“What about the woman?”

The Conspirator: directed by Robert Redford; written by James D. Solomon
 
I couldn’t possibly write anything on Robert Redford period/political drama without pointing the way to Tim’s review which says everything I could possibly say with much more alacrity. So, in a way, this review suffices as something of a footnote because even though I’ve got nothing particularly new to the table I’d feel bad devoting nary a word to the film. The first I heard about The Conspirator was a post that RC of Strange Culture did before it was released, and there’s no doubt that American History is mellifluous enough to precipitate dozens of interesting tales about the Civil War era and whatnot. There is an interesting story to be told in The Conspirator, but there’s a devastatingly trite way in which it is told.

Court-room dramas are in many ways a dime a dozen on film, and even less on television but The Conspirator has a strident hook, and I’m not just talking about the fact that it’s based on a true story. The imprudence with which the trial against Mary Surratt unfolds is a fine example of the lesser aspects of the human race but Solomon’s script approaches the issue with a stifling lack of zest. The technical aspects of the film are done with the right amount of gloom necessary for the proceeding but the script itself peters between unwarranted sagacity and occasional hectoring. And Redford is the kind of director who’s obviously interested in making a “statement” so there’s a fighting tendency for his directing to encourage the script’s occasionally heavy handed nature.
              
But, the cast subverts that nature. I feel a bit annoyed with Redford that he has such a brilliant cast and fails to give them impeccable work. But, looking at the film you wouldn’t know it, well not really. It’s a good ensemble and the actors are all willing to put in credible work. I was looking forward to The Conspirator because of Robin Wright. She made my list of nominees in 2009 for her work The Private Lives of Pippa Lee a film she held down with her luminescence. She doesn’t get to do quite as much here because as much as the film is named after her titular character Solomon’s narrative seems more interested in James McAvoy Aiken, the war hero turned lawyer. And, McAvoy is fine – as is the entire cast – but it’s such a shame that Wright in particular is forced to play her role in a single register (excellently, but still). The film’s female cast – made of Wright, Evan Rachel Wood (impressive in a role that’s too small) and Alexis Bledel in a surprisingly poignant turn. Even though Wright is the de facto lead Redford is intent to leave her for the men of the narrative, sometimes to the disservice of the film. It’s a true shame that Wood and Wright never get a proper scene together.

I can’t berate Redford for trying to make a statement with his own film, but the unfortunate thing is - The Conspirator is not the type of film where entertainment needs to be sacrificed for edification. There’s enough material for his “message” to hit home. It probably won’t be remembered as the end of the year as anything seminal, and it’s not really seminal in fact but even though the film itself is imperfect it’s home for a talented cast and some fine technical work. It’s strange, the film is about the woman behind it all but it’s really about men...too many men.
       
C+

An Old-Fashioned Link Story

I can't put my finger on why, but I love this post Rich (Wide Screen World) does on Woody's Manhattan. I really need to see that one again, of all the Woody films I've seen it's the only one I've seen once - I can hardly remember it. And in other news, I still haven't seen Midnight in Paris.Ugh.

                 

Emmy nominees are coming up soon (Emmy conversation continue with me and Ryan) and Kate Winslet is essentially a shoo-in for her work on Mildred Pierce (check out Jose's ten best moments from a few months back). Well Alex reviews the work of the original Mildred - Joan Crawford's Oscar winning performance.

                      

Nicholas (Anomalous Review) puts forth a rousing defense of Keira Knightley in Atonement, although the word defense suggests that there is something damning about the performance which needs to be defended. I love the film and Keira in it, but I know Keira is not loved by all, which is a shame. She was the MVP in Never Let Me Go only last year.

             

Nathaniel's (The Film Experience) poll on memorable Best Actress characters of the 90 gave Jodie Foster the edge for the 91-95 women. I'm not that fond of Clarice Starling or The Silence of the Lambs, but CS (Big Thoughts From A Small Mind) offers of a great write-up on its longevity. I re-watch is in order when I get some time, I suppose.

