Atonement (Widescreen Edition)

Product Description:
From the award-winning director of Pride and Prejudice comes a stunning critically acclaimed epic story of love. When a young girl catches her sister in a passionate embrace with a childhood friend her jealousy drives her to tell a lie that will irrevocably change the course of all their lives forever. Academy Award® nominee Keira Knightley and James McAvoy lead an all-star cast in the film critics are hailing "the year's best picture" (Thelma Adams US Weekly).System Requirements:Running Time: 123 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA/LOVE & ROMANCE Rating: R UPC: 025193328526 Manufacturer No: 61033285

Amazon.com:
Director Joe Wright (Pride and Prejudice) gives Ian McEwan's bestselling novel a sumptuous treatment for the screen that should come to be regarded as one of the defining films of the epic romantic drama. Indeed, everything about this film stems from those three words: there is little here that is not epic, romantic, and dramatic, and Atonement is a film that masterfully expresses the overarching sense of adventure and emotion that such stories are meant to convey. In this instance, the story centers around the love story of highborn Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) and housekeeper's son Robbie Turner (James McAvoy, in a star-making turn), in England shortly before World War II. Despite their class differences, they are powerfully attracted to each other, and just as their relationship begins Robbie is tragically forced away due to false accusations from Cecilia's younger sister Briony (Saoirse Ronan). She has a crush on Robbie, too, and after reading a private letter he sent to Cecilia, and then witnessing the first expression of their mutual love but mistaking it for mistreatment, her resentment grows until it leads to her telling the lie that will send Robbie away. Soon World War II breaks out; Robbie enlists and is posted to France, Cecilia is a nurse in London, and Briony, now age 18 and aware of what she has done, tries to atone for her actions--but none of them will be able to get back what they have lost. Knightley and McAvoy are perfectly cast as the young star crossed lovers, and the young Ronan is particularly impressive, but it's clear that the real star of this film is the director. Wright allows Atonement to revel in every moment of its story and each scene is compelling in its own way, but that now famous extended shot with Robbie on the beach at Dunkirk--filmed in one take and sure to be considered one of the great long tracking shots in film history--is the most memorable moment in this remarkable film. Atonement is an excellent example of what can happen when a great book meets great filmmaking. This is one that is not to be missed. --Daniel Vancini

Stills from Atonement (click for larger image).

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Customer Reviews

Rating: - Awful
Awful. I wanted to shut the movie off in the first 15 minutes. But, I suffered through it. I have NO IDEA why this movie was even nominated for any award. I love period pieces and, still yet, could not watch it just for the scenery. The music was completely annoying with the typing brought into it. And where is the "Atonement." And when I kept hearing "come back to me" I thought I've heard that before with "Cold Mountain" couldn't they have been more creative knowing "Cold Mountain" used that phrase ... Read More
Rating: - A fine film... great actresses... and how good is a script when it comes from a great novel!
Not always.
I mean not always is a good novel beautifully adapted to the screen (as I am reviewing a DVD it probably should have said TV or Home Cinema).
A bit melodramatic in parts... but those parts are tastefully and purposefully short... how could they have indulged in the prison period for example... but I do not like spoilers myself so... better if I am not too specific.

A great film. Well directed and casted... and an exceptional "montage".

RECOMMENDED (skeptical ... Read More
Rating: - 3.5 stars out of 4
The Bottom Line:

An exceptionally well-made and completely non-formulaic film which consistently defies viewer expectations, Atonement has left some viewers cold (particularly those who expected a standard love-against-all-odds picture) but it's a very impressive piece of moviemaking (the scene at Dunkirk should be on everyone's list of best shots of all time) and a movie I'm glad I watched.
Rating: - Excellent film; slight variation from book.
Atonement was one of my favorite novels to read in college, and I think this film really does it justice. Although there are some slight variations in the novel from the book, for the most part, this movie accurately depicts McEwan's master novel. Highly recommend!
Rating: - A Piece of Genius, Awesome, Inspiring, Cinematography At Its Finest!!
What if reminiscence and imagination could objectify a forgotten world of the past - a world in which modern techno marvels and their subsequent diminution of human values had not yet happened?A world in which the interaction of some people elevated their experience to the level of timelessness, based on the escape of passion from the restraints inbred by the rules of society?What if the protagonists, good and bad played out their roles amidst the backdrop of the English countryside in the summer and spring ... Read More