Atonement wowed me not with its story or direction or acting or cinematography or production design. Sorry James McAvoy, you’re good-looking but not that hot enough. Sorry Saoirse Ronan, you’re pretty impressive but you disappeared in the middle of the film. Sorry Vanessa Redgrave, your devastating seven minutes on screen was, well, just seven minutes (Judi Dench’s Oscar-winning performance as Queen Elizabeth in Shakespeare In Love clocked in at eight-plus minutes). And sorry Keira Knightley, you’re pretty but someone else in the movie beat you to it.
Dario Marianelli’s score had me gasping at my seat and saying, “Cunt!” From the moment the click-clacking of the typewriter morphed into the rhythm and beat of the music, I was astounded, in awe and envious. It wasn’t a superfluous gimmick either; the typewriter figures prominently in the film. (And I also loved how the clicking of lighters—another prominent prop in the film—also mimicked the sound of the typewriter. Later on even the clacking of nurses’ shoes on a hospital floor also echoed and picked up the score.) It’s a simple yet stunning device, used most effectively.
Marianelli deserved the Oscar.
3 comments:
And how about the costume design? Keira's ensemble, particularly her green dress, look scrumptious. I wanna wear it! Hehe.
@MISTERHUBS: Mas gusto ko yung suot niya sa may fountain, mas lalo na nung na-wet look na siya. I wanna wear that and make ahon-ahon from the fountain in front of Sid and Coco.
The 5-minute Elegy for Dunkirk (where a male chorus fades in and out) is subtle without being epically sweeping. Marianelli deserved the Oscar!
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