The Hours

By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.25 cats
Director: Stephen Daldry
Starring: Ed Harris | Julianne Moore | Meryl Streep | Miranda Richardson | Nicole Kidman | Stephen Dillane | Toni Collette

Country: united_states

Year: 2003

Running time: 114

IMDB: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0302674

Hilary says: “Only a few scenes into THE HOURS I found myself wishing I could start the film over and view it without the Philip Glass score. The score was used in a heavy-handed fashion, cueing the viewer to the emotional response intended for each scene. I found this both unbelievably annoying and insulting. Similarly irksome was the way the three storylines were presented. Just in case you didn’t come into the film knowing that the story was presented in three related vignettes, the film initially cuts between scenes of the three lead actresses performing identical tasks. I think the filmmakers could trust their viewers to understand the film and form their own opinions without these techniques. The plot was hardly so complex as to warrant this, especially as two storylines directly intertwine as the film progresses.

“Overall I found myself largely unmoved. I suppose this is somewhat inevitable considering the surrounding hype, but I felt that the performances didn’t merit the raves they’ve been garnering.

“Nicole Kidman was decent as Virginia Woolf. I didn’t feel it was the career-defining role it’s been built up but it wasn’t dominated by her prosthetic nose either, as some have claimed. I felt that the script was trying too hard to have all her dialogue be significant and I couldn’t decide if this was because she was portraying a writer or as a means of proving her acting mettle. In any case I can already tell what clip they’ll use if she’s nominated for an Oscar.

“Julianne Moore’s performance is all about quiet gestures. A 50’s housewife pregnant with her second child, she appears fragile and worn rather aglow as she was in FAR FROM HEAVEN. There is palpable tension in her relationships with her son and husband, the former of whom is far more aware of her growing anxiety and is acting out as a result. Meryl Streep is too  melodramatic to evoke any sympathy and her relationship with Allison Janney was wholly unconvincing. Yes, they’d been together 10 years and were well past the honeymoon phase into complacency but they were overly distant. It appeared that they’d never laid eyes on one another before they started filming their scenes together.

“On a more positive note, the men fared a bit better. Stephen Dillane is quite good as Leonard Woolf and John C. Reilly has a small but solid role as Moore’s husband. Jeff Daniels also appears briefly but strongly as an emotional ne’er-do-well who flees at the first sign of complications. Ed Harris, as Streep’s one-time lover and lifetime love, starts off well but descends into histrionics in his final scene.

“I’m going to go back and read the book again. I was relieved that it wasn’t too fresh in my mind — I usually dislike book adaptations because they suffer in comparison to the original. ”

 

Kevin says: “I have to disagree with Hilary’s critique. In particular, I thought the film was brilliantly edited, and in no way overly obvious. Also, I felt that the chemistry between Meryl Streep and Allison Janney was right on. They were distant, but that was pretty much the point… Also, I felt that there was so much context to their relationship, and it was well portrayed. Their dialogue together was full of subtlety and implications. I also felt that Meryl Streep and Ed Harris delivered subtle, nuanced performances — albeit, emotionally charged, such outbursts were pretty necessary, in my opinion. I really loved THE HOURS.”

 

Bob says: “I guess I’m somewhere in between Kevin and Hilary on this. My only major problem with the film was that it seemed to be pushing a theory of the wonderful advances lesbians have made over the past half century or so in dealing with their lives: from suicide, to a choice between suicide and dropping your life and being despised by the family you leave behind, to living your life and being miserable all the time. Nice. It would have been nice to present the audience with an unhappy heterosexual, or even a well-adjusted non-breeding type. But I haven’t read the book (or Mrs. Dalloway, for that matter), and I imagine a lot of people would have seen it as dishonest or cowardly to have given us a bit of relief.

“That being said, I have to admit that the film affected me emotionally. I came out of it decidedly depressed, and I’m pretty jaded. I always detach myself from the various and sundry turmoils of the characters presented to me, so it says a lot for a movie to push its way past that.

“I thought that Kidman and Moore both did excellent work – Moore in particular did some wonderfully subtle displays of all she was going through with just a few little changes in her facial expression. Streep however, was a bit over the top, as was Ed Harris. Harris has the excuse (albeit a pretty lame one) of not having as much screen time and of having a character with just about no arc. We know exactly where he’s going from the moment we first hear about him. But Streep, who I still think of as probably the best American actor of her generation, should have been able to do much more with this role than vacillating between moping and wailing. (OK, so I take back the bit about only having one major problem with the film.)

“And I used to have so much more respect for Philip Glass than I do these days. I’m afraid he’s turned into a bit of a hack.”

