Almost unbearably well done, this Mike Leigh masterpiece combines the intimate family drama of Secrets and Lies with the meticulous period detail of Topsy Turvy. Dickensian both in his grasp of character and his compassion for working class lives, Leigh is celebrated for his work with actors in long periods of rehearsal to create utterly lived-in performances, and here the ensemble work is flawless and profound. Imelda Staunton will certainly win awards as the title character, but there are a dozen or more brilliant nameless performances in this film. The feel of postwar austerity in the London of 1950 is delineated in detail. Vera is a busy little bundle of tea and sympathy, caring for her family and other shut-ins of the neighborhood, caring for the houses of the careless rich, and caring for young girls in trouble, by applying a soapy solution to their problem, all with no heed to her bother or trouble, humming the whole way. Inevitably the law comes calling, and her world collapses. There's never a doubt where Leigh's sympathies lie, but he is able to extend them to a stunning range of characters. This small domestic tragedy evokes much thought and many tears. It edges ahead of Maria Full of Grace as the best film of 2004 that I've seen so far. (2004, Images Cinema, n.) *9* (MC-83, RT-89)
Let me add a word of praise for the gang at Images. They consistently show the films that need to be seen, and I intend to see and review nearly everything they present, so check in here weekly to get an early take on what's showing.
1 comment:
So this may come quite late, and I'm not even sure that you'll get it because I don't know if blogger notifies you of comments but I watched All or Nothing last night. I don't remember Topsy Turvy all too well, but it strikes me that Mike Leigh has an ability to capture all the little moments that so many movies these days miss. The movie isn't plot driven, it's character driven. You don't know everything that goes on with these characters-you aren't told what they're thinking and yet at the same time it isn't some big secret you wait the whole movie to find out-they seem like real people and it's just a lot like life. It's the brief glances of one actor to another, the silence that he allows to seep into his films and the little details like a paper clip in a change cup that Leigh uses to convey so much. Sure there are movies made for pure entertainment like Indiana Jones and they can be enjoyable, but it's the movies like these, that can tell us something about life, and make us feel, that are the art of cinema. Or at least that's what I think.
Post a Comment