Atonement: The Movie

-- by Miranda

Last night Mom and I went and saw Atonement. I'll go ahead and give you my mom's opinion first. She thought the movie was better than the book, but then, she didn't really like the book much. She thought it was a good movie.

I loved the book, and I loved the movie. I don't know if you could say that it was better than the book. Movies are rarely better than the book. But I think reading the book and seeing the movie compliment each other.

**Warning: from here out there are spoilers.**

Reading the book you obviously get more backround information on all the characters. In the movie, Cecelia and Briony's father is only mentioned twice, in a throwaway line when Leon returns home and when Cee and Robbie are talking about his schooling. They could have very well left out these lines and the father would have been forgotten all together. He really has very little impact on the story anyway. Their mother has a smaller role in the movie than she does in the book, but I didn't really expect the movie to focus on Emily Tallis's migraines. Oh, and if you were curious, apparently the British pronounce it "Mee- graines."

Now, I think the casting was great. Saoirse Ronan was great as young Briony, but I think more credit should be given to Juno Temple who plays Lola. It's not an easy role to play, but she does well with it.

The end of the movie is different from the book, in that instead of a birthday party, Briony is being interviewed about the release of her 21st novel, Atonement. It makes me wonder if in the movie universe, Paul and Lola have already died, leaving Briony free and clear to release her libelous book. Maybe that's just my wishful thinking, I hated seeing those two so happy and carefree at the end of the book. I still feel that they are the true villans. Briony may have lied, but they just stood by and watched an innocent man go to prison. Briony at least had the decency to feel guilty about her accusations.

Some things about the movie that I felt were better than the book: The movie makes it clear that Robbie's war buddy knew Robbie was dying. Looking back, I think "Of course! How could he not know the man was dying?" And I'll just say that the scene depicting Cecilia's death was much more emotional for me than it was in the book. I was in tears in the theater.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on the movie. I told myself that I wasn't going to be buying anymore dvds, but I'm going to break that promise to myself and buy it when it comes out in a few weeks.

Lastly, Cecilia's green dress was just as gorgeous as depicted in the book. Fantastic.

Atonement Clip

-- by Miranda

In my comment on Ab's last entry about Atonement I mentioned Saoirse Ronan's Oscar clip. Well, I just happened to find it on YouTube. It's actually a bit longer in the begining than what they used on the Oscars, but it's the same part.



There are actually a ton of clips from Atonement on YouTube, but I only watched this one and one depicting the play practice.

Atonement - 1999

--by Abby (London, 1999)

Brilliant! In the jump to modern day we find old-lady Briony celebrating her 77^th birthday. And she's losing her mind (glorious!)

So some truth comes out (truth? The whole book is fiction. There is no Briony. Whatever.) So the 'truth' is the anticlimactic death of Robbie before he ever makes it back to England and then Cecilia is taken out by a bomb dropped on a hospital some time later. That's fantastic. Much better than the happily ever after.

I now enthusiastically recommend this book.

The Lola and Marshall bits are disgusting. How wretched that they should appear happy together. Paul particularly should have suffered a bit.

I actually am now very curious to see how they handle this nonsense in the movie version. Do they just kill Robbie off, straight up? Or do they let him life in the fairy tale ending? The whole lying author thing seems difficult to convey in film. I will find out immediately. Or, like eventually.

Okay, I'm really pleased with this book, but am writing this after 7 consecutive entries and at midnight so no pearls of wisdom will be added at this time. Just that I love a book that ends with everyone dying. No loose ends, no sequels.

Atonement - Ch. 24

--by Abby (ending pg. 405)

Ah! Action! The war has hit London. Briony's hospital is overrun with the wounded and dying. Bones sticking through the skin, crude stitches, exposed intestines and brains. Disgusting!! I love it. What isn't better with a little blood on it?

The end of the chapter is a long letter of rejection for one of Briony's stories. It's her tale of the infamous day at the fountain. No forward progress is the critique. I can identify. Interestingly, the editors seem to think she's a man (since they ask if she's a doctor, not a nurse) and one of them apparently knows Cecilia from Girton.

Everything important in this story comes down to one day. Briony made an actual friend, encountered the horrors of war, learned to be a nurse, and was kindly rejected as a writer. The fact that she enjoyed her nursing and wants to be good at it makes me like her more. I hope she keeps that up, as opposed to abandoning it to be a brilliant writer. That would be lame.

Atonement – Ch. 25

--by Abby (ending pg. 422)

This chapter is Lola's wedding. Briony, not able to formulate a good reason against it, just sat in the back and watched Lola marry her unprosecuted rapist. All previous talk of Briony abandoning her fantasy-filled imagination is a pack of lies. She actually travelled miles on foot in order to be at the wedding and be seen but not speak. Her purpose was for Lola to wonder why she came. She's an odd girl.

