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Vanity Fair (2004 film)
Encyclopedia
Vanity Fair is a 2004 British-American costume drama
film directed by Mira Nair
and adapted from William Makepeace Thackeray
's novel of the same name. The novel has been the subject of numerous television and film adaptations, and Nair's version made notable changes in the development of main character Becky Sharp
.
The film was nominated for "Golden Lion" Award in 2004 Venice Film Festival
.
) makes his way to a painter's studio where he has agreed to buy a painting of a young woman. The young Becky Sharp (Angelica Mandy
), then a girl of ten, insists on having ten guineas, instead of four guineas, as the price of the painting. The painter explains that model in the painting is Becky's mother, the painter's late wife. Steyne agrees to pay the higher amount and leaves with the painting. The young Becky is then seen moving to Miss Pinkerton's Academy for Young Ladies, after her father dies.
The next scene takes place as the adult Becky Sharp (Reese Witherspoon
) is preparing to leave the academy for a position as a governess. She travels by carriage to her new position, stopping on the way to see her best friend Amelia Sedley (Romola Garai
) at Amelia's home. Amelia lives in a large estate as the daughter of a gentleman, but her father is not as wealthy as he appears.
At Amelia's home, Becky meets Amelia's brother Jos Sedley (Tony Maudsley
), who's stationed in India
. Jos Sedley finds that Becky is interested in India. During an outing at Vauxhall, Becky meets Amelia's inattentive boyfriend, the dashing and self-obsessed Captain George Osborne (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), and George's best friend, Captain William Dobbin (Rhys Ifans
), who is secretly in love with Amelia. Jos Sedley is smitten with Becky, but in a private discussion, George Osborne convinces Jos to break off his attentions to the penniless girl. George is concerned that his father, a rich businessman who's a commoner, won't let him marry Amelia if Becky has also married into the Sedley family.
Becky Sharp says farewell to Sedley's family and enters the service of the baronet Sir Pitt Crawley, who has engaged her as a governess to his daughters. Sir Pitt (Bob Hoskins
) has two sons, the pompous and pedantic elder brother (Douglas Hodge
), who also bears the name Pitt Crawley, and the dashing younger son, Captain Rawdon Crawley (James Purefoy
). Sir Pitt, a rather crude individual, is impressed with Becky's service, especially as Becky cleans up Sir Pitt's home to welcome his elder half sister, Miss Matilda Crawley (Eileen Atkins
). Miss Crawley is impressed with Becky, when she finds that Becky speaks French. Becky explains that her mother was French while her father was an artist. Miss Crawley takes Becky to live with her in London. In London, Becky begins to see Captain Rawdon Crawley. Sir Pitt shows up in London. His wife has died, and he asks Becky to marry him. Becky refuses, revealing that she's already secretly married to Captain Rawdon Crawley. The misalliance so enrages Miss Crawley, that she throws Becky out and refuses to see the couple. Becky and Rawdon live in an apartment in London, and Becky reveals that she's pregnant, and suggests that the baby may help to reconcile them with Miss Crawley.
Meanwhile, Amelia's prospective father-in-law, Mr. Osborne (Jim Broadbent
), is trying to arrange a new marriage for his son, Amelia's intended, Captain George Osborne. Mr. Osborne introduces George to a young woman whose father made a fortune in Jamaica
. George objects to the marriage because the woman is of mixed race. He insists that he's betrothed to Amelia, but Mr. Osborne insists that George marry the woman from Jamaica.
However, Amelia's father, John Sedley, has become bankrupt, and all of the Sedley household goods are sold at auction. Lord Steyne shows up to buy a portrait painted by Becky's father. Amelia's friend, Captain William Dobbin, buys Amelia's piano and gives it back to her, but Amelia thinks its a gift from her boyfriend Captain George Osborne. George then elopes with Amelia, and Mr. Osborne disinherits him.
While these events take place, Napoleon has escaped from Elba and is once again in control of France. Captains Rawdon Crawley, George Osborne, and William Dobbin are suddenly deployed to Brussels as part of the Duke of Wellington's army. Becky and Amelia decide to accompany their husbands.
The newly wedded Osborne is growing tired of Amelia, and he becomes increasingly attracted to Becky. At a ball in Brussels (based on the Duchess of Richmond's famous ball on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo) George gives Becky a note which she hides in her bodice. Amelia also attends the ball, but she becomes sick as the result of pregnancy. Rather than attend his sick, pregnant wife, George Osborne spends the evening dancing with Becky; Dobbin attends to Amelia instead. The ball is interrupted by an announcement that Napoleon has attacked, and the officers are given three hours to report to their units.
