'The Hours' is a subtly philosophical film, in which the three core characters question their existence (in general, and also in relation to society's expectations) when faced by death and the passing of time, hence the title. All three characters are linked, not only by what they do as characters in the film, but by visual links conceived by the film's creators. The film is composed of three separately filmed, literal narratives, injected with symbolic imagery and metaphors.
The three characters are closely linked with each other: Clarissa Vaughn (Meryl Streep) is a modern-day Mrs. Dalloway, whose opening line is, "Sally! I think I'll buy the flowers myself.", Laura Brown (Julianne Moore) is a suburban 50's housewife currently reading Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (Nicole Kidman), who in the 1920's has only begun writing the novel itself.
At first, I thought Nicole Kidman was a casting mistake. I've never seen Kidman give emotional depth or realism to a character, so I was definitely a skeptic. With a prosthetic nose, she is rendered unrecognizable in this film, which works in her favour as it makes her believable. The costume design and other visual aspects of the film are perfect - the film seems very loyal to the time.
Julianne Moore gives a typically great performance, communicating a deep sorrow through body language, while she helps her son bake a cake. Later in the film, in one of the most moving scenes, Moore delivers a beautiful performance as she betrays what she is feeling to keep her husband happy, but I wouldn't want to spoil the scene for you.
I haven't warmed to Meryl Streep as an actress. She certainly had an extraordinary reputation to live up to when I saw one of her movies for the first time. I'd read articles and biographies that named her the greatest living actress, so when I finally saw one of her films I was disappointed. It wasn't that she was bad, on the contrary, her performance was gorgeous, but not mindbogglingly amazing.
This is the first film where I saw some of Streep's brilliance shine through. Streep only lives through one day as Clarissa Vaughn, but Clarissa sure does have an emotional day! I have a great respect for Streep now, because I've seen a couple of her films and the roles she chooses seem quite varied.
I would like to note the appearance of Toni Collette in the first half of the film, as Kitty. Toni Collette embodied the character fleshed out in the book by Michael Cunningham so well, and she held a perfect balance between admitting her sadness and denying it altogether.
The music! Philip Glass' score nearly overshadowed the brilliant acting! They worked so well together - the music tied the three stories together, and the rolling piano and sombre strings complemented the emotional scenes without becoming overly sentimental or sappy.
The film, as a whole, is unsentimental and bleak, but still very emotionally affecting. The lack of sentiment, perhaps, makes the film seem cold and lonely, which is what all three characters are feeling. There are fleeting moments of pure love for our characters, which they receive gratefully, only to have it denied from them again. That's all I dare say about the film before I have to put a spoiler warning.
All in all, a deeply thoughtful and faithful adaptation of Michael Cunningham's novel. In fact, the novel and the film complement each other nicely. The book is very insightful to the characters, and the film is beautifully structured, with judged performances and emotive music. Neither one is 'better' than the other, in my opinion.
I believe that it wouldn't matter if you read the book before the film or vice versa, because both have the power to surprise and engage. I really loved the film, it's very re-watchable, which makes any film a great film; a film with longevity.
The three characters are closely linked with each other: Clarissa Vaughn (Meryl Streep) is a modern-day Mrs. Dalloway, whose opening line is, "Sally! I think I'll buy the flowers myself.", Laura Brown (Julianne Moore) is a suburban 50's housewife currently reading Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (Nicole Kidman), who in the 1920's has only begun writing the novel itself.
At first, I thought Nicole Kidman was a casting mistake. I've never seen Kidman give emotional depth or realism to a character, so I was definitely a skeptic. With a prosthetic nose, she is rendered unrecognizable in this film, which works in her favour as it makes her believable. The costume design and other visual aspects of the film are perfect - the film seems very loyal to the time.
Julianne Moore gives a typically great performance, communicating a deep sorrow through body language, while she helps her son bake a cake. Later in the film, in one of the most moving scenes, Moore delivers a beautiful performance as she betrays what she is feeling to keep her husband happy, but I wouldn't want to spoil the scene for you.
I haven't warmed to Meryl Streep as an actress. She certainly had an extraordinary reputation to live up to when I saw one of her movies for the first time. I'd read articles and biographies that named her the greatest living actress, so when I finally saw one of her films I was disappointed. It wasn't that she was bad, on the contrary, her performance was gorgeous, but not mindbogglingly amazing.
This is the first film where I saw some of Streep's brilliance shine through. Streep only lives through one day as Clarissa Vaughn, but Clarissa sure does have an emotional day! I have a great respect for Streep now, because I've seen a couple of her films and the roles she chooses seem quite varied.
I would like to note the appearance of Toni Collette in the first half of the film, as Kitty. Toni Collette embodied the character fleshed out in the book by Michael Cunningham so well, and she held a perfect balance between admitting her sadness and denying it altogether.
The music! Philip Glass' score nearly overshadowed the brilliant acting! They worked so well together - the music tied the three stories together, and the rolling piano and sombre strings complemented the emotional scenes without becoming overly sentimental or sappy.
The film, as a whole, is unsentimental and bleak, but still very emotionally affecting. The lack of sentiment, perhaps, makes the film seem cold and lonely, which is what all three characters are feeling. There are fleeting moments of pure love for our characters, which they receive gratefully, only to have it denied from them again. That's all I dare say about the film before I have to put a spoiler warning.
All in all, a deeply thoughtful and faithful adaptation of Michael Cunningham's novel. In fact, the novel and the film complement each other nicely. The book is very insightful to the characters, and the film is beautifully structured, with judged performances and emotive music. Neither one is 'better' than the other, in my opinion.
I believe that it wouldn't matter if you read the book before the film or vice versa, because both have the power to surprise and engage. I really loved the film, it's very re-watchable, which makes any film a great film; a film with longevity.