joely Richardson, Faye Marsay, Ella Hunt

Running Time: 2 hours and 6 minutes

Please note this film is only available on Netflix

When celebrated British novelist D. H. Lawrence first published his controversial novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover in 1928, almost 100 years ago, it was immediately banned for indecency and immorality. The novel was only unbanned in 1960.

This new steamy film adaptation of the infamous novel is directed by French director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre and stars The Crown actress Emma Corrin as Lady Chatterley and Jack O’Connell (Unbroken, Tulip Fever) as the rough and toned gamekeeper Oliver Mellors, a typical Derbyshire working class man.

Set in England between the World Wars, Lady Chatterley’s Lover tells the story of a young woman who marries into Landed gentry her husband Clifford Chatterley wonderfully played by Matthew Duckett. After the First World War, Lord Chatterley returns to his country estate, wealthy but crippled, left a paraplegic from being severely injured in the war. Obviously his injuries include him not being able to produce an heir to his estate, which is always vital for the continuance of the estate.

As this young and wealthy couple navigate their new situation, Clifford basically gives Connie permission to have an affair with another man, although he did not expect her to fall so passionately in love with the groundsman Mellors played with a brutish physicality by O’Connell who delivers his best onscreen work yet.

From the way the affair begins, The Mustang director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre already hints to the audience that this is going to be steamy and explicit, as the sexually frustrated Lady Chatterley expertly played by Emma Corrin first glimpses Mellors stark naked in an outdoor shower. Voyeurism and desire make for an enticing mix.

Lady Chatterley breaks all the social laws that govern strict separation between the classes in 1920’s Britain, particularly between the Landed gentry and the working class and finds an unlikely ally in Clifford Chatterley’s carer Mrs Bolton superbly played by Joely Richardson (The Patriot, Event Horizon, Red Sparrow).

As Clifford Chatterley becomes increasingly frustrated, his wife Lady Chatterley becomes increasingly fulfilled as she embarks on a passionate affair with Mellors often having trysts in the open or in his shed, close to where the other estate workers live. Naturally gossip amongst the servants ensue and soon Clifford is humiliated while Lady Chatterley departs for Venice realizing that she has to make a critical choice.

What makes Lady Chatterley’s Lover so significant is that as a romantic story it charts the sexual awakening of a young woman in which she makes the pivotal decisions, whether to stay with her husband or leave, whether to forgo her reputation and find independent love or to conform in a vicious upper class social world in which married woman have little room for manoeuvre.

Lady Chatterley’s Lover is beautifully filmed and extremely well-acted and brilliantly charts a forbidden love affair of a woman that would become the Gamekeeper’s Girl. Sexually explicit and gloriously elegant, Lady Chatterley’s Lover gets a film rating of 8 out of 10 and is highly recommended viewing.

Red Sparrow

Director: Francis Lawrence

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthais Schoenaerts, Charlotte Rampling, Jeremy Irons, Ciaran Hinds, Mary-Louise Parker, Joely Richardson, Sakina Jaffrey, Douglas Hodge, Louis Hofmann

Based upon the novel by former CIA Jason Matthews and adapted into a screenplay by Justin Haythe, Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence starts off Red Sparrow promisingly splicing a dodgy spy deal in Gorky Park with a fantastic ballerina sequence clearly inspired by Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan.

Set in Moscow and Budapest, Red Sparrow has a robust cast which should have delivered a lot more.

Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook) stars as ballerina turned spy Dominika Egorova who is coerced into joining the SVR (Russian intelligence) by her creepy uncle Vanya played by Matthais Schoenaerts (Far From the Madding Crowd) if she wants to keep looking after her sick mother Nina played by an unrecognizable Joely Richardson.

Dominika is sent to Sparrow school supervised by the manipulative Matron played by Oscar nominee Charlotte Rampling (45 Years) where she is vigorously taught the art of seduction and psychological warfare. Joel Edgerton plays Nate Nash an American CIA operative whom Dominika has to get close to.

What follows is a raunchy and long two and 20 minute tale about double crossing spies in Budapest and Moscow, with enough undercurrent tones which makes this film distinctly anti-Russian.

What bothered me is that the Russians actually make brilliant films, see Burnt by the Sun and there are some talented Russian screen actors out there but to populate an entire film about Russians with American, British and Australian actors is always questionable.

Red Sparrow would have been an engrossing spy drama if the script was more illuminating and resorted less to gratuitous sex scenes to spice up a convoluted story line.

The only actor who made a distinct impression, besides the remarkable Oscar winner Jeremy Irons (Reversal of Fortune) as the scheming General Korchnoi, was Mary-Louise Parker as the vodka swigging double agent Stephanie Boucher who audiences briefly glimpse in a London hotel room.

Red Sparrow despite some definable onscreen chemistry between Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Lawrence, plays like a bad 1980’s spy drama, without a hint of nuance or narrative thrust. Director Frances Lawrence could have also toned down the torture sequences which were embellished for dramatic effect much like the steamy nudity.

Red Sparrow was entertaining but could have been so much better, but also the timing of this film being released just after the Oscar season is unfortunate marketing.

Red Sparrow gets a Film Rating of 6.5 out of 10 and could have been edited by at least 30 minutes.