Sunday, July 8, 2018

The Seagull (2018)

Jack and I liked this ensemble picture about not a love triangle, but a love polygon, based on the 1895 play by Anton Chekhov. Gorgeous locations, costumes, and sets make it visually wonderful and a top notch cast manages to rise above what turns out to be a rather soapy story of unrequited love (nearly everyone is in love with someone who is in love with someone else) in Russia.

Annette Bening (last blogged for Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool) plays Irina, an established and eccentric actress (which could describe her character in her last movie, too), who travels to the country home of her brother Sorin (Brian Dennehy, won a Golden Globe and more for the lead in the 2001 TV movie of Death of a Salesman, and, among the credits I've seen, also good in Foul Play (1978), 10 (1979), Cocoon (1985), Silverado (1985),  Legal Eagles (1986), Presumed Innocent (1990), She Hate Me (2004), and The Big Year, just to name a few). She brings her current boyfriend Boris Trigorin, played by Corey Stoll (after CafĂ© Society he was in five episodes of Girls), and they interact with Irina's son Konstantin, played by Billy Howell (covered in The Sense of an Ending) and his girlfriend Nina, played by Saoirse Ronan (most recently in these pages for Loving Vincent).

Then we have Elisabeth Moss (last blogged for The Square, and season 2 of The Handmaid's Tale is ready for me to watch) as Masha and Michael Zegan (after Frances Ha he was the Mister in nine episodes of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) as Mikhail, just to name a few.

Director Michael Mayer (A Home at the End of the World (2004) and one other movie, won the 2006 Tony award for Spring Awakening, among his many stage works) keeps the balls in the air, pretty much, working from a screenplay by Stephen Karam (Tony Award-winning playwright of "The Humans," also wrote "Speech & Debate" and "Sons of the Prophet," which were Pulitzer Prize finalists). After we saw this two and a half weeks ago I read Act I of the Chekhov play on this site. I may read the rest sometime.

The beautiful photography is by Matthew J. Lloyd (most recently shot Robot & Frank) and the gorgeous wardrobe is designed by Ann Roth (Oscar winner for The English Patient (1996), Oscar nominated for Places in the Heart (1984), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), and The Hours (2002); also costumed Midnight Cowboy (1969), Klute (1971), The Goodbye Girl (1977), Hair (1979), 9 to 5 (1980), The World According to Garp (1982), Heartburn (1986), The Unbearable Lightness of being (1988), Working Girl (1988), Bonfire of the Vanities (1990), The Birdcage (1996), Mamma Mia, The Reader, Julie & Julia, The Post, and so many more).

Nico Muhly (composed for How to Talk to Girls at Parties) and Anton Sanko (Rabbit Hole) wrote the music but it's not available as far as I can tell. The movie is not yet online, either, as it's still playing on various big screens. Here's the schedule. I just learned, though, that in 1968 Sidney Lumet directed a version of the Chekhov play (two words--Sea Gull--instead of one) starring James Mason as Boris Trigorin, Vanessa Redgrave as Nina, Simon Signoret as Irina, and David Warner as Konstantin, and the DVD is for sale at Amazon. Interesting.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics at 68% and its audiences averaging 60 aren't flying to see this. We thought it was pretty good, though not high on our list.

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