Real Review - Atonement HD DVD

Having seen all of this year’s nominees for the Best Picture Oscar, I can safely say that my winner would have to be Atonement. Eschewing the typical straight-line narrative structure for an innovative and imaginative one that reveals just enough of the plot before forging ahead into an alternate perception of events, the narrative blends real events with the perceived events by our hero, Briony, a young girl who makes a tragic mistake that alters the destiny of her older sister, Cecilia, and her lover, Robbie. Will she have the opportunity to apologize for her transgression or will time forever wash away her chance for atonement?

Keira Knightley stars as the older sister, Cecilia, who is in love with her childhood sweetheart, Robbie, though they are from different economic classes. Keira Knightley is a stunning beauty with classical features, and she certainly looked smashing in the 1930s-era fashions. With a onscreen magnetism that simply pushes everyone else off of the screen, I simply couldn’t take my eyes off of her during her scenes. I thoroughly enjoyed her role in Pride and Prejudice, but in Atonement, she takes her performance to the next level.

James McAvoy stars as Robbie, the tragic figure who is falsely accused and made to suffer prison and then warfare. It is in the second half of the movie, where Robbie becomes the focal point of the narrative and we learn of his lost love for Cicilia. Briony also takes center stage, at this point in the film, as the nurse-in-training who is coming to grips with her mistake while caring for critically injured soldiers.

I enjoyed the direction by Joe Wright and Atonement is filled with marvelous camera work. Easily the most creative scene in the film is the Dunkirk beach scene when Robbie and his mates are walking through the army encampment. I marveled at the deft steadicam camerawork that followed the characters seamlessly through the setting without any film edits nor alternate takes. It was one continuous rolling scene that followed Robbie. This scene and many others featured fascinating visuals mixed with authentic costumes which created a rich mis-en-scene that maintained my attention and interest throughout the film.

Let there be no doubt, Atonement is basically an old-fashion romance movie with a structural twist to the plot. With a simple theme song, a haunting melody that weaved in and out of the film, and a leisurely pace that put you at ease and allowed you to relax into the characters and their plight, I found myself captivated by this film.

I watched Atonement on HD DVD and the PQ was as expected: simply gorgeous, film-like, and naturally lit. Blacks were black, and whites were nice and bright without blooming. The audio was our old friend, Dolby Digital Plus and it was good, especially for this mostly quiet and dialog-driven film. The disc also includes some deleted scenes and a documentary.

Rating: 8.5

Source Chuck’s Movie Reviews

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