Atonement: Music

In a movie the music is one essential element when creating a mood. In the movie Atonement this statement hold true as well. Music played an important part in creating happy, sad, or even mischievous moods throughout the film. One example would be when Robbie gives the note for Cecilia to Briony and she runs off to deliver it. The music in this scene fades in and has a very mischievous sound to it which I felt gave life to Brionys young curiosity and conniving nature, and suddenly the music gets very quick and the suspense Briony feels is finally satisfied as she reads the letter and the music stops abruptly. Perhaps my favourite example, as highlighted in an earlier entry, is the mood set by the music on the beach scene (a video will be provided at the end). This scene felt very sad, and I believe it is due to the music used in it. The music really highlighted what Robbie felt inside at that time and just gave another dimension to this already fantastic scene. What the music told me was that Robbie was sad, and desperate to see Cecilia once again, but he was dying and felt as though he would never see her again. The final scene I would like to highlight is the one at the very end of the film, after Briony speaks and we find out that the end was of her creation and not reality. Cecilia and Robbie are grown up and on the beach together, in love, and they are happy, but the piano music is very slow and almost sad in a way. This sad music over a happy scene, to me, highlighted the tragedy that these two souls would never be together again outside of the pages of Brionys book. Music is the most defining element when creating a mood in a scene, and it was used very well in this movie.

Atonement: Why it is better as a movie

One thing that is apparent when I read a book is that I do not understand every single aspect of it. While reading, at times, it can be hard to follow along with what is happen or catch subtle changes or events. For me, Atonement was confusing at times due to its multiple perspectives and other elements of the story. I personally feel that this story is much better as a movie opposed to a book. Although McEwen did a great job at keeping events organized and not have too many things going on at once or overlapping, it was still a bit hard to follow along sometimes. After watching the movie the overall story was still there, but it felt a lot clearer to me what had actually happened. One example would be the very end, which is something I can’t believe I did not catch because it contributes to Brionys Atonement. The part I am talking about is how, in her story, she allows Cecilia and Robbie to reunite and live happily together. We find out that, in reality, this was not the case and both Cecilia and Robbie were both killed and never got to be with each other again. When reading this part of the book I felt very confused and wasn’t really sure whether they had actually died or were ever together, it was all pretty confusing to me. It is for these reasons that, although Atonement overall was a great book, it is a lot better as a movie (which is probably why it won so many awards).

Atonement: Costumes

Throughout the movie we are witness to various types of costumes which highlighted the fashion and attire for the British in that time. What we start off with in the film is the casual attire of a British upper class family. One example would be Cecilia Tallis. In her opening scene she is wearing a very reserved outfit; first a long dress with a light over-coat, which lies on-top of her dress-like undergarments. From the novel, we know that it is a very hot summer’s day in this scene, and this very reserved, layered outfit shows how reserved women were during this time. Young Briony in this scene, on the other hand, is wearing what looks like an entire dress. However, it is not only the women who are subject to this reserved attire. Robbie turner, in his opening scene, is wearing full dress pants, and undershirt, and a dress shirt. This all seems like a bit much to be wearing on such a hot summer’s day, but it highlights how reserved the English were in this time, and looking presentable was very important. Skipping ahead to the war we see Robbie Turners soldier uniform which is a very impressive replica of the real thing (A Picture of a real soldier and one from the movie will be included at the end of this entry). Another great costume was Brionys nurse costume. From bottom to top this costume accurately depicts a 1940s nurse. Throughout the film all of the costumes were very well thought out and contributed to the overall realism of the film itself.

Robbie Turner from Atonement

WW2 British soldier

Atonement: Choice of Actors

While watching the film it was apparent that the casting did a good job at selecting who would play each character, on a physical aspect. Focusing on the three main characters; young Briony, Robbie, and Cecilia, it seemed as though they were perfect for their respective roles in the film. Starting with Cecilia, played by Keira Knightley, I felt as though her appearance and attitude in the film itself were perfect for the role of Cecilia. In the book, Cecilia is pretty much described as being sort of boney with pale skin, which is a pretty basic description of Keira Knightley (a good example will be included at the end of this entry). Young Briony also fit her character, played by Saoirse Ronan. Ronan, like Keira, is pretty skinny and could pass for knightleys younger sister in real life which I believe made her a good candidate for Briony Tallis. I particularly enjoyed the way that Ronan was able to act very self-righteous and sort of stuck up in the film, just like Briony in the book. Finally Robbie Turner, played by James McAvoy, I felt was another good choice. Robbie, in the book, is described as being sort of lanky and I felt as though James` physical appears held that image. Although the physical appearance of these actors were pretty close to perfect for the film, their overall attitudes and acting abilities really showed in the film itself, as they were able to portray their characters personalities very accurately.

Atonement: Settings

One great element of the film was the overall settings and epic scenes that were present throughout the film. Starting from, of course, the beginning of the film the first major setting in the film is the Tallis house. The house itself in reality is a Victorian home known as Stokesay Court which is located 175 mile northwest of London. I personally don’t think that a better home could have been chosen to represent the Tallis home for a few reasons. One would be the trademark fountain in the backyard which has a good distance from the house itself. The scene at the fountain in the book was perhaps the most memorable part of the book for me because it is where the confrontation between Robbie and Cecilia occurs, and it is the basis for Brionys suspicions of Robbie. There is a good amount of space between the fountain and the house itself which allowed the director to get a very good view of the fountain from the house to represent Brionys perspective. The setting which I enjoyed the most, by far, was the Dunkirk beach scene. The scene itself included over 1,000 extras and was one continuous shot, and for that reason was considered one of the hardest parts of the movie to film. Various elements made this scene so great, and so memorable. One element would be that it is one continuous shot which has so much going on at one time. The main focus is on Robbie who is slowly dying due to his wound, and we can see the anguish, pain, and ultimately the desperation he feels to be with Cecilia once more. At the same time there are a lot of things going on in the background such as horses being executed, vehicles being dismantled, various documents being burned, soldiers are fighting and soldiers are laughing. The final touch which made this scene so great was the sad violin music which set the mood for this tragic scene, and perhaps highlighted what Robbie felt inside.

Atonement: Book vs. Movie

Before I began watching the movie, my main concern was how true it would stay to the book, and I was not disappointed.  Personally, I felt as though the movie presented the same atmosphere that the book did. When I read a book, like most other people, I picture in my head the scene being present by the author’s words, and the movie adaptation of the book pretty much summed up what I was thinking at the time when I was reading the book. An example of this would be the scene at the fountain where Robbie accidently breaks part of the vase and Cecilia strips down to go grab them out of the fountain. I was overall mostly impressed as to how close the movie stuck to the book which made it much more enjoyable for me to watch. Another aspect, which i perhaps enjoyed the most, was how different perspectives from separate characters were used. This really interested me while reading the book and even more so while watching the movie. Seeing these separate views in the film after reading in the book really made the movie that much more enjoyable.