Review of Vanity Fair (2004) by Hashim Ali C — 27 Oct 2008

Mira Nair directs Reese Witherspoon in William Makepeace Thackeray's epic novel "Vanity Fair". The movie if it was on its own would have succeeded tremendously due to Mira Nair unique way of direction and the sheer beauty of this motion picture but if you consider it a movie of that epic novel of love and society than it is extremely shoddy.

The script writers have butchered the script to an extreme. The eight hundred page book was tried to fit into two hours and the result is that if one blinks one is sure to miss something.

The casting is brilliant if only the movie is considered but put the book in mind and, every single person is miscast. George, Rawdon, Dobbin all of these are not anywhere like what the novel suggest them to be like. Amelia, Miss Crawley are too different as well from the epic. I think only Reese Witherspoon as Becky sharp is a tinnsey wee bit like Becky sharp in the novel. Throughout the movie we don't know whether to sympathies or hate this social climber exactly like we feel while reading the novel.

If you forget the novel than this movie is absolutely brilliant and an emotional roller coaster. The acting by all is brilliant and all of them (down to the three lines given shamelessly to Mrs. Frikin) give a stunning performance. Reese Witherspoon gives another enchanting performance even though she was pregnant (very much visually) throughout the movie.

The costumes are beautiful and fit the title "Vanity Fair"quite snugly. The jewels and costumes highlights the vanity of our society. In some places the pregnancy of the lead is very successfully hidden by these costumes. Two thumbs up for these beautifully lavish costumes.

The music and cinematography are also brilliant.

In all, this movie successfully destroys an epic novel but in turn creates a movie which is visually stunning, and drips with the pleasure of a Mira Nair movie.