 

Diane says: “I could be losing taste here in a movie wasteland, but I thought THE HOURS was fantastic. I had found the book difficult, and thought the form it took here worked perfectly for it. I do like getting hit over the head by visual symbols, etc…. I even liked the Glass soundtrack. I’m going to nom it for best adaptation.”

 

Marilyn says: “I really liked THE HOURS…also… I was very engaged by the three women and thought that Julianne Moore stole the movie and deserves far more attention for this complex role than for the more obvious, almost one note role in FAR FROM HEAVEN (major disappointment for me along with ADAPTATION and ABOUT SCHMIDT)….I laughed when Nicole took the Golden Globe thinking…’by a nose’….we often think when actors add (or lose) weight, change clothes, or other cosmetic device that their acting improves….she was good as was Streep but Julianne’ s fragile strength in showing us the difficulty in making a decision that women really do make in their lives….some say selfish….but even that can take courage. I never read the book so….and Ed Harris broke my heart (he lost weight, right??…)”

 

Laura says:
“Director Stephen Daldry (BILLY ELIOT) begins his film in 1941 as Virginia Woolf drowns herself with stones in her coat pockets in the river Ouse. Seamus McGarvey’s (HIGH FIDELITY) camera slides beneath the water among the river reeds, recalling the swimming scene opening of IRIS, another film about the demise of a British author. Unlike that film, THE HOURS explores the writer’s creative process while showing her work’s impact on a reader decades later and also reinventing her story in the present day. While each element doesn’t provide the same emotional impact, this cinematic hat trick is ambitious, creative and thought provoking.

“Editor Peter Boyle connects the three stories by cutting among small events that happen in each. Three ‘husbands’ come home (in Clarissa’s case, her female partner Sally (Allison Janney, TV’s ‘The West Wing’), breakfasts are fretted over, a vase of flowers is placed, a line (‘Clarissa decided to buy the flowers herself’) is written, read and spoken. The ingenious construction (adapted by David Hare from Michael Cunningham’s novel) constantly flows forwards and back, weaving themes among three strands which allow us to view events as if through a prism.

“Woolf’s husband (Stephen Dillane, WELCOME TO SARAJEVO) and sister (Miranda Richardson, SLEEPY HOLLOW) fret over her mental health as Clarissa cares for Richard and Laura contemplates suicide. Woolf writes about a same sex kiss which Laura bestows on Kitty (Toni Collette, ABOUT A BOY) while Clarissa openly lives a lesbian lifestyle. Clarissa’s party is reflected more quietly in Virginia’s tea with her sister and Laura’s cake baking for husband Dan’s birthday. Suicide touches all three stories, as does motherhood which also connects the 1950s and present day. The film can be criticized for its air of incessant doom, yet it strives to present an affirmation of life lived well.

“Laura’s middle story is the most self contained. Virginia’s is the strongest, yet it is muddled in its conclusion. Just as Virginia wins her argument with husband Leonard to return to London, she’s presented as killing herself yet what we are not informed of is that in the sixteen intervening years they did indeed return to the city. Clarissa’s story is confused by lack of background – the love of her life is a man who left her for another man (Jeff Daniels) while she now lives with a woman.

“Nicole Kidman, unrecognizable beneath a proboscis prosthetic, gives a weighty performance as Woolf that illuminates yet further range for the actress. She has a gravity as she considers her words while furiously chain smoking that projects creation. Moore’s Laura is a less optimistic variation on her FAR FROM HEAVEN housewife while Streep’s thesping is mostly limited to a breakdown scene. Strong support is offered by Dillane, who fleshes Leonard out complexly, and young Jack Rovello as Laura’s perceptive little boy Richie. Toni Collette, all glammed up in 1950’s lacquer, is impressive in a small scene as the vivacious Kitty, who may or may not discern the meaning behind Laura’s affection. Ed Harris pulls off a shocker of a scene.

“Daldry makes an impressive leap from BILLY ELIOT to this intellectual material which is richly realized across time and half the globe. Suicides are connected by water imagery and descents and books are always evident. Production designer Maria Djurkovic and costume designer Ann Roth do exemplary work recreating the differing periods and locales in ways that help define the three different women. Philip Glass’ score, however, is grating, an out of place element in a beautiful production.

With THE HOURS Daldry and screenwriter Hare have not only cinematically adapted a work of literature, but turned it upside down and inside out. It’s a unique achievement.” 4 cats

 

Michael says: “So, I’m a little slow getting around to seeing a film based on a bookI loved, starring three actresses I love, and a few supporting actresses I love too. For some reason, I was a little apprehensive about seeing this film. I loved the book and couldn’t really imagine a successful adaptation of it to screen. Needless to say, I shouldn’t have worried.

