Amazon.com: The corsets and high waists of the 19th century meet the lush colors and visual splendor of India in Vanity Fair, a classic novel translated into modern celluloid by Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding). The very contemporary Reese Witherspoon (Legally Blonde, Election) at first seems to hit the wrong note as Becky Sharp, an orphaned girl who rises to the heights of society using her quick wits and feminine wiles. But as Vanity Fair unfolds, the movie's tone embraces both period decor and modern attitudes, searching for a bridge that will carry us more deeply into a different time. It isn't wholly successful--the movie's end wraps things up awkwardly--but some scenes achieve a surprising and vivid immediacy, in particular one in which Becky's gambler husband (elegant James Purefoy) catalogues his worth for her before going off to the Napoleonic battlefields; love and pragmatism fuse with heartbreaking results. --Bret Fetzer
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Misplaced film adaptation
I read the novel about six years ago, when I was fresh out of high school, and I was curious to see how the movie stacked up. It's cases like these that the say is true that the book is always better than the movie--especially when the book in question is a classic. Of course, you can't always expect the movie to quite stack up to the book, but I must say that I was disappointed by this adaptation.
Reese Witherspoon plays Becky Sharpe, the orphan girl who aspires to rise higher than her station in life. She then spends time with her friend Amelia's Sedley's family, along with Amelia's ... Read More
Rating: - Go Reese!
Yes, they do make Becky too nice, but otherwise the movie's great! Lyrics from Tennyson's "Maud" anachronistic but very pretty!
Rating: - Curry-Flavored Thackeray With an Incongruous Lead
In many ways, director Mira Nair (The Namesake) is a daring, imaginative choice to helm this 2004 film adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray's classic novel of social mores in early 19th century England. However, the end result of her vision is on the whole, rather disappointing. What could have been an energetic distillation of the book's themes turns into a lengthy episodic movie suffering from poor pacing and softened characters. It is a feast for the eyes though, as it appears Nair is intent on bringing her native India into the film as much as possible from the brightly colored period costumes ... Read More
Rating: - Good production, could be better.
A lot of people criticize this movie for not being faithful to the original book. Personally, having never read the book, I can appreciate this movie on its own merits. I found Becky Sharp to be a fascinating character and the drama that unfolded quickly transported me in time. The sign of a good period piece. Becky's spunk and ambition reminded me of my favorite character, Scarlett O'Hara.. then I learned that Becky was in fact the inspiration for the latter. The supporting cast was equally good, specially James Purefoy and Rhys Ifans (amazing as Dobbin), and fearless 'Aunt Crawley' who surprised me by ... Read More
Rating: - If You Like this Movie, Skip the Book
I haven't read all of the reviews, so please forgive me if I write something that was already written. It appears that the plot has been minutely dissected by other reviews, so I'll just state my own personal opinion(s).
I really liked this movie ... but then I read the book and saw the other Vanity Fair (A&E, 1998) and now I can't really enjoy the Hollywood version.
This movie is very pretty but that's really all it has going for it. Becky Sharp went from a conniving, malicious social climber to a charming, sympathetic woman who really did love her husband and made attempts to ... Read More
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