Atonement, starring Keira Knightley, was the opening film at the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday night. The film reunites Knightley with her Pride & Prejudice director, Joe Wright. Last time the two worked together, Knightley netted an Oscar nomination. Based on the reviews of Atonement coming out of Venice, another nod might not be far off. Check out the trailer here.
The film is based on the book of the same name written by Ian McEwan. The film brings to life his tale of romance and remorse set against the backdrop of World War II. Knightley and James McAvoy play the story’s lovers, whose relationship is altered irrevocably by the misunderstanding of a child. The story follows not only the romance, but also the child as she grows into adulthood and old age. It’s not just about love and war, it’s about truth and consequences as well. Vanessa Redgrave graces the screen as the elderly version of the child whose tale altered so many lives.
While in Venice promoting the film, Knightley’s been busy giving interviews. After reading a few of the snippets, I found my respect for Knightley growing slightly. First, it does not appear that the woman holds back when she talks. Second, she idolizes Kate Winslet. How can this be wrong. Here are a couple of other things she’s said recently.
“Once you become famous you get completely dehumanized. I think people forget there is a person in there trying to deal with it.” ? BBC News
“I think that people have to be very honest about fiction, and magazine pictures for example are fiction. One person has done the makeup, the hair, it’s somebody else’s clothes, it’s choreographed by somebody else.” ? International Herald Tribune
And my personal favorite, “The whole celebrity thing is not magic. They’re real people proving they’re s ? ? ? r than everybody else because they don’t even wear knickers.” ? The Time of India
Knightley has had a busy year. In May, she prevailed in her libel suit against British tabloid The Daily Mail. She filed suit after the Mail published a story suggesting Knightley was anorexic and as a result partially responsible for the death of a 19-year-old girl who suffered from the disease. After the case concluded, lawyers for The Daily Mail gave a public statement saying Knightley is not anorexic and bore no responsibility for the death.
Can I just say, not every thin actress suffers from some kind of eating disorder people. Yes, Knightley is exceptionally thin. Yes, I would love to have her over for dessert. Doesn’t mean she’s anorexic. Why must we jump to such conclusions?
Back to Knightley’s busy year. Earlier in the year, she took over for Kate Moss as the face of Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle perfume. Smells good just looking at her doesn’t it?
And then, of course, there was that pirate movie. Aaaargh!
Atonement opens in the US in December, just in time for Oscar season. I for one hope the early buzz means we’ll be seeing Knightley gracing the red carpet.
