New Flair for Vanity Fair
by Jan
Aaron
Director Mira Nair ("Monsoon Wedding") breathes
new life into William Makepeace Thackeray's "Vanity
Fair", starring the irresistible Reese Witherspoon as
the clever, social climbing Becky Sharp. Delhi born Nair
brings her Indian sensibilities to Calcutta born Thackeray's
classic work.
At the time of the story because of the East India Company,
Britain was deeply involved with India. Nair extracts that
element and heightens it to bring life and vitality to this
classic tale. There are many Indian motifs in the movie:
decorative, musical, and cultural. Two particularly riveting
scenes recall colorful Bollywood musicals. In one, Becky
leads a chorus performing a seductive nautch (dance) at a
lavish house party. In the other, the stunning final scene,
colorful turbaned musicians and dancers surround Becky as
she rides on an elephant to the fabulous Meherangarh Fort
in Jodhpur, India to start a new adventure.
Not all of this works perfectly to forward the story, but
it always fascinates. While the story criticizes England's
snobbish, pretentious nouveau riche of the early 19th century,
it could apply to the money crazed today. As a teacher's
tool, the film might inspire classroom discussions about
its relevance, as well as how students might bring their
own backgrounds to retelling this tale.
Like the novel, the screenplay, set during the Napoleonic
wars, tells the story of two girls who meet at boarding school:
Becky Sharp, orphaned, poor and innovative and Amelia Sedley,
(Romola Garai), the sweet, traditional daughter of a newly
rich merchant (Jim Broadbent). Amelia first is involved with
a cad, George Osborne (Johanthan Rys Meyers) who is killed
at Waterloo and later wed to a nice guy William Dobbin (Rhys
Ifans) who worships her. Becky's story is more interesting.
She marries the dashing, Rawdon Crowley (James Purefoy) and
eventually ends up mistress to the wealthy Marquess of Steyne,
(Gabriel Byrne) which allows her to realize her dreams...or
does it? See for yourself.
Director of photography Declan Quinn and editor Allyson
C. Johnson bring an enormously satisfying aesthetic style
to the proceedings. Beatrix Aruna Pasztor's costumes, using
strong Indian colors throughout the film mixed with muted
English style, add appropriate panache. Mychael Danna, master
of mixing East-West sounds, composed the memorable score.
(PG-13; 145 minutes)#
