Atonement

Director: Joe Wright Joe Wright

Overview

A mischievous girl accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit, only to find that her words have irrevocably and permanently changed the lives of all involved in a film that re-teams the filmmakers behind Pride & Prejudice to adapt the best-selling 2002 novel by author Ian McEwan. The year is 1935, and as the summer heat takes hold, 13-year-old fledgling writer Briony Tallis watches her older sister, Cecilia (Keira Knightley), get undressed and go frolicking in the garden fountain on her family's country estate. The housekeeper's son, Robbie (James McAvoy), a childhood friend and recent Cambridge graduate, also witnesses the innocent act. When Robbie and Cecilia subsequently cross a particularly sensitive boundary and the scheming Briony accuses Robbie of an unspeakable transgression for which the boy is wholly innocent, the repercussions of her unfounded claim threaten to affect all three for decades to come.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/12/2016
UPC:	0025192337284
Original Release:	2007
Rating:	R
Source:	Universal Studios
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Color]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Time:	2:03:00

Special Features

Deleted Scenes; Bringing the Past to Life: The Making of Atonement; From Novel to Screen: Adapting a Classic ; Feature Commentary with Director Joe Wright

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

James McAvoy	Robbie Turner
Keira Knightley	Cecilia Tallis
Romola Garai	Briony Tallis, aged 18
Saoirse Ronan	Briony Taliis, aged 13
Vanessa Redgrave	Older Briony

Technical Credits

Joe Wright

Director

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Atonement
1. First Play (Main Titles) [6:19]
2. Two Figures By A Fountain [7:23]
3. Close Relations [6:32]
4. Written Apology [5:38]
5. Interference [6:57]
6. Act Of Love [5:39]
7. No Harm Done [4:51]
8. False Witness [5:59]
9. Serving Time [8:15]
10. Save Me [6:29]
11. By The Sea [6:04]
12. Put Things Right [6:40]
13. Remembering [:22]
14. Not Ready [2:41]
15. Can't Escape [5:00]
16. Wounded [3:37]
17. With My Own Eyes [5:39]
18. Telling The Truth [3:11]
19. Final Act [8:37]
20. End Titles [8:13]
21. Chapter 21 [8:27]

Menu

Disc #1 -- Atonement
   Play
   Scenes
   Bonus Features
      Deleted Scenes
         Play With Commentary By Director Joe Wright: On/Off
            Play With Commentary By Director Joe Wright: On
            Play With Commentary By Director Joe Wright: Off
         Play All
         Briony Rips Poster
         Emily Speaks To Jack
         Ceciclia And Leon On Terrace
         Dunkirk: Alternative Start
         Walking Through The Fields
         Under The Bridge
         Ice Factory
   Languages
      Spoken Language
         English 5.1
         Español 5.1
         Français 5.1
      Feature Commentary With Director Joe Wright
      Subtitles
         English SDH*
         Español
         Français
         Subtitles: Off

Editorial Reviews

Joe Wright's Atonement is impressive for what it isn't as much as for what it is. For starters, it's not a straightforward period piece, though the presence of James McAvoy and Keira Knightley (alongside her Pride & Prejudice director) might suggest otherwise. Neither is it the least bit slow, with Wright's cinematic choices invigorating the narrative at every turn. It should be no surprise, then, that Atonement's marriage of lofty war-time subject matter and eye-opening technique earned it seven Oscar nominations. Viewers will find their eyes opened plenty wide -- even before noticing any technique -- by Atonement's raw sexuality, which immediately removes it from the tea-and-crumpet politeness of your average costume drama. McAvoy's Robbie has several smoldering encounters with Knightley's Cecelia, one involving a letter so lurid, it's downright smut. Crucially, these episodes are misinterpreted -- perhaps willfully -- by Cecilia's sister Briony (the Oscar-nominated Saoirse Ronan). Wright orchestrates these passages so they appear to be merely the whimsical misunderstandings of any good farce. But as the levity peels away toward sinister motivations and irrevocable repercussions, Atonement slouches into the scourges of war, leaving those parlors behind forever. Wright accomplishes all this through a memorable bag of tricks, including a repeating narrative structure that shows events interpreted from several perspectives; an indelible Oscar-winning score by Dario Marianelli, which utilizes typewriter keystrokes as percussion instruments; and one of the most ambitious uninterrupted shots ever recorded on film (by DP Seamus Mcgarvey). Perhaps second only to Children of Men's famous tracking shot in terms of modern achievement, this five-and-a-half-minute continuous take is a truly jaw-dropping sequence along the beach at Dunkirk, starting with the execution of several horses, then looping through all manner of minutely choreographed chaos without missing a beat. If there's any complaint here, it's that some viewers may feel shaken by the film's abrupt compartmentalization of its chronology, most notably during the final ten minutes, which have a somewhat spell-breaking effect. But most viewers should find themselves utterly enveloped by a movie far different than they may have prejudged.

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