Since breaking-through with The Damned United in 2009, director Tom Hooper has amazed when everything he has done since then.
From Oscar winner The King's Speech, to then introducing me to Les Miserables and being totally over-whelmed by the highly successful musical.
Now, we have The Danish Girl, the story about Einar Wegener and his transformation into Lili Elbe.
If you like Tom Hooper's style of film-making, then you will not be disappointed. With it being a tricky subject to present to the masses. I felt Hooper did an amazing job in giving it a universal appeal. This is certainly a brave story about courageous people making a landmark during a time when making this type of movement would be seen as mental illness.
The first half introduced us to the characters really well and story moves along nicely whilst we are treated to some of the most gorgeous cinematography you will see from a 2015 film.
For the rest of the film, it is not as strong, but it still captivating viewing with an emotional finish.
When reading about this the premise of this film beforehand, it certainly has all the makings of an 'Oscar bait' feature. Thankfully, the execution of it gives it the deserved buzz for the major awards season.
The strong parts of Hooper's films are usually strong performances by the leads, the designs of the landscape we are shown and the cinematography. All of that is here and more.
Eddie Redmayne is as good as everyone is saying. It might not be as impressive as his performance in The Theory Of Everything, but it is definitely worth shouting about. However, I felt the star of the show was Alicia Vikander. 2015 has definitely been her year. After her stand-out performance in 'Ex Machina' and her supporting role in 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E, the Swedish actor has become quite a talent and I would happily see any other film she is in in the future. You can truly feel the pain Vikander's character has. Also her on-screen relationship with Redmayne is definitely one of the strongest parts of the film. There was also some solid supporting roles by the always good Ben Whishaw, Matthias Schoenaerts and Amber Heard.
As for Danny Cohen's cinematography, it is extraordinary. His work with Hooper remains as strong as ever. Those noticeable angled close-ups he gives has now been side-lined for some gorgeous wide-angled shots that make every frame look like a painting. It sounds quite ironic and poetic when painting is a valuable part of this story.
Another technical part of the film to mention was the score by Alexandre Desplat which sounded enchanting throughout.
As I said before, the second half of the film did not feel as strong as the first. That is probably due to the writing not be strong. You don't notice it as much in the first half, but I think due to the pace of the film slowing down a fraction, you begin to notice it. Thankfully, this is all just me being picky.
I think it is safe to say, that I enjoyed this tragic and heartfelt story. Hooper's choice in cast is perfectly portrayed and his directing skills remains at a personal high. The writing may not be anything ground-breaking. But it still keeps you engaged.
From Oscar winner The King's Speech, to then introducing me to Les Miserables and being totally over-whelmed by the highly successful musical.
Now, we have The Danish Girl, the story about Einar Wegener and his transformation into Lili Elbe.
If you like Tom Hooper's style of film-making, then you will not be disappointed. With it being a tricky subject to present to the masses. I felt Hooper did an amazing job in giving it a universal appeal. This is certainly a brave story about courageous people making a landmark during a time when making this type of movement would be seen as mental illness.
The first half introduced us to the characters really well and story moves along nicely whilst we are treated to some of the most gorgeous cinematography you will see from a 2015 film.
For the rest of the film, it is not as strong, but it still captivating viewing with an emotional finish.
When reading about this the premise of this film beforehand, it certainly has all the makings of an 'Oscar bait' feature. Thankfully, the execution of it gives it the deserved buzz for the major awards season.
The strong parts of Hooper's films are usually strong performances by the leads, the designs of the landscape we are shown and the cinematography. All of that is here and more.
Eddie Redmayne is as good as everyone is saying. It might not be as impressive as his performance in The Theory Of Everything, but it is definitely worth shouting about. However, I felt the star of the show was Alicia Vikander. 2015 has definitely been her year. After her stand-out performance in 'Ex Machina' and her supporting role in 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E, the Swedish actor has become quite a talent and I would happily see any other film she is in in the future. You can truly feel the pain Vikander's character has. Also her on-screen relationship with Redmayne is definitely one of the strongest parts of the film. There was also some solid supporting roles by the always good Ben Whishaw, Matthias Schoenaerts and Amber Heard.
As for Danny Cohen's cinematography, it is extraordinary. His work with Hooper remains as strong as ever. Those noticeable angled close-ups he gives has now been side-lined for some gorgeous wide-angled shots that make every frame look like a painting. It sounds quite ironic and poetic when painting is a valuable part of this story.
Another technical part of the film to mention was the score by Alexandre Desplat which sounded enchanting throughout.
As I said before, the second half of the film did not feel as strong as the first. That is probably due to the writing not be strong. You don't notice it as much in the first half, but I think due to the pace of the film slowing down a fraction, you begin to notice it. Thankfully, this is all just me being picky.
I think it is safe to say, that I enjoyed this tragic and heartfelt story. Hooper's choice in cast is perfectly portrayed and his directing skills remains at a personal high. The writing may not be anything ground-breaking. But it still keeps you engaged.
This is an impressive piece of work. It might not be as strong as Les Miserables or The King's Speech, but Hooper has definitely made another great film that is one of the best of the year.
It will be interesting to see what reception this film gets, both from the general cinemagoers, to the recognition it gets (or not) in the awards due to the subject matter.
It will be interesting to see what reception this film gets, both from the general cinemagoers, to the recognition it gets (or not) in the awards due to the subject matter.
Rating: 8/10
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