After having seen several of Terrence Davies' movies, such as
the small gems "The Long Day Closes," and "Of Time and the City," I
was looking forward to seeing what he would do with a film of
broader scope and bigger budget. In "A Quiet Passion" I see many
of the qualities I liked in the smaller films, but cannot
fully embrace the new movie.
One positive is the cinematography. The timeframe for this biography of Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) places it prior to the time that electric lighting was common, so all of the interior shots at night are filmed with candlelight, lamps, or fireplace fires. This is done extremely well and adds much warmth. One remarkable scene is a full, slow 360 degree pan around a sitting room at night that begins with Emily sitting in a chair and ending with her. That scene really sets the ambience for the Dickinson's home life. Another scene has, instead of an informational card "Twenty years later," the main characters age in place in closeups. Some of the exterior filming was done at the Emily Dickinson Museum. The exterior cinematography is lush, colorful, and pleasing to the eye--Monet would appreciate it.
Another positive is the care that was taken with the period detail. The costuming in particular adds to the authenticity of the feel.
On a less positive note I found the dialog to be stilted. I know the dialog in the given era was probably pretty stiff, but the characters in this movie often spoke in epigrams and bromides rather than normal conversation. Some examples:
Poems are my solace for the eternity which surrounds us all.
Surely vice is only virtue in disguise.
I prefer to remain silent. That way a prejudice doesn't seem like an opinion.
Going to church is like going to Boston. You only enjoy it after you've gotten home.
Cherish you ignorance. You never know when you will need it.
Emily: Familiarity, as they say, breeds contempt. Sister Vinnie replies: Perhaps contempt breeds familiarity. I'm not even sure what Vinnie's reply even means, but it is an example of how the script puts cleverness over naturalness.
Normally for a movie that engages me enough to watch it a second time my valuation goes up on second viewing. In this case my regard went down a bit. I was less impressed with the acting. I felt that Cynthia Nixon was not quite up to the task and I kept wondering how a better actress would have handled the role. Dickinson was not a particularly warm and lovable person (as presented), but Nixon did not get me involved to where I could identify with her struggles on an emotional level. Dickinson's descent into isolation and bitterness seemed to be a protective reaction to her being hurt by the loss of family and friends--if you don't have close relationships you can't be hurt by them. Duncan Duff was a dud as Emily's brother. The only actor that impressed me was Keith Carradine as Emily's father.
Nixon reads some of Dickinson's poetry at points where the poems might appropriately apply to the situation at hand. On first viewing I did not fully digest the poems, but was able to better appreciate them on second viewing. It was a good decision to include recitations of Dickinson's poetry to see why she has the reputation she has. There is no lacking of Dickinson's poetry on the web.
In one scene it was revealed that there were at least three servants in the household, but there was not much indication as to how these people entered into the day-to-day activities of the family. Emily's father and brother were lawyers, but there was no more significance made of that rather than a mere mention of it. I would like to have seen more information on how this rather upscale family interacted with the world outside the home.
The musical score was unobtrusive, but added emotional support. It was well chosen in keeping with the 19th century time period. There were a couple of scenes that featured piano playing and I liked the lack of pretense that the actors were actually playing.
One positive is the cinematography. The timeframe for this biography of Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) places it prior to the time that electric lighting was common, so all of the interior shots at night are filmed with candlelight, lamps, or fireplace fires. This is done extremely well and adds much warmth. One remarkable scene is a full, slow 360 degree pan around a sitting room at night that begins with Emily sitting in a chair and ending with her. That scene really sets the ambience for the Dickinson's home life. Another scene has, instead of an informational card "Twenty years later," the main characters age in place in closeups. Some of the exterior filming was done at the Emily Dickinson Museum. The exterior cinematography is lush, colorful, and pleasing to the eye--Monet would appreciate it.
Another positive is the care that was taken with the period detail. The costuming in particular adds to the authenticity of the feel.
On a less positive note I found the dialog to be stilted. I know the dialog in the given era was probably pretty stiff, but the characters in this movie often spoke in epigrams and bromides rather than normal conversation. Some examples:
Poems are my solace for the eternity which surrounds us all.
Surely vice is only virtue in disguise.
I prefer to remain silent. That way a prejudice doesn't seem like an opinion.
Going to church is like going to Boston. You only enjoy it after you've gotten home.
Cherish you ignorance. You never know when you will need it.
Emily: Familiarity, as they say, breeds contempt. Sister Vinnie replies: Perhaps contempt breeds familiarity. I'm not even sure what Vinnie's reply even means, but it is an example of how the script puts cleverness over naturalness.
Normally for a movie that engages me enough to watch it a second time my valuation goes up on second viewing. In this case my regard went down a bit. I was less impressed with the acting. I felt that Cynthia Nixon was not quite up to the task and I kept wondering how a better actress would have handled the role. Dickinson was not a particularly warm and lovable person (as presented), but Nixon did not get me involved to where I could identify with her struggles on an emotional level. Dickinson's descent into isolation and bitterness seemed to be a protective reaction to her being hurt by the loss of family and friends--if you don't have close relationships you can't be hurt by them. Duncan Duff was a dud as Emily's brother. The only actor that impressed me was Keith Carradine as Emily's father.
Nixon reads some of Dickinson's poetry at points where the poems might appropriately apply to the situation at hand. On first viewing I did not fully digest the poems, but was able to better appreciate them on second viewing. It was a good decision to include recitations of Dickinson's poetry to see why she has the reputation she has. There is no lacking of Dickinson's poetry on the web.
In one scene it was revealed that there were at least three servants in the household, but there was not much indication as to how these people entered into the day-to-day activities of the family. Emily's father and brother were lawyers, but there was no more significance made of that rather than a mere mention of it. I would like to have seen more information on how this rather upscale family interacted with the world outside the home.
The musical score was unobtrusive, but added emotional support. It was well chosen in keeping with the 19th century time period. There were a couple of scenes that featured piano playing and I liked the lack of pretense that the actors were actually playing.