Amelia has been deeply hurt by her husband's attentions toward Becky, but Becky reassures her that George would do nothing to hurt her. That night, Rawdon Crawley discusses his finances with Becky, giving her all the money he's won at cards. The next day, Becky tries to flee the city. One of the other Englishmen wants to buy her horse, and she agrees provided he gives her a seat in his carriage. However, when Becky sees Amelia in the fleeing mob, she leaves the carriage to take Amelia back to Brussels where they wait out the battle.
In the ensuing Battle of Waterloo, Amelia's husband, Captain George Osborne, is killed. Amelia bears him a posthumous son, who is also named George. George Osborne refuses to acknowledge his grandson, however, so Amelia returns to live in genteel poverty with her parents. Meanwhile, since the death of George, now-Major William Dobbin, who is young George's godfather, begins to express his love for the widowed Amelia by small kindnesses toward her and her son. Amelia is too much in love with George's memory to return Dobbin's affections. Saddened, he transfers to an army post in India, to which Amelia's brother, Jos Sedley has already returned.
Meanwhile, Becky also has a son, also named after his father. However, the army has been demobilized, and Becky's husband, Rawdon Crawley, although now a colonel, has no income.
Several years pass, and both Miss Matilda Crawley, the rich spinster, and Sir Pitt Crawley have died, leaving the family fortune in the hands of Rawdon's brother, Sir Pitt, Jr. Rawdon and Becky reconcile with the family, but it does little to help their finances.
Rawdon is now in debt due to his gambling, and the creditors try to seize the furniture. However, Lord Steyne comes to the rescue and pays off the creditor. Steyne offers to re-introduce Becky into London society, and she agrees. At her first outing, however, all the women ignore her until the Lady Steyne takes pity on her and asks her to sing a song. Becky's singing attracts the admiration of both sexes, and she's now accepted within society.
Steyne arranges to send Becky's son, now around nine, to boarding school so he can have more time with her. Meanwhile, Amelia agrees to turn her son over to her father-in-law, Mr. Osborne, who can give him a more luxurious upbringing. Steyne arranges a bizarre entertainment for the king at which the wives of the lords perform a belly dance, with Becky as the featured dancer. The king, entranced with Becky, asks her to sit with him at dinner.
Steyne's attentions to Becky become an issue when Becky's husband, Rawdon Crawley, is thrown into debtors prison. Steyne tells Becky that he will arrange for Rawdon's bail, but not until the following day. He makes it clear to Becky that his price for Rawdon's freedom is for her to sleep with him. Becky refuses, but Steyne tries to force himself on her. Rawdon returns at that moment, his debts having been paid by his family. He beats Lord Steyne and throws him down the stairs. However, Rawdon refuses to believe Becky when she insists that Steyne forced his attentions on her, and he leaves her. The army offers him a post as the garrison commander on Coventry Island, which he accepts.
Twelve years later sees Becky working as a card dealer at a casino in Baden Baden in Germany. She meets the young George Osborne at a card table, who mentions that his father was killed at Waterloo. She asks the father's name and is surprised to hear that it was Captain George Osborne. It turns out that young George is traveling with his mother and Major William Dobbin. Becky meet Dobbin. Major Dobbin is rather cold to Becky. He accuses Becky of killing her husband, Colonel Rawdon Crawley, but Amelia points out that Rawdon died of tropical fever.
Although Amelia is traveling with Dobbin, she still refuses to return his affections. Becky tells Amelia that she shouldn't be clinging to the memory of her late husband because George wasn't the saint she thought he was. To prove her point, Becky shows Amelia the letter that George had given her on the eve of Waterloo, which invited Becky to run away with him. Amelia realizes what a fool she's been, and leaves to reunite with Dobbin, this time as his wife.
Jos Sedley, Amelia's brother, then reenters the picture. He has been traveling with Major William Dobbin, and he's still enchanted by Becky. Becky marries Jos, and he takes her to India, where she had previously wanted to go until George Osborne convinced Jos to stop courting Becky.
became attached to the project in 2002 and scrapped most of the initial screenplay. She brought Julian Fellowes
in to rewrite the film; he agreed with her that the character of Becky Sharp should be made more sympathetic than in the novel. The ending was also changed, with Becky journeying to India with Joseph Sedley. The film had a budget of $23 million and originally was supposed to be in pre-production for 18 weeks. However, Reese Witherspoon became pregnant so it was necessary to speed up both pre-production and filming. Vanity Fair was shot in Bath, Kent
, the Chatham Dockyard
, and at Stanway House
in Gloucester
.
reported the film had an average score of 53 out of 100, based on 41 reviews. Rotten Tomatoes
maintains this film with a 50% rating.
