"The Hours" is the magnificent adaptation to the big screen of Michael Cunningham's Pulitzer-winning novel.
The story is about three women living in three different periods – the first one is the famous British writer Virginia Woolf (played by Nicole Kidman) in 1923; the second one is an ordinary American housewife in 1953 (played by Julianne Moore) and the last one is a modern woman, a lesbian living in New York in 2001 (played by Meryl Streep). To cut the story short – it all revolves around Woolf writing her novel „Mrs. Dalloway" – she's writing it, the housewife, Laura Brown is reading it and the last one, Clarissa is living the life of the main character of the book, preparing a party for an ex-lover and long-term friend, the poet Richard (Ed Harris), who's dying of AIDS . That's the most simple way to put it.
The story starts off with Virginia Woolf in 1941 walking towards a lake, putting rocks into her pockets. We hear a voice-over narration of her troubled-sounding voice as she writes a suicide letter for her loving husband. Switch over to 1951 and we see Laura Brown, a suburban wife and mother in Los Angeles. For anyone who knows the story of Mrs. Dalloway will find that Laura's story almost perfectly resembles the book. She wakes up, has breakfast, and prepares for a party. A quick flashforward 50 years later, and it's 2001, where we meet Clarissa Vaughan, a lesbian who lives with her lover and daughter, and takes care of her best friend and ex husband (who is now gay and has AIDS). Her day also follows that of Mrs. Dalloway and we quickly learn the deep complexity of her character. She is frightened yet confident, questioning her own lesbian nature.
Themes rise, as concern over self-freedom is blatantly suffocating the three women. Also we see themes of feminism, self-pity, concern, and of course death. As two successful suicides are brought up, more and more tragic moments arise. The stories intertwine through both the book and reoccurring characters in different eras. An emotional impact sends all three stories to contemplate self-destruction but fail to do so because of concern for others' satisfaction.
The acting is without a doubt, superb, if not flawless. Kidman portrays Virginia Woolf in an almost uncanny way (The fake nose Nicole wore was brilliant). We see her transform into a factual character, making us feel we are really looking at the author herself. Julianne Moore and Meryl Streep brilliantly capture troubled women who face their own fate by escaping what they're forced to love. No matter which segment we're watching, the acting sucks us in and provokes our thoughts. Ed Harris who plays Richard Brown gained an Oscar nomination with his sympathetic approach to an AIDS infected gay man who loves his female best friend. As his character shows signs of retraction from his sexuality, we realize that a traumatic experience with his mother and her friend sent him to a life-long confusion.
Moore's anguish as a woman trapped in a marriage she cannot bear with kids she never wanted is somewhat moving. The slice of her life that the movie presents us, however, is too narrow for the audience to build up a reservoir of sympathy. Her character has to be so careful with the emotions she displays outwardly, that even in her private moments, she does little more than sob, so that the audience has to fill in a lot to empathize with the depth of her plight.
Streep's character requires even more work on the audience's part. Was her ex-lover also her ex-husband? What's motivated her to keep in close contact with her lover of long ago? What is she feeling about her situation, other than a reflexive attachment to a period of happiness from way back when? Does she feel conflicted between the energy she invests in a past relationship and her current one? Does her lover resent her split commitment? Whatever the audience decides is equally valid and equally unvalidated, since the film gives no clues on these important aspects of her character.
Although some viewers have described this as boring, I can't say I was ever less than gripped by the slowly increasing tension as each woman's day progresses. However, I was also not very convinced by the flesh and blood reality of many of these people. The truly honourable exception is Moore, who is wonderful as the fragile Laura. Daldry excels himself with this strand of the movie, creating a real sense of the depressive housewife's claustrophobia, and the traumatising effect her quiet breakdown has on her young son. It has been a long time since I saw a movie that left me with such a sense of torpid despondency and hopelessness as THE HOURS, The previous one being REQUIEM FOR A DREAM. An approach to modern cinema we were all waiting for.
