Vanity Fair (2004) (Widescreen)
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Vanity Fair Review
  • lovely to look at, but uncompelling......
  • A flawed interpretation but not without some good points.
  • Horrid adaptation
  • Thackery light
Vanity Fair (2004) (Widescreen)
Starring: Gabriel Byrne , Angelica Mandy , Roger Lloyd-Pack , Ruth Sheen , and Kate Fleetwood
Director: Mira Nair
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0006FO8E8
Release Date: 2005-02-01

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:

4 out of 5 stars Vanity Fair Review.......2007-07-20

This is a decent movie, although I must admit that I am partial to stories from this time period. It is not my favorite movie, but it's definitely not even near the worst. This is one of many movies that I can watch more than once, find small subtleties I miss each time, and still be entertained.

2 out of 5 stars lovely to look at, but uncompelling.............2007-03-18

VANITY FAIR, a novel by William Makepeace Thackery, is brought to the screen in this 2004 film adaptation by the great Indian filmmaker Mira Nair. Unfortunately, for me, the beautiful, rich colors in the cinematography are the most compelling (and memorable) part of the story. Ordinarily, I find examinations in the British class system quite compelling. I loved the latest film adaptations of EMMA, SENSE AND SENSIBLITY and PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and found them wonderful, engaging and very witty. They were also derived from wonderfully-written Jane Austen novels. VANITY FAIR fell short in so many ways, for me.

Becky Sharpe (Reese Witherspoon) is a social-climbing young lady who comes from a very poor background and must rely on her wit and flair for manipulation to ascend her rank in the rigidly set class system of 19th century England. This follows twenty years in Becky's footsteps, from the time that she merries gambler (and would-be doctor) Rawdon Crawley (James Purefoy) to her chance encounter with The Marquess of Styne (Gabriel Byrne) who is a collector of her father's paintings.

Though, Mira did a great job with painting a beautiful picture with color and art direction, the acting, the story and the adaptation completely fell flat. I found myself not caring what became of Becky Sharpe, long before the film was even halfway over. Not a good sign and it is a shame because Reese Witherspoon is a wonderful actress. I reccomend that you steer clear of this Nair film, and watch some of her other works to get a better sense of her talent for storytelling--these include SALAAM BOMBAY, MISSISSIPPI MASALA, and MONSOON WEDDING.

4 out of 5 stars A flawed interpretation but not without some good points........2007-02-18

If you read several of the reviews, you soon realize that this film is a very mixed production with some obvious conceptual and interpretation flaws. However in all fairness, there are some very good points that bear mentioning also. I will try to cover the primary weaknesses and strengths of this film.

A primary weakness is that the short 2.5 hour format is too short to cover such a vast amount of time, characters, and interactions. Whereas characters that maintain roughly the same persona over time or who are only seen during certain parts of the story, this is not an issue. However for the character of George Osborne, played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, the short format is a disaster. He goes from a complete snob who doesn't even wish to talk with Becky since she is a meer governess, to convincing Jos Sedley to refrain from courting Becky, to becoming engaged to Amelia Sedley, to breaking the engagement for financial gain, to cruel abuse of Amelia, to refusing a rich marriage arranged by his father, to marrying Amelia, to trying to seduce Becky, to dying at Waterloo. No actor could make a sensible performance of this mess. As the main protagonists, Reese Witherspoon and James Purefoy, as Becky Sharp Crawley and Rawdon Crawley, at least appeared to have some character development over time that was comprehensible.

Another weakness is that the film could not decide to be totally sarcastic, cruely funny and bitter as in the novel or to try to engage the audience by sugar coating some of the characters, especially Becky. This leads to a disconnect that indicates that Thackery's original masterpiece was poorly understood by the film makers. The contemporary message that Englands wealth was due to colonial exploitation could have been integrated without going totally over the top. The influence of Indian was too much, reaching the point of absurdity with Becky and the society matrons acting as Hindu dancing women before the King of England. Thus cruel characters such as the Marquess, Lord Steyne, coming across as cardboard 2 dimensional villians instead of the truely pathological evil characters they really are.

