Thanks to Nick Plowman for pointing out this brief taster of “Revolutionary Road,” arguably the most prestigious-on-paper of the upcoming Oscar bait.
I found the footage too haphazardly edited to get much of a feel for the film, but we can safely say that it looks lovely, with Roger Deakins offering his trademark burnished sheen, and that DiCaprio and Winslet seem to be on form. I’ve already expressed my hopes for the film; this keeps them afloat.
And the use of Nina Simone’s version of “Wild is the Wind” in the background is unimpeachably classy.
Comments
6 responses to “First look at ‘Revolutionary Road’”
I’ve posted this elsewhere, but I’d like to hear the thoughts from this site.
I definitely think the movie looks good, but I have to wonder about something. I read (and enjoyed) the book, and I know it’s forty-odd years old, but I have to wonder if the movie is going to suffer from comparisons to “Mad Men.” The subject matter is VERY similar, and since “Mad Men” is already being called one of the greatest shows ever (and I firmly agree), I just think there might be some comparisons, even among film critics (aka tv snobs).
I can imagine some wag calling the movie “an overwrought version of ‘Mad Men,’” if only because “Mad Men” is such a slow burn that anything would look overwrought by comparison.
Am I way off on this?
The film has actually been compared to “Mad Men” so much that some folks on the publicity team who never watched the show are finally checking it out! The comparison has been brought up multiple times in multiple pieces in the press, so it became difficult to ignore after a while.
Will the film suffer from these comparisons? I don’t think so. I think critics, at least, will understand the place Yates holds in history and will bring that context to their assessments of the film. The public might draw comparisons, but I don’t think they will “hurt” the film.
Well, I think you’re absolutely right in comparing the two, Liz — apart from the similar milieu (though it’s crucially set a few years earlier), they share a number of themes and character concerns. (I believe “Mad Men” creator cited Yates as an influence somewhere, but I could be mistaken.)
But I don’t agree that this necessarily puts “Revolutionary Road” at a disadvantage. Indeed, if the film is good, I think it could actually benefit from such comparisons — “Mad Men” has ushered in a retrospective fascination with the social and political mores of that era, and “Revolutionary Road” could further that discussion.
Of course, none of that will matter if the film isn’t up to par.
* I meant to type: “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner.
That cinematography is gorgeous.
Just wondering about all of this myself. Didn’t realize that Deakins shot RevRoad–didn’t get that far in my research. But the trailer footage did look very different from Mad Men. Mad Men is great, I love it, but the design and photography feels a bit overwrought and moody at this point, although that may just be the result of seeing hours of it over two seasons. I definitely share Liz’ concerns, and knowing the hard luck of Richard Yates, it wouldn’t be surprising if there’s a downbeat ending to this sequence. He and his work have done an amazing, uncanny job of remaining obscure, and he might just manage to keep it that way.