"(...) Director Rouben Mamoulian did a remarkable job with color experimentation. He decided to use color thematically to express character mood, and added more and more color as the film progresses and the plot thickens. Every shot looks color-coordinated. The most famous sequence is the panicky exit of the quests at the Duchess of Richmond's gala in Belgium on the eve of the battle of Waterloo (...) Mamoulian had quests leave according to their color group so only the one in red remained in the ballroom." (Danny Peary in GUIDE FOR THE FILM FANATIC 1986).
I have decided to entail this long quotation at the beginning of my review because I think that it best reflects the multiple significance of the feature film BECKY SHARP which won the color prize at the third Venice Film Festival. While discovering the uniqueness of Rouben Mamoulian, a pure follower of Moscow Art Theatre, a great admirer of Konstantin Stanislavsky (1863-1938) and a follower of the famous Stanislavski's system, I have found out how truthful he was to the emotions in cinema and how much focused on every single detail of images and acting techniques. Who could better introduce cinema to the three strip Technicolor in the 1930s than him? Mamoulian with his unbelievable flair for artistry on screen and sophisticated experimentation with the camera could effectively capture the essence of color.
Here, it is necessary to mention some unforgettable scenes from this movie that, for long, remain in one's memory. Except for the aforementioned ball scene that constitutes a sort of 'special pearl' on its own, the film entails a striking image of Napoleon's shadow over the map of Europe. What impact it has on the vision in a color feature film! What impact it must have had those days! The costumes with a special emphasis on red (which Mamoulian considered the most exciting color, a sort of climax) constitute another merit of the film's visual significance. The interiors appear to be lavish as well.
Yet, BECKY SHARP was quite neglected for years and available on weak copies. Although it was considered an important movie in the history of cinema (being the first feature in three-color Technicolor process - the period which lasted till 1953), it was forgotten for years and in no way considered a must-see. Fortunately, the film has been recently restored and is growing in popularity among classic buffs. Strange phenomenon...yet, it is not the color experimentation that makes it exciting nowadays, it is neither the source novel VANITY FAIR by one of the most respected British novelists William Makepeace Thackeray. It is, unfortunately, not Mamoulian whose name is today associated with totally different titles. I think it is Miriam Hopkins in the lead who still amuses our imagination, rouses our senses and has the power to make the film enjoyable. Having had experience with the director and his special treatment of actors' techniques (part of psychological realism) in DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE a few years earlier, she does an almost flawless job here. Let me broaden this point a little bit.
Ms Hopkins, nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, crafts her role very well with a heartfelt attitude towards her audience. She has quite a difficult role to portray, the role of the foxy young lady who climbs up to the highest ranks of the society using pretty unconventional means, deceitful means. Nevertheless, she catches the glimpse of the 'unreachable' (for many). A bad tempered girl to face the world, a sort of woman no one knows what she is about, a chit-chatting maiden for whom war is amusing, a ruthless Becky who does not give up her plans. Many scenes from the beginning scene when she leaves school through various moments, including her witty role of a governess, her serious role of a wife and a delicious role of a mistress. Miriam Hopkins is unforgettable and stands out from the supporting cast, some very good actors of the period including the distinguished Cedric Hardwicke as Marquis of Steyne.
In all the analysis of the first three strip Technicolor movie, the following adjectives will best describe it after all these decades: innovative, memorable, significant, rousing. INNOVATIVE color experimentation, MEMORABLE production in the history of cinema, SIGNIFICANT direction by Rouben Mamoulian and ROUSING performance by Miriam Hopkins. Worth seeing!
I have decided to entail this long quotation at the beginning of my review because I think that it best reflects the multiple significance of the feature film BECKY SHARP which won the color prize at the third Venice Film Festival. While discovering the uniqueness of Rouben Mamoulian, a pure follower of Moscow Art Theatre, a great admirer of Konstantin Stanislavsky (1863-1938) and a follower of the famous Stanislavski's system, I have found out how truthful he was to the emotions in cinema and how much focused on every single detail of images and acting techniques. Who could better introduce cinema to the three strip Technicolor in the 1930s than him? Mamoulian with his unbelievable flair for artistry on screen and sophisticated experimentation with the camera could effectively capture the essence of color.
Here, it is necessary to mention some unforgettable scenes from this movie that, for long, remain in one's memory. Except for the aforementioned ball scene that constitutes a sort of 'special pearl' on its own, the film entails a striking image of Napoleon's shadow over the map of Europe. What impact it has on the vision in a color feature film! What impact it must have had those days! The costumes with a special emphasis on red (which Mamoulian considered the most exciting color, a sort of climax) constitute another merit of the film's visual significance. The interiors appear to be lavish as well.
Yet, BECKY SHARP was quite neglected for years and available on weak copies. Although it was considered an important movie in the history of cinema (being the first feature in three-color Technicolor process - the period which lasted till 1953), it was forgotten for years and in no way considered a must-see. Fortunately, the film has been recently restored and is growing in popularity among classic buffs. Strange phenomenon...yet, it is not the color experimentation that makes it exciting nowadays, it is neither the source novel VANITY FAIR by one of the most respected British novelists William Makepeace Thackeray. It is, unfortunately, not Mamoulian whose name is today associated with totally different titles. I think it is Miriam Hopkins in the lead who still amuses our imagination, rouses our senses and has the power to make the film enjoyable. Having had experience with the director and his special treatment of actors' techniques (part of psychological realism) in DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE a few years earlier, she does an almost flawless job here. Let me broaden this point a little bit.
Ms Hopkins, nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, crafts her role very well with a heartfelt attitude towards her audience. She has quite a difficult role to portray, the role of the foxy young lady who climbs up to the highest ranks of the society using pretty unconventional means, deceitful means. Nevertheless, she catches the glimpse of the 'unreachable' (for many). A bad tempered girl to face the world, a sort of woman no one knows what she is about, a chit-chatting maiden for whom war is amusing, a ruthless Becky who does not give up her plans. Many scenes from the beginning scene when she leaves school through various moments, including her witty role of a governess, her serious role of a wife and a delicious role of a mistress. Miriam Hopkins is unforgettable and stands out from the supporting cast, some very good actors of the period including the distinguished Cedric Hardwicke as Marquis of Steyne.
In all the analysis of the first three strip Technicolor movie, the following adjectives will best describe it after all these decades: innovative, memorable, significant, rousing. INNOVATIVE color experimentation, MEMORABLE production in the history of cinema, SIGNIFICANT direction by Rouben Mamoulian and ROUSING performance by Miriam Hopkins. Worth seeing!