Margaret Mitchell must have been influenced by Vanity Fair as she wrote Gone with the WInd. Her translation of Becky Sharp into Scarlett O'Hara is far more insightful and subtle than is this translation of Becky Sharp from masterpiece novel to inconsistent and poorly conceptualized film.

Yet there are strengths. The scene where Rawdon Crawley is called to war against Napoleon and quickly gives a quick assessment of both his small worldly worth and yet his great love for Becky is touching, well-played, and the emotional height of the story.

Eileen Atkins is super as rich Aunt Matilda Pitt. Jim Broadbent is good as Mr. Osborne, the rich merchant. Bob Hoskins, is funny as Rawdon's excentric father. Gabriel Byrne is not given enough time and space to adequatly flesh out the evil boredom and malcontent of Lord Steyne. Reese Witherspoon gives everything she has to make this version of Becky Sharp work. However when the director takes a character like Becky Sharp and tries to reshape them, the vision or consistency is lost, and Witherspoon's Becky never seems to learn. There is only one scene where Witherspoon conveys the tragedy that is Becky Sharp, that being the high pitched scream the Becky calls out to Rawdon as he walks out of her life forever. James Purefoy as Rawdon Crawley is well done, conveying that even though he is penniless and a gambler, none-the-less he is devoted to Becky.

The film is visually beautiful but conceptually shallow and inconsistently executed.

2 out of 5 stars Horrid adaptation.......2007-01-08

I've generally admired the films of Mira Nair. Her cinematic abilities are evident here. But they're to such a wrong purpose.

This is a horrid and ludicrous adaptation of Thackeray's Vanity Fair. It is a nearly complete whitewash of the novel. It ends with a brightly colored Indian celebration or such with Becky Sharp and Jos Sedley. This differs slightly, let us say, from the novel's ending where Sharp is responsible for the ruin and death of Jos. I guess the dog had eaten pages of the book.

Reese Witherspoon is an adequate enough actress, though with limited emotional range. She can't hold a candle to Natasha Little's amazing performance in the BBC mini-series. Nor can most of the other actors.

But the acting is not the main problem here. It is the adaptation, which bears hardly any moral relation to that of the novel.

Demi Moore was bitterly criticized for a similarly styled adaptation of The Scarlett Letter. But who ever expected anything from Demi Moore? Oh Ms. Nair, esteemed director of Salaam Bombay, I expected more from you.

See the excellent BBC mini-series instead.

3 out of 5 stars Thackery light.......2006-12-28

This version of Thackery's Vanity Fair is a visually stunning production, but it lacks a real understanding of the novel. Nair makes sure that people understand the roots of england's wealth is dervied from its colonial exploitation and the exploitation of the working class. She makes sure that viewer sees the hard work at the base of England's success. Fine in its place, but it has no sense of the humour and seering intelligence at work in Thackery's novel. The actors give their all and the settings and swirl of colour is impressive throughout. I did like the Bollywood style dance that jumps out in the middle of the film. Nonethelees, I really think that Vanity Fair is one novel that defies translation on the screen.
Vanity Fair (A&E, 1998)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Mute the Horns
  • The last word on Thackeray's satirical masterpiece
  • I loved it!!!!
  • terrific adaptation!
  • 10 stars. An almost flawless production... every episode!
Vanity Fair (A&E, 1998)
Starring: Danielle Hawley , Paul Brightwell , Natasha Little , Sara Powell , and Frances Grey
Director: Marc Munden
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000089QEN
Release Date: 2003-03-25

Amazon.com

Becky Sharp is "poor and put-upon." She's also "a sharp little minx," a "treacherous little trollop," and "a heartless mother and faithless wife." Yes, there's something about Becky in this impeccable BBC production based on William Makepeace Thackeray's classic novel. It speaks volumes about Thackeray's indomitable heroine and Natasha Little's seductively ingratiating performance that our hearts go out to her even as we eagerly await her comeuppance.