     

In just a few paragraphs Paolo (Okinawa Assault) manages to touch on some significant things in Notes on a Scandal. I just love Cate Blanchett as Sheba. And, on the topic of Cate being excellent Norma (The Flick Chicks) pays tribute to her work in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, another performance I adore. Where was her Oscar nomination? Heck, not even a Globe nod.

Ben (Runs Like A Gay) has some harrowing words about The Conspirator. I want to see this if only because Robin Wright Penn is delightful (she made The Private Lives of Pippa Lee so much better than it deserves) but he's not impressed with the film.

Supporting Actress Blog-a-thon: Bello, Belluci, Knight, Lively, Moore & Ryder,

This post is part of StinkyLulu’s Supporting Actress Blog-a-thon. Head over and feast on the posts.
             

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee has turned into something of a guilty pleasure for me. It’s not an exceptionally good film but with all its faults and missteps I still find it enjoyable. Of course most of that depends on the performance of the luminous Robin Wright Penn in the eponymous lead role, but she is supported by a host of Women, big and small that make her performance all the more beautiful. It’s a true Supporting Actress bevy even though many are just playing short roles. So I decided to single them all out in their lovely performances.

  

Blake Lively, Julianne Moore, Shirley Knight, Winona Ryder, Maria Bello & Monica Bellucci as an ingenue, a lesbian, a friend, an adulteress, a bipolar mother and a woman scorned

             

I’d add Zoe Kazan to the list, but her non acting disgusts me, so I’ll pretend that she was not there.

                  

Blake Lively has the toughest job of the lot. I’ve never found her coasting on Gossip Girl to be particularly noteworthy, but as a younger version of Ms. Penn I must admit that she does a admirable job. Her performance is most lovely when measured against that of her mother, Suky,  played by Maria Bello. Bello bursts into the film for a few short scenes to play the bipolar mother of our main character. We don’t usually see her like this; her most notable roles are often those of reticence, but she is an actress and acting is what she does here. As good as Wright Penn is [and she really is good] I just wished that the film could have focused more on the dynamic of the Bello/Lively relationship. She chews the scenery, of course, but I’m damned if it’s not the best performance of the film, next to Wright Penn. But comparing the supporting women would do them an injustice, because they’re all fine, very fine.

Take Winona Ryder, for example, as Sandra. She is a friend of Pippa, who is sleeping with Pippa’s husband [Alan Arkin]. Sandra is so distraught when Pippa finds her in Herb's office she attempts to slit her wrist – with a disposable blade of all things – and ends up in the hospital alongside  Herb who’s had a heartattack. My favourite moment of Winona comes when she begs Pippa for forgiveness. On her knees in an unflattering hospital gown, she grovels at Pippa’s feet. It’s an uncomfortable moment for the character, but Winona has never been afraid of the uncomfortable and it’s the lack of inhibition that makes her Sandra completely real.and also delciously funny. She is an Oscar nominee, after all. Julianne Moore, another Oscar gal, shot her scenes in three days. She plays Kat the lesbian lover of Pippa’s aunt who seems hell-bent on turning Pippa into a soft-core porn star. Julianne’s comedic timing is vastly underrated and as she delivers her lines dryly her prowess can’t be denied. In her two scenes she outsdoes Lively, but Lively - good as she is- is still a rookie.

Monica Belluci’s scorned woman [Herb's original wife] is not as contrived as it could have been in lesser hands. As she invites a young Pippa and Herb for lunch as they discuss a divorce you can't help but smile at this woman's charm. Her subsequent actions may not be as comic inducing,  but Monica carries it off with grace - gun toting and all. And then, there's Shirley Knight. She is Pippa's solitary friend in the retirement home and though role is relegated to a mere plot point she manages to make her final disappointment in Pippa real, even if we don’t care. I often wonder why Ms. Knight, a double Oscar nominee, has been virtually shunned from substantial cinema in her old age. But I digress.

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee is not perfect, not remotely. Depending on your propensity your thoughts may range from tedious to passable. Perhaps, it’s the presence of all these glorious women but I can’t be mad at it. Rebecca Miller makes a few mistakes in her narrative, but when it comes to getting the goods from her women [Kazan aside]. She succeeds. Undoubtedly.