Abbitte

Just like Titanic, but written and edited in a more sophisticated fashion. (04.02.2008)

Beautiful again; Joe Wright, 2-0 to you. The last act has a seemingly somewhat stilted, disjointed feel (especially with the insertion of Briony's life moments), but the final denouement makes sense and emotionally shreds you, even though the sudden setting in the present day is somewhat distracting. Thank goodness for Joe Wright, who brings a kind of old-world beauty and elegance back to cinema with his way of storytelling, with emotions that send pleasant chills down the spine. I was very surprised by James McAvoy, who has undergone a personality transformation from the unlikeable bum in The Last King of Scotland to a charismatic young man whose every gesture I believed. And Keira Knightley? Despite her slightly anorexic type I have a soft spot for her, she’s improving as an actor from film to film and her face here exudes the refined beauty of a silver screen star of the pre-war era. The main musical motif is still in my head and I don’t want it to leave. (26.12.2007)

Romantic films are certainly not the kind I look for, but I have nothing about having an occasional look at genres that are not my favourite and today I decided to watch the best rated romance of 2007, Atonement. The result is that for most of the runtime I was bored and frustrated, hoping for the end. The direction is brilliant, the film has lots of gorgeous visuals, but it didn’t have much of an effect on me. But then the story jumps to the present and the end shattered me. The tempers suddenly flare and I have to say that I don’t regret putting on this film. 70% (24.08.2008)

One subconsciously expects a dose of kitsch and one gets it. But if he is not a cynic, he is sure to be swept away by all the splendor of the images and the story. Joe Wright has gotten rid of his only flaw - character confusion - and delivers a conscious and distinguished spectacle that has so much heart that the viewer's emotions at times can't keep up. The mixture of laughter and sadness creates one of the most romantic experiences in modern cinema. I’d also like to point out that Keira's sweet face has finally grown into a character actress and Joe Wright is the current No. 1 talent int he UK - even Brian De Palma would have admired him for that fantastic steady-cam on the beach. (23.01.2008)

Die Kategorie der Glaubwürdigkeit war für mich jedoch schon die wichtigste. Abbitte enthält Szenen, die ich als packend bezeichnen würde, ohne zu zwinkern. Diese wenigen Minuten an Kriegsszenen gehören zum Besten und filmemeacherisch auserwähltesten Entscheidungen, die ich je zu diesem Thema gesehen habe. Ohne einen einzigen Schuss, mit außerordentlicher Hervorhebung der Ausdruckskraft der Bilder, ohne Verschönerung, ohne pathetische Worte, die man sicherlich in der amerikanischen Produktion auffindet ... Der Film vermag es schlichtweg dank einer ausgefeilten Form zu beeindrucken und in der Bann der Geschichte hineinzuziehen, einen erstklassigen visuellen Genuss vom Erzählen zu bieten. Er kann dank gut gespielter Charaktere Sympathien erwecken. Das einzige und grundlegende Versagen bei Wrights Melodrama besteht meiner Ansicht nach in einer Geschichte, die mit ihrer schematischen Natur alles Zivile regelrecht erstickt hat und mich buchstäblich vor sich selbst vorandrängte, und mich daran hinderte, vollends ins Geschehen zu treten, sich mit ihr zu identifizieren und zu sympathisieren. Gegen Ende, wo alles in ein tragisches Crescendo hineingesteigert wird, habe ich mir den Film nur noch als unbeteiligter Zuschauer angesehen, welcher die angebotene Katharsis ablehnt. Das zweifellos starke Moment, in dem sich herausstellt, dass Brionas einzige wirkliche Abbitte im anhaltender Glauben an die reinigende Kraft der Fabulierung ist, habe ich eher in meinem Kopf als in meinem Herzen erlebt. Aus meiner Sicht litt Wrights Film am meisten an der überschwenglichen Gesprächigkeit sowie dem unnötigem Aufeinandertreffen von Emotionen, wo es gereicht hätte, den Film mit seinen spezifischen Mitteln sprechen zu lassen und ihm kein hohes Maß an Alphabetisierung oder wehmütigen Phrasen aufzuzwingen (ungeachtet dessen, wie sehr es mir sympatisch ist, dass sich diese Phrasen eher zur klassischen englischen Literatur als zur Hollywood-Tradition bekennen). Sicherlich ist dies nur mein persönliches Problem, jedoch ich denke, dass wir hier unter uns schon ein paar Unbetroffene haben. Und das wird ja wohl kein Zufall sein. [6.5/10] (03.02.2008)

It is surprising that at a time when filmmakers sully one quality book after another that for several years now, adaptations of the works of Ian McEwan have been successful, that you very much. Each of the five adaptations of his works so far worked well and three of them very well. And that includes Atonement which, while not being his best, is McEwan’s best known novel. Joe Wright is growing into a big name of contemporary cinema. And if you think that McAvoy is just a pretty boy with a sexy accent, this movie will set you right. You don’t often see so many powerful scenes linked together into one effective whole that works on several levels at once. And the fact that Atonement just happens to rag you through all shades of emotional feelings is just icing on the cake. (01.01.2008)