Becky is scorned for her lack of breeding, but as one admirer notes, "she's got pluck." Poised to begin her new job as a governess, Becky's calculated social climbing begins in the home of her friend, the naive Amelia Sedley (Frances Grey), whose father is a wealthy merchant. She immediately makes a play for Amelia's doofus brother, but their budding romance is sabotaged by Amelia's fiancé George Osborne (Tom Ward), an "interfering, officious snob" who doesn't fancy a governess for a sister-in-law. And so it's out into the world, where Becky works her wiles on a gallery of memorable characters, including her lecherous new employer Sir Pitt; his imperious rich sister Miss Crawley (Miriam Margolyes), who takes Becky under her wing; and Pitt's dashing son Rawdon (Nathanial Perker), the first of Becky's misguided sexual entanglements.

Vanity Fair charts in lavish detail Becky's rise in London society and her scandalous downfall. Her story is counterpoint to that of the fair Amelia, who is clueless that her husband is a rake and that his best friend, the loyal, long-suffering Dobbin (Philip Glenistar), is in love with her and is her secret benefactor when times get bad for her bankrupt father. Adapted for the screen by Andrew Davies, who did the honors for the phenomenally successful Pride and Prejudice, Vanity Fair is another addictive miniseries that is the video equivalent of a compulsive page-turner. As yet another fancier remarks, "Well done, Becky Sharp." --Donald Liebenson

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Mute the Horns.......2007-08-25

The story is well done. The music is excruciating: either public dirge, or bad beerhall. Perhaps the makers thought the music for the series should have a martial theme: lots of brass, especially tuba, none muted. Be prepared to mute the horns yourself during many scenes without dialogue. Painful.

5 out of 5 stars The last word on Thackeray's satirical masterpiece.......2007-05-21

If you are considering a dramatic rendition of Vanity Fair, this BBC production is definitely the most superior. Becky Sharpe is played by Natasha Little and it is a wonder this actor has not been seen much since: She is magnificent in this role - manipulative, delightful and 'Sharpe as a tack' as Thackeray intended. (Nb. she actually played the part of the sweet natured Lady Jane Sheepshanks in the US film where Reese Witherspoon took the main role). Take note of all the names: Dobbin is supposed to suggest a plodding loyalty, Becky IS sharpe and Lord Steyne is indeed a stain on morality!

The costumes and settings are so realistic that some history documentaries have used sections of this mini-series to illustrate the battle of Waterloo.

When it was originally televised here it obtained almost cult status, each episode was eagerly and impatiently awaited. I have TWO copies of the mini-series on video and am very happy to now own it on DVD.

Ignore the American production starring Reese Witherspoon, the BBC's Becky carries the day. Regardless of these opinions, the series is also a valuable historical documentary with insights into class, daily life and Waterloo. It is superbly entertaining also.

5 out of 5 stars I loved it!!!!.......2007-03-06

Okay, I haven't seen the newer version with Reese Witherspoon or read the book, so maybe I'm not completely qualified to write a review on this film. But I loved it so much I just can't resist! Natasha Little is fantastic as Becky Sharp, although at the end we are sort of left wondering if she is really good at heart, despite all her appearances of being selfish and uncaring, or if she helped Amelia get Amelia's guy for her (Becky's) own benefit.
And Frances Grey is wonderful as Amelia Sedley, which leads to... William Dobbin. I don't know how he does it, but Philip Glenister just played that part perfectly. Here's why: When he is first introduced, I looked at him and thought, "Ew, why does he keep looking at Amelia that way? He's not even that good looking!" And hoped wildly that he would not stay in the story. But by the end, he was completely embedded in my mind as THE ONLY guy for A, and suddenly he seemed amzingly attractive. When an actor can do that, it just blows my mind. My sister wants to marry his portrayal of William Dobbin.
On another note, the sets, costumes, and score (especially the score!) are beautiful and realistic. I loooove the music in this film! I can't say enough good things about it. Or the rest of the movie, for that matter. I highly recommend it!!!! It's one of my favorites, right up there with Pride & Prejudice (1996). Every aspect of it is fantastic. You must see it!

5 out of 5 stars terrific adaptation!.......2007-03-05

This is a terrific adaptation of Thackeray's cynical novel, Vanity Fair, with the infamous beautiful, manipulative, cruel, social climbing, unscrupulous Becky Sharp as its dominant character, as we are taken through the various strata of English society.

