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MOVIE REVIEW
Sylvia
(2003)
Starring:
Gwyneth Paltrow, Daniel Craig
Director:
Christine Jeffs
Rating: R
Studio:
Focus Features
Release Date: 10.24.03
(LA/NY)
Review
Posted: 11.14.03
Spoilers:
Minor
By
Rachel Sexton
"Sylvia" a Noble Effort
Despite Flaws
On the heels
of another real-life story about a woman who left her mark on
the world, Veronica Guerin, comes the story of poet
Sylvia Plath and her relationship with fellow poet Ted Hughes.
Through The Bell Jar and her poetry, Plath has come to
epitomize female depression in genius. Gwyneth Paltrow gives an
excellent lead performance in Sylvia, but the film’s
flaws prevent us from fully empathizing emotionally with the
story.
The narrative
of this film covers the years from 1956 when Plath meets Hughes
(Daniel Craig) at a school party until her death by suicide in
1963. In between they write, love, and fight with equal fervor.
Two children come along and Plath’s depression (years before it
became a recognized illness) percolates to a boil. She’s
convinced Hughes is cheating on her long before he actually does
so, which ends the relationship. Reconciliation is cut short by
the fact that his new lover is pregnant, and Plath commits
suicide by sticking her head in an oven.
“Death is an
art, like anything else,” Plath says in a voice-over that begins
the film. “I do it exceptionally well.” The bleak tone of the
film doesn’t let up from there. This film is particularly good
at expressing the paranoia about Hughes that was a manifestation
of Plath’s depression. In one scene, Hughes’ philandering is
intercut with Plath’s reaction to it, almost as if she is
imagining it. This is emphasized later when she says, “I
conjured her… You can be so afraid of something that you make it
happen.”
Poetry has
never been given such a prominent place in a biopic before, I
don’t think, and its use here is effective. Not only does Sylvia
compose much during the film, especially near her death, but
there is also a scene where she recites Chaucer’s “Wife of Bath”
to cows in Middle English. The most electrifying use of
poetry comes just after Hughes and Plath meet. They are hanging
out with friends and, aided by drink, they recite poetry so fast
they seem to exhale it, and then Hughes begins to speak Romeo’s
death speech from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet directly
to Plath. It serves as a sort of nice pseudo-courtship. The
effect of all this, though, is to show that in pain, Plath was
at her best, writing the poetry she would be remembered for. And
I think that is something not all audience members will be able
to relate to.
Directorial
touches by Christine Jeffs, such as the camera work that begins
the scene where Hughes and Plath meet and the use of fade-outs
in the finale, are mostly successful. Water imagery permeates
the film as well, with frequent boating scenes and other
touches. The music is intrusive in places, sometimes too
melodramatic and loud.
Craig as
Hughes is strong and brooding enough to show the audience why
Hughes attained a sort-of groupie following. Blythe Danner
appears as Plath’s mother, which is ironic given the fact that
she is Gwyneth’s mother in real life. As for Paltrow, she proves
that her Oscar for Shakespeare in Love was justified and
if she should be nominated again, I wouldn’t be the least
surprised. Paltrow brilliantly evokes Plath’s decline and she
and Cate Blanchett (for Veronica Guerin) should end up
competing again for awards.
The ending of
Sylvia is inevitable and presented in such a way that it
doesn’t affect us as a tragedy as Veronica Guerin does.
Paltrow shines and the rest of the film is a noble effort, but
also imperfect.
Rating:
êêê1/2
(out of 5)
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