Vanity Fair [WS]

Director: Mira Nair Mira Nair

Overview

"William Makepeace Thackeray's witty assessment of the British class system, as seen through the experiences of one young woman, is brought to the screen with some serious star power in this period comedy drama. Becky Sharp (Reese Witherspoon) is a bright and ambitious girl born to a poor British family. Becky is determined to make something of herself however she can, and after accepting a job as a nanny for the children of the powerful and aristocratic Sir Pitt Crawley (Bob Hoskins), she wastes no time ingratiating herself with the family. Pretty Becky catches the eye of Crawley's handsome and eligible son Rawdon (James Purefoy), and becomes chummy with sharp-tongued Aunt Matilda (Eileen Atkins). Between the two of them, Becky is introduced to London's most exclusive social circle, where she becomes re-acquainted with Amelia Sedley (Romola Garai), a former school chum who is amused by Becky's efforts to scale the ladder of social influence. Becky weds Rawdon, but following initial happiness, the social and economic stability she dreamed of begins to collapse when he begins drowning his troubles in gambling and drink, and soon she turns to the powerful Marquess of Steyne (Gabriel Byrne) for support. Meanwhile, Amelia's fortunes fall even harder following the death of her husband. Vanity Fair was directed by Mira Nair, who enjoyed a surprise international success with 2002's Monsoon Wedding."

Product Details

Release Date:	02/01/2005
UPC:	0025192500121
Original Release:	2004
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	FOCUS FEATURES
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:21:00

Special Features

The Women Behind Vanity Fair: the predominantly female cast and crew reveal how they flawlessly portrayed women of the time in London; Director's commentary: Mira Nair shares her unique vision and personal inspiration in this insightful discussion; Deleted scenes; Welcome to Vanity Fair: a behind-the-scenes look at bringing this timeless story to the big screen

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Reese Witherspoon	Becky Sharp
James Purefoy	Rawdon Crawley
Rhys Ifans	William Dobbin
Romola Garai	Amelia Sedley
Eileen Atkins	Miss Matilda Crawley
Jim Broadbent	Mr. Osborne
Bob Hoskins	Sir Pitt Crawley
Tony Maudsley	Joseph Sedley
Gabriel Byrne	The Marquess of Steyne
Geraldine McEwan	Lady Southdown
John Franklyn-Robbins	Mr. Sedley
Deborah Findlay	Mrs. Sedley
Douglas Hodge	Pitt Crawley
Angelica Mandy	Young Becky
Roger Lloyd Pack	Francis Sharp
Ruth Sheen	Miss Pinkerton
Kate Fleetwood	Miss Pinkerton's Crone
Lillette Dubey	Ms. Green,Ms. Green
Paul Bazely	Biju
Charlie Beall	Gambler
David Sterne	Queen's Crawley Mail Coach Driver
Meg Wynn Owen	Lady Crawley
Georgina Edmonds	Young Rose Crawley,Rose Crawley
Emilie Richardson	Young Celia Crawley
Tim Preece	Horrocks
Natasha Little	Lady Jane Sheepshanks
Kathryn Drysdale	Rhoda Swartz
Kelly Hunter	Lady Steyne,Maria Osborne
Camilla Rutherford	Lady Gaunt
Alexandra Staden	Lady George
Helen Coker	Firkin
Tim Seely	Doctor
Paul Bentall	Coalman
Sean McKenzie	Auctioneer
John Woodvine	Lord Bareacres
Barbara Leigh-Hunt	Lady Bareacres
Nicholas Jones	Lord Darlington
Sian Thomas	Lady Darlington,`Slave Dance' Dancer
Trevor Cooper	General Tufto
Brian Pettifer	Mr. Raggles
Steven Elder	Curzon Street Footman
Gabrielle Lloyd	Nursemaid
William Melling	Rawdy
Daniel Hay	Georgy
Niall O'Brien	Mr. Moss
Anu Gopalakrishnan	Desert Beauty
Tom Beard	Officer
Gledis Cimque	Celia Crawley
Thomas Grant	Little Pitt
Jonny Phillips	Mr. Wenham
Richard McCabe	The King
Virendra Saxena	Coventry Island Man,Coventry Island Man
Bruce Mackinnon	Casino Boy
Timothy Bentinck	German Official
Andrew Price	Casino Stranger
Tom Sturridge	Young Georgy
Chloe Treend	`Slave Dance' Dancer
Stefane Sauer	`Slave Dance' Dancer
Nicole Forbes	`Slave Dance' Dancer
Amanda Courtney Davies	`Slave Dance' Dancer
Louise Weekley	`Slave Dance' Dancer
Lene Langgaard	`Slave Dance' Dancer
Sarah Mogg	`Slave Dance' Dancer
Tracey Lushington	`Slave Dance' Dancer
Sandy Borne	`Slave Dance' Dancer
Stephanie McMillan	`Slave Dance' Dancer
Mari Baade	`Slave Dance' Dancer
K. Knight	`Slave Dance' Dancer
Sylvano Clarke	`Slave Dance' Dancer
Jonathan Rhys Meyers	George Osborne
Mathew Horne	Casino Boy
Megan Owen	Lady Crawley
Andrew Shepard Price	Casino Stranger
Nicolas Dodd	Conductor
Mychael Danna	Composer

Technical Credits

Mark Skeet

Matthew Faulk

Julian Fellowes

Julian Fellows

Mira Nair	Director
Andy Bradford	Stunts
Howard Cohen	Executive Producer
Pippa Cross	Executive Producer
Janette Day	Producer
Nrinder Dhudwar	Stunts
Donna Gigliotti	Producer
Mark Holt	Special Effects
Lydia Dean Pilcher	Producer
Mary Selway	Casting
Mark Skeet	Screenwriter
Matthew Faulk	Screenwriter
Julian Fellowes	Screenwriter
Loveleen Tandan	Casting
Jonathan Lynn	Executive Producer
Arjun Burji	Key Grip
Drew Kunin	Sound Mixer
Julian Fellows	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

In the past, Mira Nair's films were notable for their fine grasp of character, as the filmmaker drew out the pulsing humanity of even minor or would-be villainous characters, immersing viewers in a rich, believable world. In adapting William Makepeace Thackeray's classic novel, Vanity Fair, this gift has failed her to some extent. Beautifully shot by Declan Quinn, the film has a colorful sumptuousness and a visual exactitude that suits Nair's offbeat, Indian-inflected take on the material. Reese Witherspoon has proven in such films as Freeway and Election that she can play characters who aren't cute and lovable. But perhaps her status as a movie star now makes it difficult for her to risk audience sympathy. In any case, this is a much sweeter, more wholesome version of Becky Sharp than the one featured in the novel. This adaptation downplays Sharp's cunning ruthlessness, softening the story's wit, and throws her relationships with the other characters off balance. We end up with a story about a spunky, put-upon heroine and the hypocritical snobs who impede her fairly reasonable hopes and dreams. This wouldn't be so bad if the filmmakers weren't forced to condense Thackeray's mocking epic into feature length, resulting in some confusing ellipses. Her fate should be recognizable as the product of Becky's mercenary behavior, but in Nair's film, it all seems to happen for no good reason, and the dismal outcome of the two major relationships of her life is brushed aside with a couple of throwaway lines of dialogue. Vanity Fair is an enjoyable counterpoint to the Masterpiece Theatre treatment of such material, but it sells short Thackeray's comic vision.