Natasha Little plays Becky Sharp. And, she is Becky Sharp. She gives, in my opinion, a definitive performance. For just one example, her whole demeanor, when re-encountering Lord Steyne, is simply superb, conveying Sharp's multitude of emotions, thoughts, feelings including humiliation, opportunism, hope, fear. And all the time her wheels so madly spinning. A tour-de-force performance by Little.

The other actors are also outstanding. My only complaint is that for some reason the very ending is soft pedaled. Why, I can't imagine given the otherwise faithful adaptation.

But even so, you'd be hard pressed to find a better adaptation. Far, far superior to the awful Mira Nair/Reese Witherspoon one.

5 out of 5 stars 10 stars. An almost flawless production... every episode!.......2007-02-06

This is brisk, fun production that doesn't take itself any more seriously than it should, and doesn't mind winking at us with a secret smile at the same time. The story of Becky Sharp, a girl who is never any better than she needs to be, and her friend Amelia who is much too good for her own good.

Natasha Little is simply perfect as Becky. Little is the kind of woman that women find hard to like: delicately beautiful, exceptionally talented - making her perfect to play Becky. It is the subtle nuances in her moments that give her performance great depth and complexity - needed for accessibility for a selfish character who is the smartest person in any room she is in. Becky is a woman who would agree with the quote of another brilliant beauty, Hedy Lamar: "Any woman can be glamourous. All she has to do is stand still and look stupid." Little's Beky is not as likable or vulnerable as Reese Witherspoon - who played Becky in a major motion picture film version made right around the same time - but with a miniseries we have time to understand her more. Besides, not many actresses are as likable as Witherspoon.

As the story begins, this production does not look lavish, but the casting is so wonderful, the script so strong, the costumes simple but just right, that we are given the ability to focus on getting to know the people we will be following through 6 episodes.

It is this initial simplicity that is the brilliance of the production design by Malcolm Thornton. In the early stages, poverty is cramped and messy; work is dark, cluttered and rotting, and wealth is clean, and bright and airy... like freedom. As we progress throught the story, wealth becomes more complex, overstuffed and overdecorated, echoing the complexity of the lives of Becky and Rawdon. Rawdon played by the handsome and overwhelmingly talented Nathaniel Parker (INSPECTOR LINLEY, BLEAK HOUSE).

Breathtaking Andrew Davies, possibly the most brilliant adapter of the classics of all time, gifts us with a screenplay of grace and subtlety, weaving the ease of modern speech perfectly into the period action in a way that feels classic, but is totally accessible.

It all bounces along to the ohm-pa-pa of a brass band. This band is one of the anachronistic touches of the production. While it passes as a military band, it also has a the raw, slightly under-rehearsed sound of a New Orleans jazz band, and sometimes a 1940s dancehall... meanwhile Becky's musical choices are straight from the pub... to the delight of the men around her. The band is really the only downfall of the production, in the moments of great serious importance, the band hits us over the head with a blaringly repetitive theme that gets very annoying after 6 episodes. It is the only "wrong note" in an otherwise witty and wise score. One of the nice subtle touches is that even Becky's singing, which at first seems flawless and delightful, begins to sound a bit flat in the episodes where we see dark results of her behavior on those around her.

The music for Amelia and William is completely different. Plaintive melodies played as quietly as loyalty and love that things only of the good of the beloved. Philip Glenister as William carries the heart of the piece with affecting restraint. Miriam Margoles does her best work EVER here, and Jeremy Swift as Jos is absolutely delightful in every moment he is on screen!

This entire miniseries is just marvelous, aspects of the production in tune with each other, in service to the whole piece. FANTASTIC.
A&E Literary Classics - The Romance Collection 2 Megaset (Horatio Hornblower / Nicholas Nickleby / Vanity Fair / The Flame Trees of Thika / The Mayor of Casterbridge / Tess of the D'Urbervilles / The Great Gatsby)
Average customer rating: Not rated
    A&E Literary Classics - The Romance Collection 2 Megaset (Horatio Hornblower / Nicholas Nickleby / Vanity Fair / The Flame Trees of Thika / The Mayor of Casterbridge / Tess of the D'Urbervilles / The Great Gatsby)
    Starring: Romance Collection 2
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    4. Jane Austen Collection (Sense & Sensibility / Emma / Persuasion / Mansfield Park / Pride & Prejudice / Northanger Abbey) Jane Austen Collection (Sense & Sensibility / Emma / Persuasion / Mansfield Park / Pride & Prejudice / Northanger Abbey)
    5. Middlemarch Middlemarch