Stephen Hunter
of The Washington Post
gave positive review, calling the movie "Mira Nair's fine movie version of the 1848 book, in all its glory and scope and wit." In the Charlotte Observer, Lawrence Toppman commented that "The filmmakers have wisely retained the main structure of the book" and that "The cast is uniformly good, even when dealing with sudden mood changes forced by the screenwriters' need to move forward." Meanwhile, Lisa Schwarzbaum, in her review in Entertainment Weekly
, rated the film a B-, and added that the film "borders on perky — a duller, safer tonal choice for the story of a conniving go-getter whose fall is as precipitous as her rise."
Costume drama
A costume drama or period drama is a period piece in which elaborate costumes, sets and properties are featured in order to capture the ambiance of a particular era.The term is usually used in the context of film and television...
film directed by Mira Nair
Mira Nair
Mira Nair is an Indian film director and producer based in New York. Her production company is Mirabai Films.She was educated at Delhi University and Harvard University. Her debut feature film, Salaam Bombay! , won the Golden Camera award at the Cannes Film Festival and also earned the nomination...
and adapted from William Makepeace Thackeray
William Makepeace Thackeray
William Makepeace Thackeray was an English novelist of the 19th century. He was famous for his satirical works, particularly Vanity Fair, a panoramic portrait of English society.-Biography:...
's novel of the same name. The novel has been the subject of numerous television and film adaptations, and Nair's version made notable changes in the development of main character Becky Sharp
Becky Sharp (character)
Becky Sharp is the anti-heroine of William Makepeace Thackeray's satirical novel Vanity Fair . A cynical social climber who uses her charms to fascinate and seduce upper-class men, Sharp is contrasted with the clinging, dependent heroine Amelia Sedley...
.
The film was nominated for "Golden Lion" Award in 2004 Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
.
Cast
- Reese WitherspoonReese WitherspoonLaura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer. Witherspoon landed her first feature role as the female lead in the film The Man in the Moon in 1991; later that year she made her television acting debut, in the cable movie Wildflower...
- Rebecca 'Becky' Sharp Crawley - Angelica MandyAngelica MandyAngelica Joyce Mandy is an English actress, best known for her role in the Harry Potter films as Gabrielle Delacour.-Acting career:...
- Young Rebecca 'Becky' Sharp - Romola GaraiRomola GaraiRomola Sadie Garai is an English actress. She is known for appearing in the movies Amazing Grace, Atonement, and Glorious 39, and for appearing in the BBC adaptation of Emma.-Early life:...
- Amelia Sedley Osborne - James PurefoyJames PurefoyJames Brian Mark Purefoy is an English actor best known for portraying Mark Antony in the HBO series Rome.-Early life and work:...
- Colonel Rawdon Crawley - Jonathan Rhys-MeyersJonathan Rhys-MeyersJonathan Rhys Meyers is an Irish actor and model.He is best known for his roles in the films Velvet Goldmine, Mission Impossible III, Bend It Like Beckham, Match Point and his television roles as Elvis Presley in the biographical miniseries Elvis, which earned him a Golden Globe for Best Actor,...
- Captain George Henry Osborne - Rhys IfansRhys IfansRhys Ifans is a Welsh actor and musician. He is known for his portrayal of characters such as Spike in Notting Hill and Jed Parry in Enduring Love and as a member of the Welsh rock groups Super Furry Animals and The Peth. Ifans also appeared as Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly...
- Major William Dobbin - Eileen AtkinsEileen AtkinsDame Eileen June Atkins, DBE is an English actress and occasional screenwriter.- Early life :Atkins was born in the Mothers' Hospital in Clapton, a Salvation Army women's hostel in East London...
- Miss Matilda Crawley - Geraldine McEwanGeraldine McEwanGeraldine McEwan is an English actor with a diverse history in theatre, film, and television. From 2004 to 2009 she appeared as Miss Marple, the Agatha Christie sleuth, for the series Marple.-Background:...
- The Countess of Southdown - Gabriel ByrneGabriel ByrneGabriel James Byrne is an Irish actor, film director, film producer, writer, cultural ambassador and audiobook narrator. His acting career began in the Focus Theatre before he joined Londo's Royal Court Theatre in 1979. Byrne's screen debut came in the Irish soap opera The Riordans and the...
