Review of Married Life (2008) by Daniel K — 06 Dec 2008

This is a small gem of a picture. It really takes one back to the days of Sirk, Hitchcock and the Hollywood of 50's melodramas and Hudson/Day pictures. It's a thriller, murder-mystery, melodrama, technicolor noir all-in-one.

Blending of genre in this manner is always interesting for me. It is a wonderfully nostalgic picture in every way. The camera movements and cuts are very simple and very fitting with a Sirkian/Hitchcockian homage of sorts.

I think if they had co-directed a picture, it would have had a similar feeling to this. There are plot elements and scenes that definitely seem to be informed by pictures like Notorious, Dial M for Murder, All that Heaven Allows, and others.

The score is minimal, the sets and clothing are immaculate, the makeup is abundant and ever present, and the color is glowing. Everything is perfect in this world, or at least perfect on the surface. It is tightly structured and flows quite well from start to finish.

I don't think I've ever seen this much drunk driving in a film before. It was certainly a different time. The performances and casting are all top notch. One couldn't ask for more from the performers.

I love the scene in which Brosnan's character explains his friend Harrys devotion to his wife to Clarkson and Wenham. It is pure hilarity. Brosnan has an undeniable charm that fits with many variations of a single character.

He could have played as a stand in for someone like Cary Grant in many a picture. His voice (for the narration) and the score are key to the overall mood. It's really a fairly flawless picture in many respects, but it is limited by the constraints it places upon itself.

It definitely made me want to get married right away.