    ASIN: B000AYEIWM
    Release Date: 2005-10-25

    Description

    A&E LITERARY CLASSICS: The Romance Collection Volume 2 Heart-stopping romance amidst the Napoleonic Wars, the delightful pursuit of love and fortune among the British upper crust, greed and longing during the Jazz Age--just some of the great narratives evocatively brought to screen in this magnificent library of A&E LITERARY CLASSICS. From the 19th century to the Roaring Twenties and Colonial Africa to Tsarist Russia, A&E presents eight original productions that are sure to enthrall any sophisticated romantic. Featuring topnotch production values and powerful performances by today's brightest stars, coupled with stunning cinematography and masterful screenplays adapted from the world's greatest novels, A&E LITERARY CLASSICS: The Romance Collection Volume 2 is the essential 14-disc DVD collection. This Megaset contains: HORATIO HORNBLOWER: There's always time for a dalliance or two in C.S. Forester's thrilling high seas adventures. NICHOLAS NICKLEBY: Love and compassion blossom amidst hard times in Charles Dickens' great tale. VANITY FAIR: A study in contrasts, Becky and Amelia pursue love and fortune in Thackery's trenchant satire. THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA: An unforgettable true account of a young girl's coming-of-age in turn-of-the-century Africa. THE MAYOR OF CASTERBRIDGE: From cruelty to redemption, a heartrending masterpiece by Thomas Hardy. CATHERINE THE GREAT: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Omar Sharif and Jeanne Moreau star in this world-class epic. TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLES: Abandoned hearts and lost virtues seek redemption in another immortal classic by Thomas Hardy. THE GREAT GATSBY: Academy Award®-winner Mira Sorvino stars in F. Scott Fitzgerald's great American classic. DVD Features: Horatio Hornblower: About C.S. Forester; Nautical Terms and Definitions; Nicholas Nickleby: Charles Dickens episode of BIOGRAPHY; The Flame Trees of Thika: Elspeth Huxley Biography and Bibliography; Cast Biographies; The Mayor of Casterbridge: Thomas Hardy Biography and Bibliography; Catherine The Great: Cast Filmographies; The Great Gatsby: F. Scott Fitzgerald episode of A&E's BIOGRAPHY; Cast Filmographies
    Vanity Fair (2004) (Full Screen)
    Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
    • Vanity Fair Review
    • lovely to look at, but uncompelling......
    • A flawed interpretation but not without some good points.
    • Horrid adaptation
    • Thackery light
    Vanity Fair (2004) (Full Screen)
    Starring: Gabriel Byrne , Angelica Mandy , Roger Lloyd-Pack , Ruth Sheen , and Kate Fleetwood
    Director: Mira Nair
    Manufacturer: Universal Studios
    ProductGroup: DVD
    Binding: DVD

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    ASIN: B0006FO8ES
    Release Date: 2005-02-01

    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:

    4 out of 5 stars Vanity Fair Review.......2007-07-20

    This is a decent movie, although I must admit that I am partial to stories from this time period. It is not my favorite movie, but it's definitely not even near the worst. This is one of many movies that I can watch more than once, find small subtleties I miss each time, and still be entertained.

    2 out of 5 stars lovely to look at, but uncompelling.............2007-03-18

    VANITY FAIR, a novel by William Makepeace Thackery, is brought to the screen in this 2004 film adaptation by the great Indian filmmaker Mira Nair. Unfortunately, for me, the beautiful, rich colors in the cinematography are the most compelling (and memorable) part of the story. Ordinarily, I find examinations in the British class system quite compelling. I loved the latest film adaptations of EMMA, SENSE AND SENSIBLITY and PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and found them wonderful, engaging and very witty. They were also derived from wonderfully-written Jane Austen novels. VANITY FAIR fell short in so many ways, for me.

