Films: The Duchess & Ferrari
Well, there was another film on TV that I was interested in - for all my interest in the subject, I'd never seen The Duchess, with Keira Knightley in the title role, playing Lady Georgiana Spencer, who marries the Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes). Charlotte Rampling plays her mother, to whom she was very close in real life.
It is, of course, gorgeous. Gorgeous costumes, gorgeous settings - and an utterly compelling story. Keira Knightley does a cracking job of portraying a rather scandalous aristocrat: a woman ahead of her time, a free spirit with an interest in politics (although she couldn't vote), and in love with another man.(In real life, she had a string of lovers, it seems - here, her heart belongs solely to him.) Ralph Fiennes, a consummate actor, has no trouble making us simultaneously hate him as her master, showing her in no uncertain terms what her role is, and how she cannot have the same freedoms as he does - and also pity him, as a man who, himself, is in love with someone else, but trapped in a loveless marriage. Charlotte Rampling's role is to remind her daughter of hers, and to keep the status quo..
Comparisons have been made between Georgiana, and her later relative, Diana, who also married an older man (a greater age difference than the couple in this film, in fact: Ralph Fiennes is a little old for the part). The same lack of freedom, the same infidelities on both sides - a sham of a marriage, mainly held together by the children. Sadly for Georgiana, she didn't have the freedom that Diana did, to choose to leave - well, she could have, but that would have meant she would have been forbidden access to her children. This, as I say, is a gorgeous film to watch - but ultimately dispiriting, for anyone with an interest in women's rights - it ends up feeling most frustrating.
They actually started showing Ferrari in the cinemas before yesterday: schedules are crazy over Christmas - handiest showing time for me was in the Omniplex. I tried to get to see it on Thursday, but again, traffic made me too late. At least I hadn't booked it, this time! So I went to see it yesterday. A biopic of the co-founder (with his wife) of the car company, it stars Adam Driver as the man himself, with Penélope Cruz as his wife and Patrick Dempsey as the driver of a car he enters in a race to try to revive the company's ailing fortunes. Directed by Michael Mann, so promised to be enjoyable - certainly, the trailer looked good. And I was looking forward to seeing Penélope Cruz' portrayal of the infamously fiery lady..
Traffic isn't as bad as before Christmas, but there are still bottlenecks - but yesterday, I left half an hour earlier than the day before. With such a tight schedule, I had to go to bed early beforehand, and didn't have time to blog. Happily though, I arrived at the cinema in good time - had a little trouble parking, then chose to pay at a till rather than a machine, given that they hadn't worked, last time (plus, I needed to get rid of some cash). Lordy, it took longer to get served than it had to find parking - after all that, I was still a little late. Arrived during the ads.
Mamma mia, this film is determined to flaunt its Italian credentials (despite the non-Italian stars). Adam Driver adopts an Italian accent throughout - Penélope Cruz doesn't really have to work hard, her natural Spanish accent is close enough. We get a lot of family scenes, a lot of eating, a lot of talk about football - and, of course, a passion for motor racing. This race they take part in actually did, it seems, travel through the Italian countryside - which looks absolutely beautiful. Kind of a Tour de France in cars.
Being a Michael Mann film, you'd expect great racing scenes - and we do get those. However, in a way, the racing isn't the main focus, but rather Enzo Ferrari's private life; when we meet him, his son has died the year before, for which his wife blames him. They're both grieving deeply. Mind you, although she is aware that he has affairs, she doesn't know that one of his lovers is important enough for him to buy her a house: and crucially, that he has another son by her! Prepare for fireworks..
Penélope Cruz plays her in a somewhat understated way, given her reputation. Which helps us to see her less as a caricature. This personal story provides a nice respite from the full-on drive to win this race and save the company.. and my, that has Italian flair. Cocky drivers, the darlings of the press - as much as footballers today, models and actresses on their arms. Motor company heads, prepared to do pretty much anything to win. Hardly any health and safety - hell, they don't have roll cages, they frequently drive without even helmets! We get some spectacular crashes - and it's telling how, before the race, the drivers all take the time to write a letter to a loved one: in the event they don't survive.
I noticed, as the credits rolled, that Adam Driver was one of the executive producers - wonder whether it was a passion project for him. Anyway, I liked this film - it's really entertaining, but not clichéed. And boy, did it make me nostalgic for Italy..
Nothing else decent on that I haven't seen - until New Year's Day, when they screen One Life! Stars Anthony Hopkins as the real-life Nicholas Winton, who organised the Kindertransport (something I can't imagine being allowed to happen these days, with the UK so anti-refugees). Also stars Helena Bonham Carter as his mother. I'll have to go to the Odeon for a decent showing time, though, but at least that means I'll avoid city centre traffic!
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