Sorry Sofia

Rating: 3/10 (6 November 2006)

Sorry, I was extremely disappointed in this film. I enjoyed the costuming - although the shoes were over the top - somewhat too modern Manolo... The makeup was pretty good except the aging of Kirsten Dunst was ridiculous. But plot? Helooooooo. I mean this is a period drama. It's built in. But there was just all this wandering around. Nothing to describe - who was who. If you don't have a history degree you are just watching pretty people. I have read some interesting comments here and there about this film and while I don't disagree with every rave reviewer... I really worry about this "genre". I don't think every historical fiction would be turned to a farce or played out like Masterpiece Theatre. I think you have to play to a current audience tho. The pace was so slow I could have snoozed thru entire sections and not missed a thing. To me one of the marks of a great film is that you get wrapped up in it forgetting the actors and you learn something - it just didn't happen for me in this picture. I used to live in France. I have been to these places - Many Times. They are glorious. The photography was flat. Was everything filmed at sunrise or sunset? And the birthday sunrise? Puhleez. Where was the sun or did they just float an orange light over the water. Ugh. There was relatively little explanation of where they were. I didn't at all get the size of the place from the photography. The palace is huge they had these carriages leaving off the back side and only once showed you the grand front courtyard. It was a miscarriage of the beauty of this amazing palace. With the French Government allowing you in to do this work it is sad that it wasn't better represented. There are just too many things I took issue with. Vignettes strung together with historical verbiage do not a "movie" make. Better luck next time Sofia.