An epically long Novel, Vanity Fair is here somehow truncated into less than an hour and a half. Made in 1935 it was the first film produced in full technicolour and it does look beautifully striking. There are also some first rate cinematic shots such as an overhead view of whirling couples on a ballroom dancefloor or a bugler standing beneath a red lantern, engulfed in its light. Silhouettes play an important part, too, most notably in the looming shadow of the Emperor Napoleon after the battle of Waterloo. To place it in its time, we have cameos from William Faversham as The Duke of Wellington and Olaf Hytten as the Prince Regent. But the leading, fictional characters are the ones that the film preoccupies us with. Miriam Hopkins in the eponymous role gives us a sparky effervescent Becky Sharp with more than a hint of brassiness and it is her 'show' with many of the novels other principal characters not getting much of a look in. Those that do make an impact are Cedric Hardwicke as a cold fish of a lecher, Lord Steyne and particularly, Nigel Bruce who gives a wonderfully amusing and endearing portrait of Joseph Sedley, the boobus Brittanicus type of role he went on to specialise in. The film is wonderful to look at and is intermittently engaging and amusing but sometimes grates on the nerves- subtle it ain't and everything, be it emotion or comedy, is overbaked.
Review of Becky Sharp