- MarquessMarquessA marquess or marquis is a nobleman of hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The term is also used to translate equivalent oriental styles, as in imperial China, Japan, and Vietnam...
of Steyne - Bob HoskinsBob HoskinsRobert William "Bob" Hoskins, Jr. is an English actor known for playing Cockney rough diamonds, psychopaths and gangsters, in films such as The Long Good Friday , and Mona Lisa , and lighter roles in family films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Hook .- Early life :Hoskins was born in Bury St...
- Sir Pitt Crawley the Elder - Douglas HodgeDouglas HodgeDouglas Hodge is an English actor, director, and musician who trained for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.Hodge is a council member of the National Youth Theatre for whom, in 1989, he co-wrote Pacha Mama's Blessing about the Amazon rain forests staged at the Almeida...
- Sir Pitt Crawley the Younger - Natasha LittleNatasha LittleNatasha Little is a British actress. She is best known for her work on British television, but has also featured in many film and theatre roles.- Early life :...
- Lady Jane Sheepshanks Crawley - John WoodvineJohn WoodvineJohn Woodvine is an English stage and screen actor who has appeared in more than 70 theatre productions, as well as a similar number of television and film roles.-Early life:...
- Lord Bareacres - Barbara Leigh-HuntBarbara Leigh-HuntBarbara Leigh-Hunt , Bath, England, is a British actress who has appeared on stage, film, television and radio.-Career:...
- Lady Bareacres - Nicholas JonesNicholas Jones (actor)Nicholas Jones is an English character actor. His older sister is actress Gemma Jones. They are the children of actor Griffith Jones....
- Lord Darlington - Sian ThomasSian ThomasSiân Thomas is an award-winning Welsh actress who trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama.She has appeared on stage, on TV and in films such as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in which she played Amelia Bones. She also appeared in the classic 1992 Spanish television series...
- Lady Darlington - Trevor CooperTrevor CooperTrevor "Trev" Cooper is an English actor.-Background:Cooper studied law at Kingston Polytechnic and graduated with a masters degree in law from the University of Warwick...
- General Tufto - Kelly Hunter - Marchioness of Steyne
- Camilla RutherfordCamilla RutherfordCamilla Rutherford is an English actress and fashion model.-Background:Rutherford was born to a journalist father and magistrate mother in Holland Park...
- Lady Gaunt - Alexandra Staden - Lady George
- Jim BroadbentJim BroadbentJames "Jim" Broadbent is an English theatre, film, and television actor. He is known for his roles in Iris, Moulin Rouge!, Topsy-Turvy, Hot Fuzz, and Bridget Jones' Diary...
- Mr. Osborne - Tony MaudsleyTony MaudsleyTony Maudsley is a British film actor who was cast as Grawp in the film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. His career started when he landed a role in the film A Life for a Life in 1998 where he played the part of Stefan Kiszko to much acclaim...
- Joseph 'Jos' Sedley - John Franklyn-RobbinsJohn Franklyn-RobbinsJohn Franklyn-Robbins was a British actor. He appeared in the film The Golden Compass. Appearing in television series and feature films, his credits included:*I, Claudius *The Merchant of Venice...
- Mr. John Sedley - Deborah FindlayDeborah FindlayDeborah Findlay is an English actress.Her TV credits include Gillian in the ITV drama The Last Train , the recurring character Greer Thornton in 4 of the 6 episodes of State of Play, and in the episode The French Drop in Foyle's War. She also appeared in 4 episodes of the 2001 series of The...
- Mrs. Mary Sedley - Daniel Hay - Little Georgy
- Tom SturridgeTom SturridgeThomas Sidney Jerome "Tom" Sturridge is an English actor best known for his work in Being Julia, Like Minds, and The Boat That Rocked. As of September 2010, he was filming a role in Walter Salles's highly anticipated film adaptation of Jack Kerouac's On the Road.-Personal life:Sturridge was born...
- Young Georgy - Kathryn DrysdaleKathryn DrysdaleKathryn Drysdale is an English actress best known for her role as Louise in the BBC comedy series Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps from 2001 until her departure from the show in 2009 alongside Sheridan Smith...
- Rhoda Swartz - Ruth SheenRuth SheenRuth Sheen is an English actress.Born in London, Sheen began her career by training at the East 15 Acting School, and has appeared regularly on British television and in British films since 1988. On television, she had recurring roles as Nanny Simmons in Berkeley Square , and as Nurse Ethel Carr...
