First off, I'm very sorry if there's already a thread for this. I searched by about 7 pages and didn't see it, so shame on me if I missed it.

Atonement opened in the UK back in September, but just opened in the US before Christmas I believe. I missed seeing it in the cinema, but recently found one cinema still with one showing of it for a ridiculously cheap price. It was about an hour or so away, and needless to say my mum and I were the only ones in there watching. [She had to drive me you see. ]

I dunno how many of you have the read the book, but I thought this was a perfect adaptation of it down to the repetition of scenes from different perspectives. James McAvoy and Keira Knightley were fantastic, although admittedly, their parts were rather small. Who impressed me the most was young actress, Saoirse Ronan, who played 13-year-old Briony Tallis. She has a promising future ahead of her in the acting profession to be sure.

The film might be a bit confusing for those who don't know what to expect, but it's definitely worth it. It's a sad story for all those involved in the story, but it's not exactly cry-worthy. It's too harsh to be so.

So yeah, I definitely suggest watching this in the cinema, or even renting it on DVD.

I saw it when I went to Cambridge back in October half term and really enjoyed it. It was different to how I expected having not read the book, but I thought it was a brilliant tale. I very much look forward to it coming out on DVD. And I agree with you on the young actress, she really was brilliant!

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"Without music, life would be a mistake." - Friedrich Nietzsche



"Make happy those who are near, and those who are far will come."

Fwee!

i saw atonement just after it came out, and i'm still not sure about it. i can't find anything wrong with the film - the performances were all at least competent, it was beautifuly shot (the dunkirk scene was simply breathtaking), and i liked the innovative structure - but it just felt like there was something missing. it was good, but it never really took off for me and i didn't get emotionally involved at all until vanessa regrave's monologue at the very end. i just don't think it had the same grit and heart that normally characterises british drama, and that left me feeling a bit cold.

i do agree that saoirse ronan was good, but i wasn't as blown away by her as everyone else seems to have been - she simply doesn't compare to the likes of jamie bell in billy elliot, freddie highmore in finding neverland and layton williams in billy elliot the musical. i wasn't as taken with james macavoy as i normally am either. the only actor that really impressed me was vanessa redgrave.

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Jamie Bell and Freddie Highmore are pretty amazing though. There's not much competition between them an Saorise, but I still reckon she did a good job.

As for getting emotionally involved - I tend to be emotionally void when it comes to films, so I'm not an excellent judge, but I felt it portrayed the feelings and emotions of the characters well enough.

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"Without music, life would be a mistake." - Friedrich Nietzsche



"Make happy those who are near, and those who are far will come."

Fwee!

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^ By me and my SS *squiggle hugs*

And they shall never forget it as long as you're around, JF.

Okay, so I put off posting here again, because I decided I'd let the movie sink in a bit more. Now that I've stepped back and taken a closer look I think I can still safely say that this is one of the best adaptations of a book that I've seen in a while. The cinematography also ranked very high in my opinion [Dunkirk also being a favourite scene of mine].

I'm still convinced that Saoirse Ronan is an amazing child actor, however I'm questioning Keira Knightley and James McAvoy right now. They played their parts well, however I feel like we just didn't see enough of them to connect to their characters. Brilliant movie, but hardly any emotional attachment.

Actually, did anyone actually feel a tad bit sorry for Briony during her [faux] confrontation with Robbie and Cecelia? I mean, I understand the extent of damage that her past actions have done, however I thought their reactions, though accurate, were harsh.

And the ending... wow. Vanessa Redgrave is fantastic, and I really like how they wrapped the movie up. However, the story didn't really feel wrapped up for me. We'd been taken on this journey and led to believe that everything had turned out okay when it really hadn't. For a moment it almost seemed like it was all for nothing...

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^ By me and my SS *squiggle hugs*

She does spend a lot of time acting like the haughty older sister who seems to think she's better than everyone else. And she does smoke a lot... I certainly think the acting was well done, but if you compare it to some other movies I'm sure there's room for improvment. Anyway, I enjoyed it at least...

I <i>adored</i> this film! James and Keira did a fantastic job, the story was told so well. The cinematography was stunning too - I can't wait to get my hands on the DVD, but I'm waiting til it gets a bit cheaper before I do.

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