Showing posts with label Vanessa Redgrave. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vanessa Redgrave. Show all posts
Is He To Be Or Not To Be?
Imagine if you will, William Shakespeare did not write all the Shakespearean works that exist. What if those works were the labors of someone else, but William Shakespeare just took credit for them? Are you thinking now??? This is the premise of the new film, Anonymous.
The Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans)had a love of writing. This, despite the fact, that the household in which he grew up was not appreciative of art of this kind. In fact they banned him from writing, as it was the work of the devil.
Though discouraged, he sets out to write and he is also drawn to the young Queen Elizabeth (Joely Richardson). The two start an affair that leads to a child. And despite the attempts to stay together, they are pushed apart.Now The Earl is expressing himself through plays. Writing down some of the most incredible works the people have seen, but staying in the shadows as an unknown actor named William Shakespeare rises up to take the credit for writing the works that made a legend.
So will we ever see who really has written these works? Or is this just another fable put together to distract from the greatness of a talented writer?
I’ll admit it. I’m not a huge Shakespeare fan. There I said it. So a movie with the premise that Shakespeare really wasn’t Shakespeare is a bit intriguing, yet with working in the period I worry it could be tedious. Instead, director Roland Emmerich gives us a story that’s part mystery, part theory and part crazy but always fascinating. The premise, while on the surface seems crazy, is put together in such a way that will make you enjoy the period in which Shakespeare composed his works (whomever Shakespeare really is).
Actors that are perfectly cast include Rhys Ifans and the wonderfully talented Vanessa Redgrave. Redgrave especially is pleasing to see back onscreen in all her glory as the elder Queen Elizabeth. And Ifans works well with her in the later meetings and during his quest to write like he never has before.
As a whole the film works and I found myself glued to my seat in anticipation of what light through the next scene would break. Sure, it’s a film outside of my comfort zone, and one that I didn’t think I would like. But alas, I hath found peace with Shakespeare. Although I still don’t know if he be or not be…
B
Columbia Pictures
Director: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, Rafe Spall, David Thewils, Joely Richardson
Rating: PG-13 for some violence and sexual content.
Runtime: 2 hours 10 minutes
This is a solid and highly interesting -- and rather depressing -- look at a famous theatrical family. The first -- and most compelling -- half of the book looks at patriarch Michael Redgrave, who fathered three children but whose main passion was for men, and had boyfriends all during his marriage, some of whom could be considered long-time partners. The second half of the book looks more closely at the lives and careers of Redgrave's daughters Vanessa and Lynn, and son, Corin, all of whom became actors. Redgrave's wife, actress Rachel Kempson, eventually took a lover of her own, but he was also attracted to men, and Vanessa's husband, director Tony Richardson, was also homosexual [these men were "bisexual" in the sense they also had relationships with women, if for no other reason than appearances, but their main interest was men]. All of this old-fashioned shame and guilt from closet cases gets wearying after awhile, even if the time period was pre-Stonewall [the advent of modern day Gay Liberation]. The Redgraves does not ignore the careers and achievements of these individuals, however, and also looks into the lives of Nastasha Richardson [Tony and Vanesssa's daughter, who died tragically young] and Jemma Redgrave, another very talented actress. Spoto weaves an excellent tapestry of changing attitudes toward both actors and gays, with a theatrical and film world background providing added atmosphere.
Verdict: Well-done and a very good read. ***1/2.
Despite the title, this book is essentially a biography of the late Tony Richardson, the British film director who was married to Vanessa Redgrave and was the father of the late Natasha Richardson, who died when she was married to actor Liam Neeson (The Other Man). Apparently the book's publisher thought that Richardson's name wouldn't sell a book, so this was re-imagined as a book on all of the Redgraves, which it isn't, even though there are sections on Vanesssa, her brother Colin, and her daughters late in the book; most of the text covers the life and career of Tony Richardson (The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner; Tom Jones), who brought a stark reality to British theater and cinema that had been missing before. Adler looks at the nutty brother and sister duo of Vanessa and Colin (the latter of whom is largely unknown in the U.S.), both of whom devoted more attention to radical politics than to their own children. Lynn Redgrave, despite a highly successful career, gets short shrift except for passages on her discovering that her husband was the actual father of her grandchild and the resulting scandal, and her death from cancer. Richardson is portrayed as a gifted narcissist who could be both generous and loved, nasty and hated, and was decidedly confused and uptight about his sexuality. Adler doesn't seem that comfortable or up-to-date when writing about Redgrave's and Tony Richardson's homosexuality, and some passages might be considered borderline homophobic and decidedly dated. However, the book is a good read and generally well-done if you're looking for a tome on Richardson and his circle. For a book that's actually about Michael Redgrave and his family, see Donald Spoto's The Redgraves: A Family Epic.
Verdict: Quick and entertaining read, albeit flawed. ***.