 |
| Source: Imdb |
Well, this
period drama about Queen Anne and her ladies-in-waiting was something
different, for a change! Olivia Coleman was fascinating as the queen, building
an intriguing character: it was never quite clear whether she really was this
naive, child-like puppet, easily manipulated by those closes to her, or whether
she did have a bit of a spark in her, secretly toying with her subjects. Emma
Stone as angel-faced, calculating back-stabber and social climber was
delightful, and Rachel Weisz reminded me a lot of Rachel in 'My cousin Rachel':
it was never quite clear where her loyalties really lay: with the queen or with
herself, whether she just had gotten used to the power she held, or truly
thought she was helping. Nicholas Hoult was a joy as a callus, yet charming
politician, and responsible for many laughs in this surprisingly funny film.
The script contained a sort of dry gallows' humour that I found very entertaining. Overall, I was gratified to see that the film offered something new to the audience. Finally, a movie that did not feel like I had seen it a million times before. Great job on that! The plot was unpredictable and though I wouldn't exactly say that it contained remarkable twists, it did have a few moments that catch one off guard.
Visually, this was stunning as well. The intricate sets and costumes were remarkable in their detail and nothing short of beautiful in their composition, as was the awe-inspiring cinematography that used lots of natural, gorgeous lighting (though it did make for a lot more candles and fires than seemed reasonable in medieval times). Overall, this was just a pleasure to look at. I was a bit baffled by the choice of lenses, though. They used a lot of fish-eye lenses that distorted the picture, sometimes up to the point of looking slightly grotesque. I am inclined to see it as a means of artistic expression, probably symbolising the warped perception of the characters and the slightly satirical tilt to the narrative.
All in all, an entertaining 3/5, because it did feel a bit over-long.
PS: I was pleased to recognise Hampton Court Palace as one of the shooting locations :)
The script contained a sort of dry gallows' humour that I found very entertaining. Overall, I was gratified to see that the film offered something new to the audience. Finally, a movie that did not feel like I had seen it a million times before. Great job on that! The plot was unpredictable and though I wouldn't exactly say that it contained remarkable twists, it did have a few moments that catch one off guard.
Visually, this was stunning as well. The intricate sets and costumes were remarkable in their detail and nothing short of beautiful in their composition, as was the awe-inspiring cinematography that used lots of natural, gorgeous lighting (though it did make for a lot more candles and fires than seemed reasonable in medieval times). Overall, this was just a pleasure to look at. I was a bit baffled by the choice of lenses, though. They used a lot of fish-eye lenses that distorted the picture, sometimes up to the point of looking slightly grotesque. I am inclined to see it as a means of artistic expression, probably symbolising the warped perception of the characters and the slightly satirical tilt to the narrative.
All in all, an entertaining 3/5, because it did feel a bit over-long.
PS: I was pleased to recognise Hampton Court Palace as one of the shooting locations :)
No comments:
Post a Comment