Film
"Evening" - a well-cast story that resonates...
10/22/2007 11:41
I'm watching "Evening"
on DVD again this evening, sorry for the inadvertent
pun and the opening sequence of
Vanessa Redgrave
and
Claire Danes
seaside in
Newport, Rhode Island.
Its this ethereal shot of the young Ann played
by
Claire Danes
lying in
the sail boat
at the water's edge while the elder Ann played
by
Vanessa Redgrave
looks on from the shore. The light and composition of
the shot have this surreal tone visually there's this
mood you know its there but you're not sure exactly
what it is buy you're drawn to it nonetheless. This
film had caught my attention earlier in the year via
postcard printed to market the film and the again the
image on the postcard along with the amazing cast of
actresses spanning several ages; some of the greatest
actresses of our time.
Vanessa Redgrave,
Meryl Streep,
Glenn Close,
Nastasha Richardson,
Toni Collette,
Claire Danes
and
Mamie Gunner.
The story structure takes us from the present back to
the early 1950s; We have
Vanessa Redgrave
and
Claire Danes
playing the older and younger Ann respectively
and
Meryl Streep
and her daughter
Mamie Gunner
playing the older and younger Lila.
"An ordinary moment in an ordinary day." says the night nurse to the elder Ann as she tries to guide her to a happier time apparently a nursing intervention to guide a patient to a calm place and restful place, to in effect 'go to sleep' i.e. die. No doubt another western approach to life and death management. I'll have to ponder this for a moment to figure out how that fits into the capitalist, economy model. Ann's daughters are played by Natasha Richardson and Toni Collette who are coincidentally ten years apart in age according to imdb.com.
It is interesting to watch the inter-cut editing style which transports us back in time to 1953 at wealthy, seaside of Newport, Rhode Island. We're not told via historical events but through the art direction of the film; the sets and their dressing, the costuming, automobiles. Pardon the rambling I will however revisit this post and clean up and reorder it so its more informative and enjoyable for you. Its just so refreshing to have a film literally brimming over with complex, well written characters then couple that with this casting of this amazing ensemble of actresses and you're in for a cinematic journey not soon forgotten.
"An ordinary moment in an ordinary day." says the night nurse to the elder Ann as she tries to guide her to a happier time apparently a nursing intervention to guide a patient to a calm place and restful place, to in effect 'go to sleep' i.e. die. No doubt another western approach to life and death management. I'll have to ponder this for a moment to figure out how that fits into the capitalist, economy model. Ann's daughters are played by Natasha Richardson and Toni Collette who are coincidentally ten years apart in age according to imdb.com.
It is interesting to watch the inter-cut editing style which transports us back in time to 1953 at wealthy, seaside of Newport, Rhode Island. We're not told via historical events but through the art direction of the film; the sets and their dressing, the costuming, automobiles. Pardon the rambling I will however revisit this post and clean up and reorder it so its more informative and enjoyable for you. Its just so refreshing to have a film literally brimming over with complex, well written characters then couple that with this casting of this amazing ensemble of actresses and you're in for a cinematic journey not soon forgotten.
