Why has this been forgotten?
http://feelthefilms.wordpress.com/2013/11/17/why-has-the-hours-been-fo rgotten/
I’ve seen it 100 times, but I still find something emotionally absorbing from The Hours each time I watch it. Dauldry himself said the beauty of the film is the emotional hit comes at a different scene with each viewing, I never knew how true that was until watching it today. Films like Precious for example, we know the “hit” is going to be “Nobody loves me” and Mo’Nique’s last scene, but in The Hours, there are so many possibilities to get under your skin, it’s almost pliable to where you are in your emotional life the day you watch it. I know I’ve drawn on all three of the heroines for different reasons.
The Hours to me just represents so much more than any words can say. It’s about life, day-to-day life, how we function through every minute, how we’re probably going to be unhappy with something and working towards that happiness, but the happiness is found in the moments of doing nothing. We’re going to have to make hard decisions for bigger peace of mind and keep moving forward. We’re all selfish in ways, we all have things we regret from the past, but life is moving forward. Woolf was so brilliant in Mrs. Dalloway and Cunningham/Hare broaden that story into more accessible and identifiable to a wider range of people.
I’ve cited Nicole Kidman’s portrayal of Virginia Woolf as my favorite acting of all-time and the crown is still her’s to wear. In her other films, though she’s excellent at becoming the character, subconsciously you know it’s Nicole Kidman underneath. Any actors, any performance is like that, but Kidman’s work as Virginia Woolf is the one time I’m not thinking about the actor because of what I see: the texture of Woolf’s mannerisms, the vulnerable mental instability, and genus insight into herself and the world around her. A performance that’s emotionally the deepest and eloquently rooted in anguish.
The other acting is pretty remarkable, as well. Though they don’t reach the soaring heights of Kidman, Julianne Moore engrosses herself in Laura Brown’s depression and Meryl Streep animatedly spins the figure of Mrs. Dalloway. Dauldry’s direction links the film with a universal pain and connects the three women like triplets, the film editing uses the juicy material to its advantage while it seamlessly ties the film together as a whole. Part of what makes The Hours so emotionally potent is the musical score, aiding the actors in telling the stories of the characters.
Though it was nominated for a bundle of Oscars and won Best Picture at the Golden Globes, people never talk about The Hours like other films from that year like Chicago, The Pianist, or even Gangs of New York. Why? The film is flawlessly made and is tangled in feminist themes..have people just forgotten about it because it’s emotionally driven rather than action-driven like those I mentioned? Is it the cryptic meanings of the actions of the characters? Is it because it’s a female dominant film? I hope some people resurrect it from their DVD collections because it may be the finest film of the past decade.
Feel the Films: A Blog by RCS - http://feelthefilms.wordpress.com/