The king for the second time and completely differently. It would be too easy and an excuse to compare it to verbose Pride and Prejudice. Atonement, on the other hand, takes a completely different approach, with the only common aspect. Both films are so personal to me that they grow with every subsequent screening. And so, even though Wright the director and visual perfectionist occasionally surpasses Wright the storyteller, the criticisms disappear precisely because the audiovisual aspect surpasses the majority of what I have seen in life in grand or conversely intimate scenes. Just Atonement, whose literary source is one grand intimate psychological study, is not a piece of cake for adaptation. Master Joe is absolutely unique among contemporary creators in one aspect. He can guide actors to such an extent that they completely merge with their characters and from the screen, desire, love, hidden emotions, and helplessness scream. And I feel how they scream right at me, and so loudly - and I understand them. At this moment, it seems to me that some atonements will be made forever. Happiness is sometimes terribly far away. (14.03.2008)

Oddly enough, I find Atonement a bit more interesting plot-wise than Pride and Prejudice. The costumes and atmosphere generally suit me. I like the appropriate seriousness of the situation. Overall, I feel like the film means something and carries an idea. The cast is good, although Keira doesn't stand out as much as I think she should. But yes, a well-made film that I'll happily watch a few more times. 4 stars. (30.07.2011)

Atonement is wonderfully suited for broadcast on TV channels that feature love stories. That tragic romance of unfulfilled love, fateful encounters, desire, passion, misunderstandings, sacrifices, hope, and disappointments. The producer spared no expense, and the director tried to make it a sublime visual feast with an artistic touch. But there's a catch. Atonement doesn't work for me. It's overly ambitious, and emotionally missed the mark with me. The acclaimed long shots rather bore me, and I can only appreciate the well-crafted beach scene at Dankers, where the surrounded defeated army tries to forget about the future. When looking at Keira Knightley's emaciated figure, I realized that she resembles more of a medical diagnosis than an actress. This time, I'll take the dissident position in my review... Overall impression: 45%. (21.03.2013)

To be quite sincere, I’ve never liked this type of movie much, but this time I’m glad that I decided to make an exception and watch this one. Atonement is a wartime drama that has much more inside it than it seems at first glance. And the standard of the acting performances and directing make it impossible for me to give it anything less than a full set of stars. (29.02.2008)

Es geht um die Sichtweise, die Subjektivierung, die fragmentierte Erzählung, die Hypothese, die Rückblende, die Vorblende (vielleicht sogar die Vorblende, aber dafür werde ich für Sie nicht segmentieren)... Aber zur Hölle mit all dem, wenn es am Ende von der Perfektion von Vanessa Redgraves Leistung weggewaschen wird, so dass ich am Ende sogar Keira Knightley das Jahr 1935 glauben würde. (05.02.2012)

The breathtaking sincerity of Titanic, in harmony with perfectly sophisticated sensitivity of The English Patient met in the best film of 2007. What starts as a calm and skillfully edited tale is replaced after half an hour by a breathtaking and incredibly personal story, whose originality and sophistication have no match in the last ten years. The ending literally takes your breath away. Brilliant in every aspect, perfectly polished, and an unprecedented work in modern cinema. I didn't expect something like this could still be filmed. (06.08.2008)

Vor acht Jahren war ich im Kino fast atemlos – so sehr hat mich damals Abbitte in seinen Bann gezogen. Und heute war es mit einer DVD dasselbe. Ausgezeichnete Schauspielerinnen und Schauspieler, eine unglaublich einfallsreiche Regie und eine schöne Musik, die mit ihr super zusammenarbeitet... Die zwei Stunden vergingen wieder wie im Fluge und es ist immer noch einer der besten Liebesfilme aller Zeiten. (17.10.2015)

Ich würde lügen, wenn ich behaupten würde, dass sich bei mir nicht leichte Enttäuschung einstellte. Die Buchvorlage betrachte ich als eine der schönsten Liebesgeschichten, die je geschrieben wurden. Man muss dabei anmerken, mit einem starken tragischen Unterton. Der erste Teil des Films wurde hervorragend gemeistert, stellenweise bis ins Detail. Der zweite Teil stellt wohl das größte Problem dar, während er im Buch für den Leser am zugänglichsten ist, wirkt der Film langatmig, hingezogen und chaotisch. Doch der dritte Teil und der Epilog verschieben den Film auf künstlerische Höhen, diese sind wirklich bravourös, so in etwa hatte ich mir das im Buch vorgestellt. Die Auswahl der Schauspieler ist auch gelungen, insgesamt ein leicht überdurchschnittliches Erlebnis. (19.05.2012)

Joe Wright has chosen an interesting form again. At times, he tells the story in a way that we follow the plot, a certain scene, to which we then return from a different perspective. It's interesting and functional in the first part of the movie. Joe Wright relies heavily on emotions, which he also did in the following parts of the movie, where he tries to show the consequences of a false accusation, how the characters' lives changed, and how they ultimately ended. The ending is surprisingly descriptive and personally, it didn't move me emotionally at all. The rest of the movie didn't really impress me at all because it goes quite broadly, describing a story that we may not be that interested in anymore. Thanks to the fragmentation into different periods, I lost a connection to the characters. Briony is played by a total of three actresses, depending on her age, and it broke the bond I had from the first part. I think there will be plenty of Wright's defenders, but I won't belong to them. (19.11.2013)