The story is about three women living in three different periods – the first one is the famous British writer Virginia Woolf (played by Nicole Kidman) in 1923; the second one is an ordinary American housewife in 1953 (played by Julianne Moore) and the last one is a modern woman, a lesbian living in New York in 2001 (played by Meryl Streep). To cut the story short – it all revolves around Woolf writing her novel „Mrs. Dalloway" – she's writing it, the housewife, Laura Brown is reading it and the last one, Clarissa is living the life of the main character of the book, preparing a party for an ex-lover and long-term friend, the poet Richard (Ed Harris), who's dying of AIDS . That's the most simple way to put it.
The story starts off with Virginia Woolf in 1941 walking towards a lake, putting rocks into her pockets. We hear a voice-over narration of her troubled-sounding voice as she writes a suicide letter for her loving husband. Switch over to 1951 and we see Laura Brown, a suburban wife and mother in Los Angeles. For anyone who knows the story of Mrs. Dalloway will find that Laura's story almost perfectly resembles the book. She wakes up, has breakfast, and prepares for a party. A quick flashforward 50 years later, and it's 2001, where we meet Clarissa Vaughan, a lesbian who lives with her lover and daughter, and takes care of her best friend and ex husband (who is now gay and has AIDS). Her day also follows that of Mrs. Dalloway and we quickly learn the deep complexity of her character. She is frightened yet confident, questioning her own lesbian nature.
Themes rise, as concern over self-freedom is blatantly suffocating the three women. Also we see themes of feminism, self-pity, concern, and of course death. As two successful suicides are brought up, more and more tragic moments arise. The stories intertwine through both the book and reoccurring characters in different eras. An emotional impact sends all three stories to contemplate self-destruction but fail to do so because of concern for others' satisfaction.
The acting is without a doubt, superb, if not flawless. Kidman portrays Virginia Woolf in an almost uncanny way (The fake nose Nicole wore was brilliant). We see her transform into a factual character, making us feel we are really looking at the author herself. Julianne Moore and Meryl Streep brilliantly capture troubled women who face their own fate by escaping what they're forced to love. No matter which segment we're watching, the acting sucks us in and provokes our thoughts. Ed Harris who plays Richard Brown gained an Oscar nomination with his sympathetic approach to an AIDS infected gay man who loves his female best friend. As his character shows signs of retraction from his sexuality, we realize that a traumatic experience with his mother and her friend sent him to a life-long confusion.
Moore's anguish as a woman trapped in a marriage she cannot bear with kids she never wanted is somewhat moving. The slice of her life that the movie presents us, however, is too narrow for the audience to build up a reservoir of sympathy. Her character has to be so careful with the emotions she displays outwardly, that even in her private moments, she does little more than sob, so that the audience has to fill in a lot to empathize with the depth of her plight.
Streep's character requires even more work on the audience's part. Was her ex-lover also her ex-husband? What's motivated her to keep in close contact with her lover of long ago? What is she feeling about her situation, other than a reflexive attachment to a period of happiness from way back when? Does she feel conflicted between the energy she invests in a past relationship and her current one? Does her lover resent her split commitment? Whatever the audience decides is equally valid and equally unvalidated, since the film gives no clues on these important aspects of her character.
Although some viewers have described this as boring, I can't say I was ever less than gripped by the slowly increasing tension as each woman's day progresses. However, I was also not very convinced by the flesh and blood reality of many of these people. The truly honourable exception is Moore, who is wonderful as the fragile Laura. Daldry excels himself with this strand of the movie, creating a real sense of the depressive housewife's claustrophobia, and the traumatising effect her quiet breakdown has on her young son. It has been a long time since I saw a movie that left me with such a sense of torpid despondency and hopelessness as THE HOURS, The previous one being REQUIEM FOR A DREAM. An approach to modern cinema we were all waiting for.
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