Posts Tagged ‘Wong Kar-Wai’

Short Take: Visually stunning, with depth beyond the aesthetic

Director: Tom Ford (Début)

Screenwriters: Tom Ford (Début), David Scearce (Début)

Cast: Colin Firth (Bridget Jones’s Diary, Love Actually, Mamma Mia!), Julianne Moore (Blindness, Children of Men, The Hours), Matthew Goode (Watchmen, Match Point), Nicholas Hoult (Skins, About a Boy)

Length: 1 hr 41 mins

Synopsis: Eight months after his partner of 16 years, Jim (Goode) dies in a car accident, college English professor George (Firth), decides to end his life.  As George arranges his affairs on what is supposed to be the final day of his life, he is pulled away from his decision to die after visiting his longtime friend Charley (Moore) and spending time with an intriguing and handsome student, Kenny (Hoult).

Analysis: First-time director Tom Ford is best known as the fashion designer who revolutionized The House of Gucci and then went on to create his own popular label.  In A Single Man, his affinity for beautiful clothing reveals itself in every meticulously chosen and worn outfit; Firth’s wardrobe all comes from Ford’s line.  However, it is not only in regards to fashion that Ford displays an acute attention to detail, but the whole of his mise-en-scène, from costumes and make-up to the ‘60s period architecture, shows Ford’s touch.  To say that the film is visually gorgeous would be an understatement. Read the rest of this entry »