- Miss Pinkerton - Richard McCabeRichard McCabeRichard McCabe is a Scottish actor.-Biography:Richard McCabe was born in Glasgow to a Scottish father and French mother . He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art , where he won several awards. Following the early death of his father and his mother's re-marriage, he grew up in Sussex where...
- The King - Gledis CinqueGledis Cinque- Biography :Gledis Cinque made her film debut with the role of Celia Crawley in Mira Nair's 2004 film Vanity Fair, with Reese Witherspoon and James Purefoy...
- Older Celia Crawley - Robert PattinsonRobert PattinsonRobert Douglas Thomas Pattinson is an English actor, model, musician, and producer. Born and raised in London, Pattinson started out his career by playing the role of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire...
- Older Rawdy Crawley (uncredited)
Plot
The story opens in London, in the year of 1802. The mysterious Lord Steyne (Gabriel ByrneGabriel Byrne
Gabriel James Byrne is an Irish actor, film director, film producer, writer, cultural ambassador and audiobook narrator. His acting career began in the Focus Theatre before he joined Londo's Royal Court Theatre in 1979. Byrne's screen debut came in the Irish soap opera The Riordans and the...
) makes his way to a painter's studio where he has agreed to buy a painting of a young woman. The young Becky Sharp (Angelica Mandy
Angelica Mandy
Angelica Joyce Mandy is an English actress, best known for her role in the Harry Potter films as Gabrielle Delacour.-Acting career:...
), then a girl of ten, insists on having ten guineas, instead of four guineas, as the price of the painting. The painter explains that model in the painting is Becky's mother, the painter's late wife. Steyne agrees to pay the higher amount and leaves with the painting. The young Becky is then seen moving to Miss Pinkerton's Academy for Young Ladies, after her father dies.
The next scene takes place as the adult Becky Sharp (Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer. Witherspoon landed her first feature role as the female lead in the film The Man in the Moon in 1991; later that year she made her television acting debut, in the cable movie Wildflower...
) is preparing to leave the academy for a position as a governess. She travels by carriage to her new position, stopping on the way to see her best friend Amelia Sedley (Romola Garai
Romola Garai
Romola Sadie Garai is an English actress. She is known for appearing in the movies Amazing Grace, Atonement, and Glorious 39, and for appearing in the BBC adaptation of Emma.-Early life:...
) at Amelia's home. Amelia lives in a large estate as the daughter of a gentleman, but her father is not as wealthy as he appears.
At Amelia's home, Becky meets Amelia's brother Jos Sedley (Tony Maudsley
Tony Maudsley
Tony Maudsley is a British film actor who was cast as Grawp in the film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. His career started when he landed a role in the film A Life for a Life in 1998 where he played the part of Stefan Kiszko to much acclaim...
), who's stationed in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Jos Sedley finds that Becky is interested in India. During an outing at Vauxhall, Becky meets Amelia's inattentive boyfriend, the dashing and self-obsessed Captain George Osborne (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), and George's best friend, Captain William Dobbin (Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans is a Welsh actor and musician. He is known for his portrayal of characters such as Spike in Notting Hill and Jed Parry in Enduring Love and as a member of the Welsh rock groups Super Furry Animals and The Peth. Ifans also appeared as Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly...
), who is secretly in love with Amelia. Jos Sedley is smitten with Becky, but in a private discussion, George Osborne convinces Jos to break off his attentions to the penniless girl. George is concerned that his father, a rich businessman who's a commoner, won't let him marry Amelia if Becky has also married into the Sedley family.
Becky Sharp says farewell to Sedley's family and enters the service of the baronet Sir Pitt Crawley, who has engaged her as a governess to his daughters. Sir Pitt (Bob Hoskins
Bob Hoskins
Robert William "Bob" Hoskins, Jr. is an English actor known for playing Cockney rough diamonds, psychopaths and gangsters, in films such as The Long Good Friday , and Mona Lisa , and lighter roles in family films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Hook .- Early life :Hoskins was born in Bury St...
) has two sons, the pompous and pedantic elder brother (Douglas Hodge
Douglas Hodge
Douglas Hodge is an English actor, director, and musician who trained for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.Hodge is a council member of the National Youth Theatre for whom, in 1989, he co-wrote Pacha Mama's Blessing about the Amazon rain forests staged at the Almeida...
), who also bears the name Pitt Crawley, and the dashing younger son, Captain Rawdon Crawley (James Purefoy
James Purefoy
James Brian Mark Purefoy is an English actor best known for portraying Mark Antony in the HBO series Rome.-Early life and work:...
