|
|||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product Details
|
Product Description
Amazon.ca
It's always a risk when writers direct their own work, since some playwrights don't travel well from stage to screen. Aided by Roger Deakins, of No Country for Old Men fame, who vividly captures the look of a blustery Bronx winter, Moonstruck's John Patrick Shanley pulls it off. If Doubt makes for a dialogue-heavy experience, like The Crucible and 12 Angry Men, the words and ideas are never dull, and a consummate cast makes each one count. Set in 1964 and loosely inspired by actual events, Shanley focuses on St. Nicholas, a Catholic primary school that has accepted its first African-American student, Donald Miller (Joseph Foster), who serves as altar boy to the warm-hearted Father Flynn (Phillip Seymour Hoffman). Donald may not have any friends, but that doesn't worry his mother, Mrs. Miller (Viola Davis in a scene-stealing performance), since her sole concern is that her son gets a good education. When Sister James (Amy Adams) notices Flynn concentrating more of his attentions on Miller than the other boys, she mentions the matter to Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep), the school's hard-nosed principal. Looking for any excuse to push the progressive priest out of her tradition-minded institution, Sister Aloysius sets out to destroy him, and if that means ruining Donald's future in the process--so be it. Naturally, she's the least sympathetic combatant in this battle, but Streep invests her disciplinarian with wit and unexpected flashes of empathy. Of all the characters she's played, Sister Aloysius comes closest to caricature, but she never feels like a cartoon; just a sad woman willing to do anything to hold onto what little she has before the forces of change render her--and everything she represents--redundant. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Whom do You Trust?,
By Ian Gordon Malcomson (Victoria, BC) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME) (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Doubt (DVD)
The director and screenwriter in this blockbuster drama, John Patrick Shanley, has created a dynamic movie that intentionally stirs up more questions than it answers. By the end, the viewer is thoroughly perplexed as to what is evil and where absolute truth resides in life. Is it in the freedom to embrace change or resist it because of its great potential to destroy? The setting is an east New York City parish in the early 1960s.Traditional values are under assault and values are changing fast, especially with the forces of modernization arriving at the doors of the parochial school in the form of a progressive-thinking priest played by Philip Hoffman. Before too long, through the power of his evocative homilies, he has the local congregants questioning their own doubts and feelings. He sees his mission as one of sewing the seeds of kindness and open-mindness in the minds of those who are willing to seek a more enligtened view of life instead of slavishly obeying the strict laws of the Church on virtuous living. Right from the outset, his message of loving each other as Christ first loved us meets with stiff opposition from the graceless principal, Sister Beauvier, played by Meryl Streep. As these two persons lock horns over what is the appropriate way to physically handle children, the battle lines are drawn along a whole new set of issues: sexual misconduct, racism, bigotry, and gossip. At the end, I was left with some mixed feelings as to who is ultimately really right in this conflict of values: a risking-taking priest who often skirts the edges of morality, or the prudish, anal-retentive principal who is too mortified to admit her need to loosen up. Shaney doesn't provide any easy answers as to how to resolve this dilemma between freedom and authority because he like Sister James in the story wants us to respond to others out of liberating compassion regardless of the inherent risks. Brilliant movie that cuts to the quick of what plagues society: the need to trust one another.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful drama, superbly acted,
By
This review is from: Doubt (English/French Language Version) [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
Doubt (2008)Drama, 104 minutes Directed by John Patrick Shanley Starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis Here's a film that I never expected to watch. The trailer looks boring and depressing and the subject matter isn't something that I would expect to hold my attention. I was wrong. The screenplay provides the foundation for a great film, and I don't use that word lightly, but what really elevates Doubt is the superb performances from the cast. Meryl Streep is utterly convincing as Sister Aloysius Beauvier. I can't imagine anyone else in the role. The students must have been terrified of her. My school had someone just like that. Philip Seymour Hoffman plays a very convincing priest. When the two finally clash in a war of words, it's one of the most breathtaking confrontations I have ever seen. Amy Adams has never been better and I wish she would choose to do more serious roles. Viola Davis made a brief appearance, but I will never forget it. I'm tempted to say that Streep was robbed of another Oscar, but Kate Winslet was brilliant in The Reader. Hoffman was never going to eclipse Heath Ledger, but his performance shouldn't be forgotten. Doubt is all about the dialogue. It's also subtle. We are never told the complete truth and it's left up to us to decide whether Father Flynn (Hoffman) is guilty or innocent. This is writing at its best. The other thing that is perfectly depicted is the setting. I felt as if I had been transported back to the 1960s. This is the kind of film that makes you want to find out more about the actors. I found myself seeking out other work by the cast. Have you seen the film? If you have, did you think Father Flynn was guilty or innocent?
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Play, not a movie,
By
This review is from: Doubt (English/French Language Version) (DVD)
I love plays, so I found this movie to be excellent. The acting is excellent, especially Hoffman. As plays can be a little more "artsy" than movies, it may not appeal to all. It is thoughtful and thought provoking as we are never told the truth. Since I can't get to Broadway, I was glad to get the chance to see a very good play with great actors.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
