Friday, June 01, 2012

 

Hemingway and Gellhorn

OK, I watched it.  I knew a lot of the story, and I generally like HBO films, but this was not Mildred Pierce, this was not Temple Grandin, or Sunset Limited, or Recount or Game Change. 


The real story was good enough... why did they need to mess with it?  


The real Martha Gellhorn was a tough, gutsy, smart woman. She was fearless enough to lie her way on to battlefields, and smart enough to understand that war is ultimately about people rather than ideology. But she was also, in many ways, an opportunist and certainly no role model when it came to her personal life. 


The real Ernest Hemingway was brilliant, and troubled, and something of an ass, frankly.


In the real world, these 2 probably deserved each other Their relationship was complex....far more complex than the story told on HBO.


I was underwhelmed by Hemingway and Gellhorn. Kidman was only interesting as the older Gellhorn. Owen never seemed convincing. The fade to sepia technique was interesting for the first 25 minutes. There were some remarkable supporting performances-- David Straithorm as Dos Passos comes to mind. But not enough... not nearly enough. 

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