Movie Talks Archives

Posted by: Backstabba at January 6, 2008, 1:11 am

Topic: Atonement Forum: JoBlo

Quote: Originally Posted by BakeTheMooCow - The dialogue between the character is infuriating. If you've ever seen Eddie Izzard's bit about movies - you'll see how Atonement is exactly like his joke about British films. Lots of "Oh.. I... oh.... I.. hmmm.." and very little actually said. - The long tracking shot of a war-torn beach was technically impressive, but ultimately pointless. *SPOILERS* - The ending was a cheat. Briony, as an old woman, admits that the entire story is real but the fate of Robbie and Cecelia was embellished to provide hope and a positive message to readers. If the entire story up until the tracking shot, after which Robbie falls asleep, is real, and the remainder of the film is made up by Briony - then the plot doesn't make sense. In the scene where Briony confesses and apologizes, Cecelia tells Robbie to 'come back, come back to me'. There is no way Briony knows about how Cecelia says those words to Robbie earlier. Unless -- the alternate explanation is that the entire story, and the film we have just witnessed, is an intricate lie Briony fabricated. And that's fine, in a Usual Suspects-like way. The movie is fiction, so it doesn't matter if it's made up by an author, a screen-writer or a character within the movie. But that's not what Briony claims. In her interview, she says every word is true and the story is autobiographical, except for the ending. So how then would she know about, say - the scene between Paul Marshall and her cousin, Lola where he's leering at her? Or the dream that Robbie has about his mother just before his 'death'? The whole movie collapses due it's own supposed cleverness. SPOILERS TOOOO! I want to respond to some of your reasons to dislike the movie. Not trying to question your opinion. Just responding. Quote: Originally Posted by BakeTheMooCow - The dialogue between the character is infuriating. If you've ever seen Eddie Izzard's bit about movies - you'll see how Atonement is exactly like his joke about British films. Lots of "Oh.. I... oh.... I.. hmmm.." and very little actually said. Well there were a LOT of uncomfortable conversation moments in the film, so do you expect them to be chatting like mockingbirds? And what's wrong with "showing and not telling"? Sometimes people complain for too much telling and not enough showing. Quote: Originally Posted by BakeTheMooCow - The long tracking shot of a war-torn beach was technically impressive, but ultimately pointless. The same could be said about the tracking shot in Goodfellas, Children of Men, etc. But no one calls them pointless, they praise the hell out of them. Though in the case you are not part of "they". Can you believe that maybe the shot was used to show the conditions on the beach? If the scene had been done in separate shots would you be against it? Quote: Originally Posted by BakeTheMooCow *SPOILERS* - The ending was a cheat. Briony, as an old woman, admits that the entire story is real but the fate of Robbie and Cecelia was embellished to provide hope and a positive message to readers. If the entire story up until the tracking shot, after which Robbie falls asleep, is real, and the remainder of the film is made up by Briony - then the plot doesn't make sense. In the scene where Briony confesses and apologizes, Cecelia tells Robbie to 'come back, come back to me'. There is no way Briony knows about how Cecelia says those words to Robbie earlier. Unless -- the alternate explanation is that the entire story, and the film we have just witnessed, is an intricate lie Briony fabricated. And that's fine, in a Usual Suspects-like way. The movie is fiction, so it doesn't matter if it's made up by an author, a screen-writer or a character within the movie. But that's not what Briony claims. In her interview, she says every word is true and the story is autobiographical, except for the ending. So how then would she know about, say - the scene between Paul Marshall and her cousin, Lola where he's leering at her? Or the dream that Robbie has about his mother just before his 'death'? The whole movie collapses due it's own supposed cleverness. Everyone has a different outlook. Here's mine. I think the entire story before the final scene between the three was shown because it really happened (in the movie). She mentions how she used first hand accounts for the book, but she only mentions that she made up the scene between her, Cecellia and Robbie. And when Robbie dies, the soldier takes the post cards from his body. If Briony got the first hand account from him, maybe he gave her the postcards, and she read "Come back, come back to me" (which Cecellia did write to Robbie) and decided to include it in the final scene? I just rewatched the movie today and paid attention to the structure, symbolism, foreshadowing, etc. And I just noticed those things and wanted to mention them. Not at the expense of your post. It's just I kinda wanted to answer questions for you. But if I sound like a jackass. I apologize. (I'm a bit paranoid when it comes to text)

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