Directed by:
Stephen DaldryCinematography:
Seamus McGarveyComposer:
Philip GlassCast:
Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Meryl Streep, Stephen Dillane, Miranda Richardson, Sophie Wyburd, Lyndsey Marshal, Linda Bassett, Christian Coulson (more)VOD (3)
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THE HOURS tells the story of three very different individuals who share the feeling that they have been living their lives for someone else. Virginia Woolf (Kidman) lives in a suburb of London in the 1920's as she struggles to begin writing her first great novel, Mrs. Dalloway, while also attempting to overcome the mental illness that threatens to engulf her. Laura Brown (Moore), a young wife and mother in post-World War II Los Angeles, is just starting to read Mrs. Dalloway, and is so deeply affected by it that she begins to question the life she has chosen for herself. Then, in contemporary New York City, Clarissa Vaughan (Streep) is a modern-day mirror image of Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway as she plans what may be the final party for her friend and former lover, Richard (Harris), who is dying of AIDS. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (9)
The way the three stories are intertwined here is truly unique, not only in terms of content but also in the actual integration of the individual plotlines. Formally and in terms of acting, I found the film very appealing. However, I can't help but feel that, in the end, the film didn't really tell me that much.
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If it weren't for Philip Glass's music, The Hours would have been at least half as good. But despite that, we are left with an incredible tour de force of acting from three actresses and one actor. It is a quite depressing experience to see all the heroines sail through a very sad day: sometimes incomparably so, sometimes completely the same. Above all, absolute concentration is a must, otherwise many might find the motivations of the heroines ridiculous and their reactions hysterical. On top of that, there should be a warning to cynics on the cover. At first, I had my reservations, big or small, but the gradual crescendo is breathtaking and leaves no room for doubt. With the twist, or the devastating final monologue, a very unique and oppressive impression remains in your heart. With distance, however, I sobered up a bit and made my rating slightly lower. The crescendo, despite its first-class ending, stutters slightly in some places, and as a whole, the film is perhaps a little elusive. Nevertheless, significantly positive impressions, not to mention my favorite of the fateful trio: Nicole Kidman.
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One of the most complex, emotionally powerful and engaging dramas under the baton of the master of the genre Stephen Daldry (The Reader). The great cinematic atmosphere is the result of the interpenetration between the three time dimensions, which was handled absolutely wonderfully and I didn't get lost in the film at all. The beautiful musical score and the great period rendition characterizing the time dimensions added to the overall impression, which was convincing. Such a gem with a great cast is not born every year and deserves both thumbs up.
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I wouldn’t want to see this dubbed, the performances are fantastic. Nicole Kidman with her fake nose and wig is really unrecognizable and she is great as an introverted, depressed woman. But Julianne Moore is even better, she should have got the Oscar, it is “her” film. Her scene in the hotel is such an emotional barrage that it would be enough for one film on its own. But Daldry doesn't spare the audience and the film is emotionally gripping from start to finish. In short, The Hours is a hundred minutes of crackling emotion, perfectly enhanced by Phillip Glass's magnificent score. It's not very often that I get chills when I watch a movie these days, but it happened a lot with this film. I am really happy that films like this are still being made. It was a massive surprise, I didn’t expect much and it was so good!
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Stephen Daldry and his college drama, where an ambitious storytelling style is aptly matched by impressive performances (though the focus is on the central female trio, Ed Harris leaves a damn strong stamp on it). The problem comes at the level of some deeper identification with the characters, as the whole thing felt like it had to come automatically. With Philip Glass's fantastic score, the aforementioned performances by the cast, and the crafted, essentially flawless direction, you just can't help but feel the slightest emotional emptiness at the end. I may not be the target audience (and I'm a pretty big target even at 31) and I can't connect to the fates of the female characters as deeply as Stephen Daldry, but I still have to say that everything else here is great. I find it fascinating that such a powerful female story could be so intimately and sensitively directed by a man, hats off to him. [80%]
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