). Sir Pitt, a rather crude individual, is impressed with Becky's service, especially as Becky cleans up Sir Pitt's home to welcome his elder half sister, Miss Matilda Crawley (Eileen Atkins
Eileen Atkins
Dame Eileen June Atkins, DBE is an English actress and occasional screenwriter.- Early life :Atkins was born in the Mothers' Hospital in Clapton, a Salvation Army women's hostel in East London...
). Miss Crawley is impressed with Becky, when she finds that Becky speaks French. Becky explains that her mother was French while her father was an artist. Miss Crawley takes Becky to live with her in London. In London, Becky begins to see Captain Rawdon Crawley. Sir Pitt shows up in London. His wife has died, and he asks Becky to marry him. Becky refuses, revealing that she's already secretly married to Captain Rawdon Crawley. The misalliance so enrages Miss Crawley, that she throws Becky out and refuses to see the couple. Becky and Rawdon live in an apartment in London, and Becky reveals that she's pregnant, and suggests that the baby may help to reconcile them with Miss Crawley.
Meanwhile, Amelia's prospective father-in-law, Mr. Osborne (Jim Broadbent
Jim Broadbent
James "Jim" Broadbent is an English theatre, film, and television actor. He is known for his roles in Iris, Moulin Rouge!, Topsy-Turvy, Hot Fuzz, and Bridget Jones' Diary...
), is trying to arrange a new marriage for his son, Amelia's intended, Captain George Osborne. Mr. Osborne introduces George to a young woman whose father made a fortune in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. George objects to the marriage because the woman is of mixed race. He insists that he's betrothed to Amelia, but Mr. Osborne insists that George marry the woman from Jamaica.
However, Amelia's father, John Sedley, has become bankrupt, and all of the Sedley household goods are sold at auction. Lord Steyne shows up to buy a portrait painted by Becky's father. Amelia's friend, Captain William Dobbin, buys Amelia's piano and gives it back to her, but Amelia thinks its a gift from her boyfriend Captain George Osborne. George then elopes with Amelia, and Mr. Osborne disinherits him.
While these events take place, Napoleon has escaped from Elba and is once again in control of France. Captains Rawdon Crawley, George Osborne, and William Dobbin are suddenly deployed to Brussels as part of the Duke of Wellington's army. Becky and Amelia decide to accompany their husbands.
The newly wedded Osborne is growing tired of Amelia, and he becomes increasingly attracted to Becky. At a ball in Brussels (based on the Duchess of Richmond's famous ball on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo) George gives Becky a note which she hides in her bodice. Amelia also attends the ball, but she becomes sick as the result of pregnancy. Rather than attend his sick, pregnant wife, George Osborne spends the evening dancing with Becky; Dobbin attends to Amelia instead. The ball is interrupted by an announcement that Napoleon has attacked, and the officers are given three hours to report to their units.
Amelia has been deeply hurt by her husband's attentions toward Becky, but Becky reassures her that George would do nothing to hurt her. That night, Rawdon Crawley discusses his finances with Becky, giving her all the money he's won at cards. The next day, Becky tries to flee the city. One of the other Englishmen wants to buy her horse, and she agrees provided he gives her a seat in his carriage. However, when Becky sees Amelia in the fleeing mob, she leaves the carriage to take Amelia back to Brussels where they wait out the battle.
In the ensuing Battle of Waterloo, Amelia's husband, Captain George Osborne, is killed. Amelia bears him a posthumous son, who is also named George. George Osborne refuses to acknowledge his grandson, however, so Amelia returns to live in genteel poverty with her parents. Meanwhile, since the death of George, now-Major William Dobbin, who is young George's godfather, begins to express his love for the widowed Amelia by small kindnesses toward her and her son. Amelia is too much in love with George's memory to return Dobbin's affections. Saddened, he transfers to an army post in India, to which Amelia's brother, Jos Sedley has already returned.
Meanwhile, Becky also has a son, also named after his father. However, the army has been demobilized, and Becky's husband, Rawdon Crawley, although now a colonel, has no income.
Several years pass, and both Miss Matilda Crawley, the rich spinster, and Sir Pitt Crawley have died, leaving the family fortune in the hands of Rawdon's brother, Sir Pitt, Jr. Rawdon and Becky reconcile with the family, but it does little to help their finances.
Rawdon is now in debt due to his gambling, and the creditors try to seize the furniture. However, Lord Steyne comes to the rescue and pays off the creditor. Steyne offers to re-introduce Becky into London society, and she agrees. At her first outing, however, all the women ignore her until the Lady Steyne takes pity on her and asks her to sing a song. Becky's singing attracts the admiration of both sexes, and she's now accepted within society.