    Becky Sharpe (Reese Witherspoon) is a social-climbing young lady who comes from a very poor background and must rely on her wit and flair for manipulation to ascend her rank in the rigidly set class system of 19th century England. This follows twenty years in Becky's footsteps, from the time that she merries gambler (and would-be doctor) Rawdon Crawley (James Purefoy) to her chance encounter with The Marquess of Styne (Gabriel Byrne) who is a collector of her father's paintings.

    Though, Mira did a great job with painting a beautiful picture with color and art direction, the acting, the story and the adaptation completely fell flat. I found myself not caring what became of Becky Sharpe, long before the film was even halfway over. Not a good sign and it is a shame because Reese Witherspoon is a wonderful actress. I reccomend that you steer clear of this Nair film, and watch some of her other works to get a better sense of her talent for storytelling--these include SALAAM BOMBAY, MISSISSIPPI MASALA, and MONSOON WEDDING.

    4 out of 5 stars A flawed interpretation but not without some good points........2007-02-18

    If you read several of the reviews, you soon realize that this film is a very mixed production with some obvious conceptual and interpretation flaws. However in all fairness, there are some very good points that bear mentioning also. I will try to cover the primary weaknesses and strengths of this film.

    A primary weakness is that the short 2.5 hour format is too short to cover such a vast amount of time, characters, and interactions. Whereas characters that maintain roughly the same persona over time or who are only seen during certain parts of the story, this is not an issue. However for the character of George Osborne, played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, the short format is a disaster. He goes from a complete snob who doesn't even wish to talk with Becky since she is a meer governess, to convincing Jos Sedley to refrain from courting Becky, to becoming engaged to Amelia Sedley, to breaking the engagement for financial gain, to cruel abuse of Amelia, to refusing a rich marriage arranged by his father, to marrying Amelia, to trying to seduce Becky, to dying at Waterloo. No actor could make a sensible performance of this mess. As the main protagonists, Reese Witherspoon and James Purefoy, as Becky Sharp Crawley and Rawdon Crawley, at least appeared to have some character development over time that was comprehensible.

    Another weakness is that the film could not decide to be totally sarcastic, cruely funny and bitter as in the novel or to try to engage the audience by sugar coating some of the characters, especially Becky. This leads to a disconnect that indicates that Thackery's original masterpiece was poorly understood by the film makers. The contemporary message that Englands wealth was due to colonial exploitation could have been integrated without going totally over the top. The influence of Indian was too much, reaching the point of absurdity with Becky and the society matrons acting as Hindu dancing women before the King of England. Thus cruel characters such as the Marquess, Lord Steyne, coming across as cardboard 2 dimensional villians instead of the truely pathological evil characters they really are.

    Margaret Mitchell must have been influenced by Vanity Fair as she wrote Gone with the WInd. Her translation of Becky Sharp into Scarlett O'Hara is far more insightful and subtle than is this translation of Becky Sharp from masterpiece novel to inconsistent and poorly conceptualized film.

    Yet there are strengths. The scene where Rawdon Crawley is called to war against Napoleon and quickly gives a quick assessment of both his small worldly worth and yet his great love for Becky is touching, well-played, and the emotional height of the story.

    Eileen Atkins is super as rich Aunt Matilda Pitt. Jim Broadbent is good as Mr. Osborne, the rich merchant. Bob Hoskins, is funny as Rawdon's excentric father. Gabriel Byrne is not given enough time and space to adequatly flesh out the evil boredom and malcontent of Lord Steyne. Reese Witherspoon gives everything she has to make this version of Becky Sharp work. However when the director takes a character like Becky Sharp and tries to reshape them, the vision or consistency is lost, and Witherspoon's Becky never seems to learn. There is only one scene where Witherspoon conveys the tragedy that is Becky Sharp, that being the high pitched scream the Becky calls out to Rawdon as he walks out of her life forever. James Purefoy as Rawdon Crawley is well done, conveying that even though he is penniless and a gambler, none-the-less he is devoted to Becky.

    The film is visually beautiful but conceptually shallow and inconsistently executed.

    2 out of 5 stars Horrid adaptation.......2007-01-08

    I've generally admired the films of Mira Nair. Her cinematic abilities are evident here. But they're to such a wrong purpose.

