Robert Pattinson Australia

TheReelBits & Andrew L Urban Review Bel Ami

With the impending release of Bel Ami in Oz on Thursday, I’ve been a little nervous on what the Aussie reviewers will say.  So here’s two – one good, one not so good.  Don’t say that I’m not fair.

Richard Gray’s review from TheReelBits:

“Robert Pattinson broods and swoons his way through this beautifully shot costume drama from a duo of theatre veterans

Guy de Maupassant’s second novel, Bel Ami, or, The History of a Scoundrel, is ideal fodder for a cinematic costume outing. The subject of several films, including Germany’s Bel Ami (1939) and the first English-language, The Private Affairs of Bel Ami (1947),  it is surprising that this hasn’t been given the lavish post-Merchant-Ivory production values until now. Yet rather than falling to the familiar roster of BBC graduates, British stage veterans Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod get behind the cameras for the first time for this sumptuous adaptation.

…

Outside of the Twilight Saga franchise, star Pattinson has had little success in securing any major crossover roles, with Water for Elephants and Remember Me sharing some critical if not box office success. Bel Ami won’t be the film that proves Pattinson to be a box office draw in his own right, but it does solidify his ability to transition between genres, and his upcoming work with David Cronenberg on Cosmopolis will undoubtedly push this over the edge. While his role is largely a mixture of brooding and seducing, Pattinson is the consummate nineteenth century rogue, and perhaps the perfect choice for Georges.

…

A beautifully shot piece by Italian cinematographer Stefano Falivene, Bel Ami ticks all the right boxes in an adaptation of this kind. Supporting cast Glenister and the ubiquitous Colm Meaney bring a richness to this well-crafted world. Donnellan and Ormerod never reveal their stage origins in the execution, and nor does screenwriter Rachel Bennette, who reduces the complexities of Guy de Maupassant to an accessible tale of winners who take all without consequence.”

Thanks Cindy for sending this our way.   As usual, click on the link to read the full review.

Andrew L Urban – Urban Cinefile:

“The early scenes in the offices of the politically active newspaper, La Vie Parisienne, look fabulous but seem lifeless and forced – as do many other scenes.

Robert Pattinson doesn’t seem to fit his character, neither culturally nor through his characterisation as Georges Dury. It’s not that he’s bad, but he’s not convincing. Christina Ricci, however, is effective and emotionally engaging as Clotilde, a young married woman seduced by Georges – or perhaps it’s the other way round. Kristin Scott Thomas has a dramatic journey as the woman who resists his charms – at first, anyway and Uma Thurman is a standout as the manipulative, ambitious and ultimately steel hearted Madeleine Forestier.

I have reservations about the talented actor Colm Meaney as a French newspaper man but Natalia Tena makes a big impression in a small role as a whore in a chaotic bar, frequented by Georges.

But performances aside, the film’s weaknesses reside in its choppy structure, perfunctory treatment of many passages of change in the central characters’ lives and in the befuddled handling of the key elements, from the gradual ensnarement of Georges through to the explosive moments of revelation when he realises he’s been exploited and taken for a naïve country bumpkin – exactly what he had wanted to avoid, ashamed as he is by his father illiteracy and poverty.

Neither the rhythm-challenged editing nor the heavy handed score do much to help the film’s emotional flatness.”

4 more sleeps for us to decide which one we agree with, although the choppiness and poor editing is something I’ve heard is evident from quite a few Rob fans who have seen it already.