I'm not sure what this all means for Robbie. I mean, if Briony recants, do they still try to prosecute Paul Marshall? Will Briony be too scared of her family to tell the truth still? Not much book left to find out….

Atonement – Ch. 26

--by Abby (ending at the end of Part III)

So we end this twisted and tragic tale.

I'm sad that we readers were not privy to Cecilia and Robbie's reunion. The short glimpse of their life together through Briony's eyes was hardly satisfying. After the long middle bit inside Robbie's head, I would have liked to see him regaining his sanity, bit by bit or in a rush when his feet hit Britain's shores or when he was finally in Cecilia's arms.

I did like Cee and Robbie's realization that they were wrong about young Hardman all these years. It seems it should soften their anger towards Briony, since the lie wasn't so extreme. The ending, with Briony's sign-off was a little melodramatic, but it does explain the bizarre and inconsistent style. How very Briony.

Based on three parts and some 400 pages, I think I'd recommend this book, but the first chapters were certainly more engaging than the second and third parts. The latter make the early chapters centered on Emily Tallis and Lola seem superfluous. I can see doing some delving into Lola's psyche so that readers can understand her silence in the accusations, but still. Why did I do all the reading about Emily Tallis' magic ability to track her family from her darkened bed? Hmmmmmm.

So there's another "chapter" coming set in 1999. One more entry coming.

Atonement - Ch. 22

--by Abby (ends pg. 362)

Briony has grown. It seems a large factor in her decision to go to medical school was to earn her independence. She's remained very introverted and is kind of alienating her family.

Since discovering 'Genre' it looks like she's off the deep end writing stories without characters or plot. Insanity. And she is not pleased that Cecilia hasn't written her back. Clearly she doesn't realize that depends on letters back and forth from France.

Atonement – Ch. 23

--by Abby (ending pg. 368)

Interesting news from Mr. Tallis—Lola and Paul Marshall are getting married. Not quite the scandal I expected, but still, I knew he was into her. Briony thinks she facilitated this union, but she hasn't seen Lola in like 5 years so I'm not really sure what that means.

The news has sent Briony into a shame spiral, which is fun. I hope she gets self-destructive and takes a lover. That would be fun.

Atonement - Ch. 20

--by Abby (the end of Part II)

Well Part II is over. It lasted nearly two days and drove Robbie Turner completely mad. I'm with Miranda in her sentiments that war sucks and this drags on. Nothing actually happened. Technically, Robbie didn't even make it home, though when last we left him the boats were coming. They didn't even find Mace.

Better luck in Part III.

Atonement - Ch. 21

--by Abby (Chapter 21 starts at the beginning of Part III and ends on page 356.)

Glorious. Back to Briony, now a nurse-in-training. Anything is a welcome change of pace from Robbie. Plus Briony has a pretty miserable little life, so that's nice. This chapter is wrought with premonitions of horror and attack on England. Other than that it just tells us that Briony barely has any friends and they all live in fear of the Sister.

I'm a little upset that no mention was made about Briony's feelings about the Robbie-didn't-rape-anyone situation. I'd like to know.

The word "strictures" was used. That amuses me.

Atonement - Ch. 19

--by Abby (ending pg. 315)

War sucks and lots of people die and the walking never ends. By my count this is the third chapter set in the same day, on the same walk toward the sea.

I've been more entertained. I like how Robbie's spirit and pride are being systematically sacrificed though. That's a nice touch.

Atonement - Ch. 18

--by Abby (ending pg. 299)

More war, more missing Cecilia. There's the possibility Briony will clear Robbie.

Then there's the backstory that Robbie suspects Briony had a crush on him and felt betrayed, and that is why she turned him in. Unlikely.

Kind of a slow chapter. Robbie's theories are less interesting when you know they are wrong.

Atonement - Ch. 17

--by Abby (ending pg. 289)

War stories here. Nothing too life altering, but certainly disheartening. It's really a survival story now.

In these types of stories, I'm always a bit surprised at the unwillingness of people to do what is necessary for their own survival. It seems gov'ner Turner is the only man clever enough to watch the sky for bombers.

His companions are beginning to grow on me. After leading them out of the wilderness, I'm predicting that Robbie is injured and they carry him to England. Why not?

Atonement - Ch. 16

(ending pg. 273)

Ah, the background. So Robbie went to jail and joined the army to shorten his sentence. All well and good until war is declared.

I'm very pleased that Cecilia found the strength of character to disown her family completely. Very dramatic and appropriate. This was an excellent "chapter" in that it was more events, less lengthy descriptions of emotions. Of course the book couldn't be girlier, with Robbie hopelessly devoted after years of separation and on the one occasion they met they were barely able to kiss. Such longing!

While Cecilia seems optimistic that Briony's reappearance can fix Robbie's situation, I am less convinced. I'm hoping older Briony is still a crazy person. Ooooh or better, a whore. That could be fun. Onward!