    This is a horrid and ludicrous adaptation of Thackeray's Vanity Fair. It is a nearly complete whitewash of the novel. It ends with a brightly colored Indian celebration or such with Becky Sharp and Jos Sedley. This differs slightly, let us say, from the novel's ending where Sharp is responsible for the ruin and death of Jos. I guess the dog had eaten pages of the book.

    Reese Witherspoon is an adequate enough actress, though with limited emotional range. She can't hold a candle to Natasha Little's amazing performance in the BBC mini-series. Nor can most of the other actors.

    But the acting is not the main problem here. It is the adaptation, which bears hardly any moral relation to that of the novel.

    Demi Moore was bitterly criticized for a similarly styled adaptation of The Scarlett Letter. But who ever expected anything from Demi Moore? Oh Ms. Nair, esteemed director of Salaam Bombay, I expected more from you.

    See the excellent BBC mini-series instead.

    3 out of 5 stars Thackery light.......2006-12-28

    This version of Thackery's Vanity Fair is a visually stunning production, but it lacks a real understanding of the novel. Nair makes sure that people understand the roots of england's wealth is dervied from its colonial exploitation and the exploitation of the working class. She makes sure that viewer sees the hard work at the base of England's success. Fine in its place, but it has no sense of the humour and seering intelligence at work in Thackery's novel. The actors give their all and the settings and swirl of colour is impressive throughout. I did like the Bollywood style dance that jumps out in the middle of the film. Nonethelees, I really think that Vanity Fair is one novel that defies translation on the screen.
    Vanity Fair (1932)
    Average customer rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars
    • Sad, really....
    • (2. 5 STARS) Myrna Loy Is Becky Sharp in This Modernised Version (Made in 1932): Just an Ordinary Melodrama
    Vanity Fair (1932)
    Starring: Lionel Belmore , Billy Bevan , Herbert Bunston , Walter Byron , and Mary Forbes
    Director: Chester M. Franklin
    Manufacturer: Alpha Home Entertainment
    ProductGroup: DVD
    Binding: DVD

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    ASIN: B000JU8HGA
    Release Date: 2006-12-26

    Product Description

    Early talkie version of the Thackeray classic novel featuring Myrna Loy in her very first starring role.

    Customer Reviews:

    1 out of 5 stars Sad, really...........2007-05-16

    I was so excited upon purchasing this DVD...It was my first Myrna Loy movie and I was thrilled...until I put the DVD in.

    I couldnt bare to watch it for a full five minutes because of the poor quality of film and muffed up sound. I can only hope that polishing this movie up is in the future...it is a classic.

    Until then, sadly, it sits in my DVD collection...unseen.

    2 out of 5 stars (2. 5 STARS) Myrna Loy Is Becky Sharp in This Modernised Version (Made in 1932): Just an Ordinary Melodrama.......2007-01-25

    Myrna Loy plays Becky Sharp in this first talkie version of `Vanity Fair' made in 1932. I don't know anything about its company Allied Pictures, one of the numerous obscure studios seen in the early days of in Hollywood, but obviously the adaptation was not made as social satire as William Makepeace Thackeray's source material. The film is a modernized version of this classic Victorian novel, of which long story about social climber Becky Sharp is heavily condensed to make a 74-minute melodrama.

    Myrna Loy, who is later to be known as Nora Charles in "The Thin Man" two years after this film, is acceptable as Becky Sharp, unabashed adventuress who uses her beauty to allure the eligible bachelors around her who have money. Loy's Becky is, however, less cunning and shameless than the original book's, and the changed ending (in which primitive special makes-up is used) tries to show the inner, corrupt side of her nature, which is a bit too somber and downbeat.

    Surely the filmmakers knew Myrna Loy was the greatest merit of the low-budget film, and it seems they were using her as much as they could. Look how Becky is often seen in her room wearing nightdress. Interestingly Myrna Loy's Becky is so tall that the contrast with Barbara Kent' Amelia is often conspicuous. Even some of the male leads are barely taller than her, but I am not sure this is intentional or not.