Steyne arranges to send Becky's son, now around nine, to boarding school so he can have more time with her. Meanwhile, Amelia agrees to turn her son over to her father-in-law, Mr. Osborne, who can give him a more luxurious upbringing. Steyne arranges a bizarre entertainment for the king at which the wives of the lords perform a belly dance, with Becky as the featured dancer. The king, entranced with Becky, asks her to sit with him at dinner.
Steyne's attentions to Becky become an issue when Becky's husband, Rawdon Crawley, is thrown into debtors prison. Steyne tells Becky that he will arrange for Rawdon's bail, but not until the following day. He makes it clear to Becky that his price for Rawdon's freedom is for her to sleep with him. Becky refuses, but Steyne tries to force himself on her. Rawdon returns at that moment, his debts having been paid by his family. He beats Lord Steyne and throws him down the stairs. However, Rawdon refuses to believe Becky when she insists that Steyne forced his attentions on her, and he leaves her. The army offers him a post as the garrison commander on Coventry Island, which he accepts.
Twelve years later sees Becky working as a card dealer at a casino in Baden Baden in Germany. She meets the young George Osborne at a card table, who mentions that his father was killed at Waterloo. She asks the father's name and is surprised to hear that it was Captain George Osborne. It turns out that young George is traveling with his mother and Major William Dobbin. Becky meet Dobbin. Major Dobbin is rather cold to Becky. He accuses Becky of killing her husband, Colonel Rawdon Crawley, but Amelia points out that Rawdon died of tropical fever.
Although Amelia is traveling with Dobbin, she still refuses to return his affections. Becky tells Amelia that she shouldn't be clinging to the memory of her late husband because George wasn't the saint she thought he was. To prove her point, Becky shows Amelia the letter that George had given her on the eve of Waterloo, which invited Becky to run away with him. Amelia realizes what a fool she's been, and leaves to reunite with Dobbin, this time as his wife.
Jos Sedley, Amelia's brother, then reenters the picture. He has been traveling with Major William Dobbin, and he's still enchanted by Becky. Becky marries Jos, and he takes her to India, where she had previously wanted to go until George Osborne convinced Jos to stop courting Becky.
Production
The film adaptation of Vanity Fair had been in development for over 10 years, with writers Matthew Faulk and Mark Skeet working on the screenplay. Mira NairMira Nair
Mira Nair is an Indian film director and producer based in New York. Her production company is Mirabai Films.She was educated at Delhi University and Harvard University. Her debut feature film, Salaam Bombay! , won the Golden Camera award at the Cannes Film Festival and also earned the nomination...
became attached to the project in 2002 and scrapped most of the initial screenplay. She brought Julian Fellowes
Julian Fellowes
Julian Alexander Kitchener-Fellowes, Baron Fellowes of West Stafford, DL , known as Julian Fellowes, is an English actor, novelist, film director and screenwriter, as well as a Conservative peer.-Early life:...
in to rewrite the film; he agreed with her that the character of Becky Sharp should be made more sympathetic than in the novel. The ending was also changed, with Becky journeying to India with Joseph Sedley. The film had a budget of $23 million and originally was supposed to be in pre-production for 18 weeks. However, Reese Witherspoon became pregnant so it was necessary to speed up both pre-production and filming. Vanity Fair was shot in Bath, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, the Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...
, and at Stanway House
Stanway House
Stanway House is an example of a Jacobean manor house, located near Stanway, Gloucestershire. The manor was owned by Tewkesbury Abbey for 800 years then for 500 years by the Tracy family and their descendants, the Earls of Wemyss...
in Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
.
Reception
Critics gave the film mixed reviews. MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
reported the film had an average score of 53 out of 100, based on 41 reviews. Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
maintains this film with a 50% rating.
Stephen Hunter
Stephen Hunter
Stephen Hunter is an American novelist, essayist, and Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic.-Life and career:Stephen Hunter was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and grew up in Evanston, Illinois. His father was Charles Francis Hunter, a Northwestern University speech professor who was killed in 1975....
of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
gave positive review, calling the movie "Mira Nair's fine movie version of the 1848 book, in all its glory and scope and wit." In the Charlotte Observer, Lawrence Toppman commented that "The filmmakers have wisely retained the main structure of the book" and that "The cast is uniformly good, even when dealing with sudden mood changes forced by the screenwriters' need to move forward." Meanwhile, Lisa Schwarzbaum, in her review in Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, rated the film a B-, and added that the film "borders on perky — a duller, safer tonal choice for the story of a conniving go-getter whose fall is as precipitous as her rise."
