Merry old England
is given a new slant in The Favourite,
a wonderfully acted period drama with loads of wit and nasty venom amid a sumptuous
period setting as directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.
In
18th century England, Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) advises and watches
over Queen Anne (Olivia Colman), a weak, frail monarch who is dependent on
Sarah’s consort. Sarah’s control over
the throne involves policy including waging war and taxing the populace. Abigail (Emma Stone) arrives claiming to be
her cousin and seeking employment. The
two women vie for the attention of their queen, and the competition begins with
meanness and outright debauchery. Strategic alliances are formed with treachery
aplenty. Who will triumph?
The
screenplay (Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara) is deliciously subversive and
playful as both Weisz and Stone are wonderful as rivals attempting to curry
favor of their queen, and they have a field day with the dialogue. Even better,
Colman excels as the childish, moody ruler. The dynamic interplay among the
three is a joyous romp in maneuvering and betrayal.
Lavish period recreation has a bit of Tom
Jones’ playful sensibility with the nastiness of a Ken Russell film. The sets and costume designs are gorgeous.
The film has a forced perspective, almost a fish eye point of view in the way
it is shot to bend reality.
This
is the type of film that will not appeal to all, and don’t expect a tidy ending,
but for those game for a challenging
exercise in backroom maneuvering and seduction among three excellent actresses
at the top of their game, you’ll have a grand time. Lanthimos is a filmmaker to watch as he is
mining the fringes of mainstream cinema with his offbeat vision.
***1/2*
of ****stars
No comments:
Post a Comment