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Customer Rating:

Summary: Couldn't wait for it to end
Comment: I rented this film based on several friends recommendations and eagerly settled down to watch it. I
soon became restless and found myself watching the clock to see how much longer I had to put up with
it! I was bored at first then grew more uncomfortable finding it increasingly depressing. I could
find no empathy with the characters and by the time the film finished I cared not one jot as to who
lived or died...I was just relieved it had ended. It was probably the worst film I have seen for a
long time and I will stick to my own choices in future.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Great if you read the book first but unfortunately...
Comment: I saw the film first! What a showcase of technical brilliance in cinematography, music, costume,...
All masterclasses of their craft, but just not connecting together to pull me INTO the story. Only
Vanessa Redgrave in the last 10 minutes managed to bring any soul, any point to the film, but not
enough to salvage hours of frustratedly trying to connect with the characters. I just felt, cheated,
excluded really, this could have been a G-R-e-a-t film and a great experience to watch.
/>And then I read the book...! WOW (that's all I'll say - it deserves its own review).
/>And then I saw the film again....OK it suddenly made sense. The book is subtle, profound and
delves deeply into the interiority of the characters. It also gives a very cinematic description of
the settings and backdrops for all this internal reflection. The film takes these settings and
backdrops and painstakingly and exquisitely captures them on screen. Hence all the praise for the
visuals. BUT (and this is a massive BUT) where is the interiority? Non-existent. It's as if Joe
Wright is in such awe of the book and so aware of its fan-base breathing down his neck that he
daren't attempt any interpretation, any creative input of his own, lest he 'damage' the original,
thus the finished product is an 'imitation' of a masterpiece, no better than a Van Gogh photocopy.
Yes the visual details are precise, but there is no integrity/soul in the work - it does not stand
up as a film "in its own right", but stays as a creatively poor, technically brilliant homage to the
book. (Interesting that Ian McEwan was consulted very very closely throughout the production process
-I think this killed the film. Obviously Joe Wright didn't have this problem with Jane
Austen...)

In short, if you read the book and enjoyed it, you will find the film an
absolute treat. You will get to access the heart and soul of the story you have already connected
with, within you, whilst enjoying the exquisite packaging and Joe Wright's technical brilliance,
before you. Otherwise, maybe worth a look to see what all the fuss is about and to enjoy the things
it does well...just don't expect it to do to much for YOU. Hope this helps!

Customer Rating:

Summary: Surprised and dissapointed
Comment: I'll start off by saying that I haven't read he book and my opinion and review applies exclusively
to the film.
After all the fuss with awards and nomination and generally positive viewers'
reception of the film I was quite keen to see it myself. So much was said about the "spectacular
cinematography", "brilliant plot" and "inspired acting" that I had reasonably high expectations.
Unfortunately, except for the acting (which was quite good I thought) the film did not deliver
pretty much at all.
After good first 3rd of the movie, things really go downhill. To me, it
felt as if directors and producers were specifically aiming to get some awards and as in most such
cases, it just didn't work out. The "spectacular" moments feel out-of-place and it really looks like
they serve no other purpose but to be noted by the critics and impress an unpretentious viewer, the
visuals especially in films of this genre should help to tell the story, not be "standalone
features". The story and the final twist didn't work for me as well as it's very unclear what point
the director tried to make (if indeed there was one).

Overall, I found the film to be
very average in all areas and would by no means recommend it to someone looking for a sophisticated
film that could provide some food for thought, emotional journey or feast for the eyes.
If you
like the actors, however, you might give this a try as it's not an outright bad film either. />
Thanks for reading.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Straight into my Top Ten
Comment: Armed with reticence when watching a film having already read the book, I sat down to it with my
expectations on the low side. No fan of period drama at the best of times, my heart initially sank
when I heard the grating tone of the upper class accents. However, after the first 10 minutes I was
totally drawn in and left my preconceptions behind. So much so that I wept like a baby at the
ending - even though I knew what was coming from having read the book. Must confess, I didn't like
Vanessa Redgrave at the end. Her Hollywood teeth made her character of an elderly English woman
quite unbelievable. However, I didn't allow this to spoil my overall enjoyment of the film. Went
to sleep last night thinking about this film and woke up thinking about it again this morning! What
more can I say? Shot straight into my top ten films ever...

Customer Rating:

Summary: Wonderful
Comment: Watched this film a few days ago having missed it in the cinema and was blown away by the story, so
much so that I am still thinking about it. The cinematography, costumes (I want THAT green
dress)and acting are all superb, in particular the beautiful James McAvoy. The story develops at
just the right pace and the twist at the end was totally unexpected.

The one negative
to the film - Keira Knightley. She is her usual pouty, lollipop head self and to be honest I think
someone like Emily Blunt would have done a better job.

That said it is a brilliant,
tear-jerking film and what people should remember is that the film will never be able to go into the
detail of the book and people that have expectations that it will will only be disappointed.

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