Soundtrack
| Track # | Song | Artist(s) | Music | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "She Walks in Beauty" | Sissel Kyrkjebø Sissel Kyrkjebø Sissel Kyrkjebø , also simply known as Sissel, is a Norwegian soprano.Sissel is considered one of the world's top crossover sopranos. Sissel's musical style runs the gamut from pop recordings and folk songs, to classical vocals and operatic arias... |
Mychael Danna Mychael Danna Mychael Danna is a Canadian film composer.-Life and career:Mychael Danna is the brother of fellow composer Jeff Danna. He has been scoring films since his 1987 feature debut for Atom Egoyan's Family Viewing, a score which earned Danna the first of his thirteen Genie Award nominations. He has won... |
1:59 |
| 2 | "Exchange" | Nicholas Dodd | Mychael Danna | 2:10 |
| 3 | "Becky and Amelia Leave School" | Nicholas Dodd | Mychael Danna | 1:26 |
| 4 | "The Great Adventurer" | Custer Larue Custer LaRue Custer LaRue is a soprano vocalist of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. She specializes in Renaissance music and traditional Folk music such as the Child ballads and music collected in Appalachia during the early 20th century.... |
Mychael Danna | 2:05 |
| 5 | "Becky Arrives at the Queen's Crawley" | Nicholas Dodd | Mychael Danna | 1:43 |
| 6 | "Andante" | Nicholas Dodd | Mychael Danna | 1:08 |
| 7 | "No Lights after Eleven" | Nicholas Dodd | Mychael Danna | 2:48 |
| 8 | "Adagio" | Nicholas Dodd | Mychael Danna | 1:35 |
| 9 | "I've Made up My Mind" | Nicholas Dodd | Mychael Danna | 0:28 |
| 10 | "Ride to London" | Nicholas Dodd | Mychael Danna | 2:03 |
| 11 | "Becky and Rawdon Kiss" | Nicholas Dodd | Mychael Danna | 2:00 |
| 12 | "Sir Pitt's Marriage Proposal" | Nicholas Dodd | Mychael Danna | 1:38 |
| 13 | "I Owe You Nothing" | Nicholas Dodd | Mychael Danna | 1:14 |
| 14 | "Piano for Amelia/Announcement of Battle" | Nicholas Dodd | Mychael Danna | 3:11 |
| 15 | "Time to Quit Brussels" | Nicholas Dodd | Mychael Danna | 2:37 |
| 16 | "Waterloo Battlefield" | Nicholas Dodd | Mychael Danna | 1:28 |
| 17 | "Amelia Refuses Dobbin/The Move to Mayfair" | Nicholas Dodd | Mychael Danna | 2:03 |
| 18 | "Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal" | Custer Larue | Mychael Danna | 2:45 |
| 19 | "Steyne the Pasha" | Nicholas Dodd | Mychael Danna | 1:11 |
| 20 | "El Salaam" | Hakim Hakim (Egyptian singer) Hakim is an Egyptian folk-singer. In addition to the number of albums he has put out, on December 11, 2006 he was the first person from an Arab country to perform at a Nobel Peace Prize event.-Biography:... |
Mychael Danna | 1:33 |
| 21 | "The Virtue Betrayed" | Nicholas Dodd | Mychael Danna | 0:38 |
| 22 | "Rawdon's End" | Nicholas Dodd | Mychael Danna | 0:46 |
| 23 | "Dobbin Leaves Amelia" | Nicholas Dodd | Mychael Danna | 1:06 |
| 24 | "Vanity's Conqueror" | Nicholas Dodd | Mychael Danna | 1:13 |
| 25 | "Gori Re (O Fair One) Gori Re Gori Re is a song from 2004 British-American film Vanity Fair by Mira Nair. The track is composed by Indian trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, while the lyrics are penned by Javed Akhtar.-Development:... " |
Richa Sharma Richa Sharma Richa Sharma is an Indian film playback singer as well a devotional singer. In 2006, she sang Bollywood's longest track, the bidaai song, in film Baabul .-Early life and background:... , Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan is an Indian music composer and singer. He is a part of the Shankar Ehsaan Loy trio team that composes for Indian films and a playback singer.-Early life:... |
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy are an Indian musical trio consisting of Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa. Record producers, musicians and multi-instrumentalists, they have composed music for over fifty soundtrack across four languages... |
4:26 |