“I thought THE HOURS was exquisite, largely due to the acting, but Stephen Daldry surprised me in his artful direction… and David Hare’s screenplay was just wonderful. Now it’s true, Philip Glass’ soundtrack was slightly annoying, but not as bad as I was prepared for. But really, the acting just blew me away. I thought Nicole Kidman was very strong as Virginia Woolf, and it was way more than the nose. Meryl Streep, I felt, had such a difficult part to play. Her character is so scattered and such an emotional yo-yo that I was worried that Streep would be all affectation such as her performance in Bridges of Madison County. Yet she captured Clarissa perfectly. And Julianne Moore… Julianne Moore… ah, she’s so amazing. In a largely internal performance, Moore conveys so much isolation and pain. Some have said that her part in THE HOURS was similar to her outstanding performance in FAR FROM HEAVEN, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Why should two women who happen to be housewives living in the same decade be similar? They are light years apart.”The supporting actresses were strong as well. Allison Janney and Eileen Atkins were perfect in their small roles. Miranda Richardson proves time and time again that she inhabits any role she is in. The first scene involving Richardson and Kidman just took me to another place. And the standout scene for me involved Moore’s Laura receiving a visit from her neighbor Kitty, played with perfection by Toni Colette, an underrated actress if ever there was one. As Scot noted, she looked like an Amazon when she first appears, filled with false bravado and cheer until the mask slips and cracks as the two women discuss their problems.

“The men do fairly well too, but can’t keep up with the women. Still, the acting soared all around. I was so pleased to have my expectations surpassed with this film. I would recommend it to all.” 4 1/2 cats

 

Robin says: “Author Virginia Woolf (Nicole Kidman) is an extremely troubled woman as she puts pen to paper in 1923 to create her classic novel, Mrs. Dalloway, the story of a day in the life of a London socialite who lives to throw her parties but is, in her heart, unhappy.

“Laura Brown (Julianne Moore) is a housewife in 1951 southern California suburbia. She is an avid reader and is currently plowing through Mrs. Dalloway. She, like the author and her character, Clarissa Dalloway, is also a troubled soul, not happy in her marriage to Dan (John C. Reilly), and her young son Richie (Jack Rovello) senses it.

“Clarissa Vaughn (Meryl Streep) is a book editor in 2001 San Francisco whose day will be spent planning a party for her favorite client, Richard Brown (Ed Harris), a heralded poet who is losing his bout with AIDS. There is a past between these two and Clarissa is as troubled as her namesake from Woolf book.

“THE HOURS belongs to the actors with Kidman, almost not recognized made up as Virginia Woolf, getting the lion share of praise of the three female leads. Her manners and gestures evoke the period and she gives a stylized perf, both physically and emotionally. Woolf, though extraordinarily talented, has demons within that make her verge on suicide and other escapes. Her husband Leonard (Stephen Dillane) moved them to a country home to try to ease her mental pressures and she begins to write her novel. The book and its forlorn main character carry forth into the other two ladies stories.

“Julianne Moore gives a subtle, quietly tense perf as the despondent housewife, Laura Brown, who wants out of her marriage and motherhood and contemplates getting out by drastic means. On this one day, Dan birthday, her tensions over her desperation reach a peak. She knows she should think different about her life but her feelings for self-preservation win out over her duty to Dan. Moore proves herself one fine actor and puts a very different spin and character from her other 50’s suburban housewife perf in FAR FROM HEAVEN.

“Streep has the slightest of the three roles as she brings to new millennium life Mrs. Dalloway. On this day she is planning a dinner party to celebrate a poetry award for friend, client and long ago lover Richard. She is concerned with party prep, flower purchases and who will attend, but her day is about to take a terrible turn. Where Kidman and Moore are mostly the center of attention in their respective stories, Streep must share the stage with several other prominent characters, one of who gives a powerhouse performance.

“Ed Harris is, simply, terrific in his physically challenging role as the dying Richard. He looks like a man ravaged by AIDS and is enthralling as a man who has lost his battle. Toni Colette, probably one of the most under-appreciated actors in the business, gives a heart-rending performance as Laura friend, the childless Kitty, who confides that she has to go into the hospital for a couple of days. She textures her performance as much with her unsaid words as she does with the spoken. Allison Janney, as Sally Lester, Clarissa live-in lover, is briefly but nicely utilized. Jeff Daniels is used effectively in the small role as Richard lover.

“Techs are very good all around, especially considering the daunting task of having to give each period its own unique look while keeping a common thread between them all. Camera, by Seamus McGarvey, gives each period its own feel, as does production and costume design, by Maria Djurkovic and Ann Roth, respectively.

“Helmer Stephen Daldry does a deft job at weaving the common thread through the three lives of the principals, working with David Hare well-scripted adaptation of Michael Cunningham complex novel.

“With the prospect of films like KANGAROO JACK about to burst across America winter movie screens it a pleasure to have a film like THE HOURS as an alternative.” 4 cats