Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Romola Garai, James Purefoy, Rhys Ifans, Gabriel Byrne, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Bob Hoskins, Eileen Atkins, Jim Broadbent
Director: Mira Nair
Producers: Janette Day, Lydia Dean Pilcher, Donna Gigliotti
Screenplay: Matthew Faulk, Julian Fellowes, Mark Skeet, based on the novel by William Makepeace Thackeray
Cinematography: Declan Quinn
Music: Mychael Danna
U.S. Distributor: Focus Features
There's always a risk inherent in adapting a lengthy classic novel, and pacing is often the first casualty. Such is the case with Mira Nair's version of William Thackeray's Vanity Fair. Despite impeccable production values and some impressive supporting performances, the film suffers from choppiness and a sense that too much is being crammed into the two-hour twenty-minute running time. One could argue that Nair did the best that's humanly possible with the story considering the natural constraints of a motion picture, but, although the film is entertaining and eminently watchable, one could easily argue that it does not do full justice to its source material.
To those who are students of English literature, the story is well-known. It centers around perpetual schemer and social climber Becky Sharp (Reese Witherspoon), who spends the first third of the movie looking for a husband who can elevate her above the poverty and low social standing inherent in her position as a orphan and a governess. When she finds her match in Rawdon Crawley (James Purefoy), she does her best to ingratiate herself into the highest circles of English society. But Rawdon, who is dedicated to her, is also a gambling addict, and his losses at the tables bring financial ruin to himself and Becky. Only the intervention of the Marquis of Steyne (Gabriel Byrne), who has his own motives, saves them from losing everything. Meanwhile, Becky's lone friend, Amelia Sedley (Romola Garai), is unlucky in romance. She is in love with George Osborne (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers), the callow, self-centered son of businessman John Osborne (Jim Broadbent). Her eventual marriage to George is not happy, and she is oblivious to the devotion of her husband's fellow soldier, William Dobbin (a subdued Rhys Ifans).
The cast reads like a who's who of British cinema. (But where's Judi Dench?) In addition to Jim Broadbent, James Purefoy, and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, there are notable turns by Bob Hoskins and Eileen Atkins. Reese Witherspoon's selection for the lead is a curious choice. She lacks the requisite bite to give Becky the edge she possesses in the novel, and her limited range results in a few awkward scenes. Her accent is serviceable, but there are occasional slips. If the motivation behind casting Witherspoon was to soften Becky and make her more appealing, it succeeds. One of Witherspoon's primary characteristics is likability, and it shines through here.
Despite the obvious differences in their literary pedigrees, Vanity Fair reminded me of Roger Michell's adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion. Both are superlatively mounted period pieces, both feature plucky heroines, and both use satire to lighten the load of melodrama. Vanity Fair is a little darker and more abrasive. (The film's best scene features Gabriel Byrne's Marquis of Steyne verbally lashing everyone sitting at his dinner table, including his poor wife.) But my guess is that anyone who appreciated Persuasion (or perhaps any of the other Austen-inspired movies that came out in the mid-1990s) will enjoy Vanity Fair.
Nair might at first seem to be an odd choice to helm the movie, but the Indian-born director, whose Monsoon Wedding was a major art-house hit, breathes life into what could have been a stodgy, Masterpiece Theater-style costume drama. Nair's recreation of England and Belgium during the early 19th century is sumptuous without going overboard. In scenes when a certain drabness is required, she keeps the colors earthy and muted. But, on occasions of gaiety, bright hues abound.
In general, there are more things to like about Vanity Fair than there are to dislike, especially if you're not a Thackeray purist. (Are there any such individuals?) Despite its flaws, the movie is compulsively watchable, and few will be bored by it. It's a charming movie that falls short of greatness, but is still worth a solid recommendation.
© 2004 James Berardinelli