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| Seagull-MMayer | |
| Posted by: bearcat 04:11 pm EDT 06/01/18 | |
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| is this worth seeing? I am very attached to the play. Saw the Kristen Scott Thomas production on BWAY Fall 2008. don't like that the piece has been shortened to 90 minutes. Is there enough here to extend my appreciation of the piece? |
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| re: Seagull-MMayer | |
| Posted by: BigM 06:25 pm EDT 06/04/18 | |
| In reply to: Seagull-MMayer - bearcat 04:11 pm EDT 06/01/18 | |
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| I'm a great fan of the play and I liked the film. I didn't like that they cut a couple of important lines, and I found Nina's climactic scene overly weepy and sentimental for me, but I liked it overall and I think you'll enjoy it. I found it superior to the production you mention, though Thomas was quite wonderful and I felt she was robbed of a Tony nomination. | |
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| re: Seagull-MMayer | |
| Posted by: dsikula 04:06 am EDT 06/02/18 | |
| In reply to: Seagull-MMayer - bearcat 04:11 pm EDT 06/01/18 | |
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| It's a bunch of fairly-decent performances (excepting the bad Billy Howle) by a translator who didn't understand the original or find its humor and a director who's determined to make things heavy and gloomy. I knew I was in trouble when Trigorin's first name was pronounced "BORE-us" and the house featured posters from Arkadina's performances in "Tartuffe" and "Antigone," two plays she would never attempt. She does cheap melodramas, not classics. Better than Sidney Lumet's total misfire, but that's damning with faint praise. | |
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| re: Seagull-MMayer | |
| Posted by: dlevy 04:52 pm EDT 06/01/18 | |
| In reply to: Seagull-MMayer - bearcat 04:11 pm EDT 06/01/18 | |
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| The performances are very good. I don't know that it's entirely successful as a film, but if you like the play and you like these actors, it's worth seeing. I was particularly taken with Corey Stoll's performance as Boris Tigorin. | |
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| re: Seagull-MMayer | |
| Posted by: lowwriter 12:44 am EDT 06/02/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Seagull-MMayer - dlevy 04:52 pm EDT 06/01/18 | |
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| I never miss Annette Bening on screen these days--she is at height of her powers. | |
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| re: Seagull-MMayer | |
| Posted by: Delvino 05:30 pm EDT 06/01/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Seagull-MMayer - dlevy 04:52 pm EDT 06/01/18 | |
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| One of my favorite plays. I couldn't fathom the deletions to the text needed to fit that run time, but apparently it works. It's only playing in a handful of cinemas, but I'm looking forward, especially to Stoll. | |
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| re: Seagull-MMayer | |
| Posted by: garyd 11:11 pm EDT 06/01/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Seagull-MMayer - Delvino 05:30 pm EDT 06/01/18 | |
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| seeing it tomorrow. Will report, maybe. | |
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| re: Seagull-MMayer | |
| Posted by: AC126748 05:41 pm EDT 06/01/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Seagull-MMayer - Delvino 05:30 pm EDT 06/01/18 | |
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| It's an admirable and respectful adaptation, with several very good performances. I particularly liked Annette Bening (who has the right temperament for Arkadina -- a mixture of hauteur and vulnerability), Jon Tenney and Elisabeth Moss. Corey Stoll seemed a bit too contemporary for me, sorry to say, but others will disagree. It's certainly worth seeking out. | |
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| Konstantin has little attention in review; yet it's a mother-son story, in its plotting. | |
| Posted by: Delvino 08:45 am EDT 06/02/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Seagull-MMayer - AC126748 05:41 pm EDT 06/01/18 | |
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| The play's construction is the Arkadina-Konstantin parent-child trajectory, obviously with many other elements woven into its rich tapestry. But in every staging, in strict storytelling terms, that must find its place downstage center for the overall arc to be clear. It seems that perhaps too little attention has been given to that aspect? Just a guess. My favorite scene is always the head bandaging moment; when played well, it's heartbreaking and bleakly funny at the same time. | |
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| re: Konstantin has little attention in review; yet it's a mother-son story, in its plotting. | |
| Posted by: garyd 10:08 pm EDT 06/02/18 | |
| In reply to: Konstantin has little attention in review; yet it's a mother-son story, in its plotting. - Delvino 08:45 am EDT 06/02/18 | |
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| The head bandaging scene is, of course, here and it works due in large to the acting. However, the camera work is horrible and truly distracting. (as it is in much of the film). Overall, worth seeing. The "flashback" framing device seems like a good idea but then really falls apart in the end by needlessly extending the ending. Some very good performances from just about everyone. (Moss is just about perfect and Bening as well) You also may be correct regarding the parent-child trajectory. Nina takes center stage here even more than in the play. | |
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