    Unlike the recent adaptation starring Reese Witherspoon, you don't hear the sound of war, and consequently in this modern-day adaptation one of the characters (who gets killed in the original book) dies in a different way, which is abrupt and jaw-dropping. No episode about her throwing away Samuel Johnson dictionary, and that's OK, but the film could have been more entertaining with the defter handling of some more episodes like Sir Pitt Crawley and his marriage proposal.

    Anyway you know this is no Victorian novel; this is a quickly made talkie in the early Hollywood. There are a few nice camera works, but the film is all in all a mediocre melodrama.

    (My DVD is from Alpha Video, and the sound and visual quality is not clear and crisp probably due to the damages of the master tape. Sometimes you will notice several frames of film missing.)
    Charlie Rose
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Charlie Rose

      ProductGroup: DVD
      Binding: DVD

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      ASIN: B000JBX0GG
      Release Date: 2006-10-03

      Description

      Vanity Fair's Ed Klein discusses his upcoming story on Edgar Bronfman, Mike Ovitz, MCA Universal, and the deal that didn't happen. Then, journalist Zlatko Dizdarevic talks about the ongoing conflict in Bosnia and its impact on the people of the region. Finally, Natalie Angier on science, research, new discoveries, and her book The Beauty of the Beastly.
      Charlie Rose with Tina Brown (January 13, 1998)
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        Charlie Rose with Tina Brown (January 13, 1998)

        Manufacturer: Charlie Rose
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        ASIN: B000IU34G4
        Release Date: 2006-09-18

        Description

        Charlie talks with New Yorker editor Tina Brown for the hour. Brown has been the editor of The New Yorker for five years and during her tenure she has increased the magazine's circulation, attracted a host of great writers and hired a staff photographer -- all while maintaining an appropriate balance between the tradition of a great magazine and the demands of a new time. She talks about her work leading up to this position, including time at both Vanity Fair and Tattler, and also her coverage of events in England, including the funeral of Princess Diana.
        Charlie Rose with Richard Serra; George Packer, Calvin Trillin, Nora Ephron & Reverend Calvin Butts; David Friend (September 11, 2006)
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          Charlie Rose with Richard Serra; George Packer, Calvin Trillin, Nora Ephron & Reverend Calvin Butts; David Friend (September 11, 2006)

          Manufacturer: Charlie Rose
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          ASIN: B000K15WIE
          Release Date: 2006-10-26

          Description

          First, sculptor Richard Serra discusses the impact of witnessing 9/11. Serra's studio was located in lower Manhattan, not far from the World Trade Center, and he recalls the horrifying scenes of that day and how it has shaped his life and work since. Then, George Packer and Calvin Trillin of "The New Yorker" magazine, filmmaker and author Nora Ephron, and Reverend Calvin Butts discuss 9/11 from the vantage point of five years out, touching on how that event continues to shape the world. Finally, David Friend, Vanity Fair's editor of creative development discusses his new book, "Watching the World Change: The Stories Behind the Images of 9/11".
          Charlie Rose with  Christopher Hitchens; Richard Linklater, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke & Uma Thurman (November 6, 2001)
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            Charlie Rose with Christopher Hitchens; Richard Linklater, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke & Uma Thurman (November 6, 2001)

            Manufacturer: Charlie Rose, Inc.
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            ASIN: B000HBL5ZQ
            Release Date: 2006-08-15

            Description

            Charlie Rose talks with journalist, writer, essayist, and contrarian, Christopher Hitchens, about his new book, Letters to a Young Contrarian. Next, a discussion on the new film, Tape, with director Richard Linklater, and actors Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke, and Uma Thurman. The film was adapted from a one act play, and centers around two friends from high school and a possible date rape that occurred 10 years prior.
            Charlie Rose with Tariq Aziz; Dominick Dunne (November 13, 1997)
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              Charlie Rose with Tariq Aziz; Dominick Dunne (November 13, 1997)

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              ASIN: B000IU34PA
              Release Date: 2006-09-18

              Description

              Charlie talks to Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq, Tariq Aziz, about the crisis in The Gulf and U. N. sanctions against Iraq. Also, Vanity Fair reporter Dominick Dunne talks about his new book, Another City, Not My Own, that chronicles the O. J. Simpson trial.

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