Atonement - Ch. 15

--by Abby

Part Two! There are no chapters, but there are breaks in the book, so I'll just keep numbering as if they are chapters. For reference, in my paperback copy Part II started on page 243, and chapter 15 ends midway down 257.

We've flashed forward. The earlier account of the inquisition and trial has eliminated the need for anything after the terrible end of Part I. We join Robbie Turner, a low-ranking soldier leading two corporals through the French countryside as England retreats and leaves the French to fight the Germans alone.

In this account they befriend some Frenchman. Robbie is injured; he's got some shrapnel between the ribs and is hiding it from his travel buddies.

I'm in need of some background. Here's hoping the next bit explains how Robbie ended up in the army.

Atonement - Ch. 14

--by Abby

More from the life of Briony. She rats out the innocent Robbie to the police and even searches Cecilia's room for his dirty letter, which is then used as evidence against him. Drunk with power, Briony does a reenactment of Robbie and Cecilia's library booty call. Nothing good.

Lola sees a docter, Mr. Tallis' car service breaks down and Cecilia locks herself in her room in anger. The creepy lawn guy is nowhere to be found. Robbie brings back the twins unharmed, but then gets arrested and his mom beats the police car with an umbrella.

Briony continues to misunderstand the workings of the world around her assuming that Cecilia is telling Robbie off just before he's taken away and then forgiving him. I doubt it.

Atonement - Ch. 13

--by Abby

Just kidding. The twins did not drown. Instead Lola was attacked near the water. Chapter 13 was unlucky. Lola molested by Marshall, the twins unfound, and poor innocent Robbie's about to be accused by Briony who is getting less likable by the second.

I'm a little upset by the gigantic flash-forward the author gives us about the inquisition into Lola's attack. It's depressing to know how everything is going to go following this tragedy iced in misinformation. Instinctively I would hope that Marshall would be seen covered in mud and Robbie would come in all clean and that people would use logic and not quite believe Briony. I'd hope that Cecilia would defend him and Emily would remember hearing Marshall and Lola in the nursery and someone would get to the truth. But now I know it's all going south. There appears to be no way this clusterfuck is going to work itself out. Seems unfortunate.

Briony is a menace. I was just so getting to like Robbie and now you know its going to be nothing but terribleness for him. Sigh.

Atonement - Ch. 12

--by Abby

Ah, the plot thickens. This book is getting more and more pleasurable all the time. Or the fact that I'm reading at midnight may be influencing my level of appreciation.

An Emily chapter, we've got the standard amount of nonsense that rolls about in this woman's head. She seems to have no strength aside from that of self-preservation. I'm not sure what the deal is with her husband, if he's married to his warmongering job or has a mistress. Emily's fascination with bugs that fly to the light, the easiest place to get eaten seems a bit dark. At first, I thought this was a prophesy or a parallel to her life, but her instincts are the opposite, so I'm still working it out.

The real drama here is the return of the search party sans twins. Leon has gotten himself muddy on a dry day, so all signs point to an encounter in the river. Look back, did I not predict tragedy? Yep. I did.

Atonement - Ch. 11

--by Abby

Oh heaven. The story of Robbie from his arrival at the house to the after-dinner chaos—with special attention to sexy library encounters. Very rewarding reading.

Robbie is turning into a very agreeable man, in that, he's become totally typical. Now that he knows he has Cecilia, he can't take his mind off of it, and now loathes anyone who delays him from getting her alone again. Briony interrupted him before and is now hated with the fire of a thousand suns. It happens.

On other dinner topics, it seems to me that Lola was attacked and possibly molested by Paul Marshall. The stories of abuse from the twins are outrageous and Marshall has a cut on his face which I don't recall from previous descriptions. It's terrifying that everyone else in the house is so self-involved that they are not noticing this. Or the twins plotting to run away. Or the twins' terrible spelling which nears illiteracy.

So we leave the family charging into the wilderness in search of the twins, and I'm predicting injury or tragedy at any second. Glorious.

Atonement - Ch. 10

--by Abby

Briony is such a very naughty girl. She ought to be grounded. Not only has she read the letter that Robbie never meant for anyone to read, she's now gossiped it to her flighty, melodramatic cousin. Oh this will end poorly.

Awesomely, Briony (having no understanding of physical attraction whatsoever) has decided that all of Robbie's actions this day are dangerous threats of violence. I find this hilarious. She thinks her sister needs protection from this terrible maniac.

Her fears are confirmed when she discovers Robbie "attacking" Cecilia in the darkened library, shoved into a corner, hands pinned over her head, etc, etc. Sounds terrifying. If we could all be so unlucky. Sigh. This seems to indicate that the bluntness of Robbie's letter has erased all the awkwardness between him and Cecilia. That's a relief. Now all that is left is for this all to somehow get back to the parentals.