jparsons-106-257792
The Emma Bovary of this movie was not charming, not attractive, not spirited, not well intentioned, not seemingly disturbed by her own conduct, and displayed no real depth of character, and she thereby offered me no reason to somehow bond emotionally with her as she stumbled into a tragic life of her own making; I never became invested in the outcome beyond increasingly wanting the story to end. The other characters in this movie were almost all as equally unmoving and dull. When the movie was over, it was not over soon enough. Maybe it was the fault of the director that this thing was a stinker. Whatever the problem with this movie, don't subject yourself to it.
Bob-353
Not expecting too much from this movie I was hoping to be surprised. Well I was. It was worse than I thought. Boring storyline, which has been done to death with these types of period pieces. There was no real point to any of it really. Just a few romps in the sack, with some passing fantasies of M Bovary, and that was it really. In the main she was the totally frustrated and bored housewife, but not quite as much as I was just watching. Scenery and cinematography wasn't even enough to lift the spirits. Throughout the film I was expecting a sudden change of pace or a dynamic twist to ramp up the whole affair, but somehow it just meandered along at such a sluggish pace, I openly admit I did nod off, much to my wife's annoyance. I would gladly give this movie. big fat zero, but have to settle for a 1/10. Dreadful.
quayrice
First, the short summary at the top of the IMDb page COMPLETELY MISREPRESENTS the plot of the movie and novel. Madame Bovary is not simply cheating on her husband to advance her social status.Her affairs are part of a much more profound struggle for transcendence from the ordinary life in which she feels trapped. That's why the novel is a classic of modern literature. The way IMDb puts it makes it sound like a cheap Lifetime movie.Second, Mia Wasikowska is a fine actress but I've always imagined Madame Bovary as a much more sensual woman.Third, I think Ezra Miller was terribly miscast as Leon Dupuis. Not to disparage his acting, but he's far too young and effeminate to be an object of desire for Emma Bovary.While the film was beautifully shot, it otherwise doesn't quite do justice to Flaubert. Perhaps my expectations were too high.
LifeVsArt
Mia Wasikowska in this new, atmospheric film adaptation of "Madame Bovary" (a revolutionary classic) makes a fascinating, sensitive, and convincing Emma; one that resembles not so much previous Bovary's from previous films, but actually the complicated, twenty-something, anti- heroine of the novel, which I've long loved. To me she captures a lot of the paradoxes and ambiguous aspects of Emma, and manages to create empathy while making so many foolish, self-destructive choices. I've watched the film twice, and by the second viewing I got past the differences from the book (I know all the dialogue and scenes) and the gradual pace of the film, and got into the stillness that builds to the emotional release. I haven't really felt any movie has come close to capturing the book (which may be an impossible feat) but this one has it's own poetic perspective, mystique and beauty (without the irony of the novel) and Mia's portrayal has the enigmatic, haunting qualities that have made me a Bovary addict.Scenes of Emma running ornately clad through cow pastures vividly show her stranger-in-a-strange-land status (a peacock surrounded by peasantry). There were many references to her conflicted relationship to nature, including the hunt with the Marquis that I thought worked well, showing her, after the killing of the stag, seeking some power equal to men - in her case, she expressed it in her sexuality (through adultery), and conspicuous consumption; of course, this didn't work out too well. I think that in both the book and this film, Emma is seeking some measure of power, and of course love, but in a very unconscious way. The final, climactic scene was movingly done; it felt real to me. This version of "Madame Bovary" is quite haunting, with a sad beauty of its own.The cinematography and the costumes are simply gorgeous, but they're more than eye-candy, they are integrally connected to the emotional changes in Emma and the times in which she lived.
AD
