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| Wednesday, January 03, 2007 |
| Nuclear Family |
 Silkwood (1983)
Starring: Meryl Streep, Kurt Russell, Cher, Craig T. Nelson, Ron Silver
Cinematography: Miroslav Ondrícek
Written by: Alice Arlen, Nora Ephron
Director: Mike Nichols
Sorry for the late post on this. On one hand I've been busy. On the other, yes, I've found it difficult to get motivated to watch this movie. That may sound funny since I'm the one who picked it, but I wanted to give it a chance despite the daunting first impression made by its story, the DVD cover, its title, and Cher.
I went into this movie knowing about the contamination and death of the real life Karen Silkwood. It was extremely difficult to watch having that outcome in the back of my mind. I also happen to suffer from Radiophobia, the fear of radiation, and it was a nightmare watching Karen set off that ticking monitor alarm thing. Still, I pressed on.
Was it worth it? A day after watching Silkwood, I'm still not sure. As a whole it's got some problems. The pacing is disruptive, dwelling too long on some scenes while breezing through others. Her death, for instance, feels like it was tacked on in the editing room with some spare footage, but we are given a thorough examination of Cher's lesbianic struggles. Also, the use of music in the movie is almost comical. Amazing Grace??! And not just once - TWICE. Seriously now. The original score is heavy handed, distracting us from the otherwise obvious fact that some scenes are outright bad (again, I'm thinking of a loooooong scene with Cher on the porch), and informing us of the appropriate emotion we're supposed to be experiencing. This is definitely my least favorite Mike Nichols film. And, yeah, including Wolf.
The cast is the strongest element of this project. Though even the consummate Meryl Streep's accent drops out from time to time, I thought most of the performances were very strong. Streep may have in fact been a little too strong. Just who was this Karen Silkwood, anyway? We're given very little about her actual character. She loves her children. She's a bit of a rebel. She smokes a lot. She apparently sleeps around. Sometimes she's sharp as a tack, other times as dull as a butter knife...that's pretty much it. Streep, however, seems hellbent on imbuing the role with as much depth as possible, as if the truth of Karen Silkwood isn't quite up to par with the story she wanted to tell. Or maybe that's just Nichols, who may be more comfortable highlighting the weaknesses of the upper class, rather then the strengths of the lower.
What is the focus here? Is it, as Matt predicted, the story of a martyr? That's definitely part of it. It's also the least interesting part. First of all, the facts are hazy as to whether she was even murdered at all. And although it seems fairly clear that she was poisoned, it isn't as if she were the most careful employee at the plant. What if it was just a coincidence? I just don't know, and the movie didn't convince me one way or another. Her life story is an interesting one, but the movie sometimes seems to want to elevate it to a more meaningful level. In that effort, it fails.
The filmmakers also go for this blue collar requiem bullshit that just comes off as hokey. Not for one moment did I forget I was watching a Hollywood production, a bunch of well-to-do outsiders looking in on their neighbors with a telescope. La Terra Trema this ain't.
But forget about it...let's talk about Kurt. I gotta say, he had even less to work with than Meryl Streep, and I thought he was outstanding. Instead of going bigger, he went quieter. And it works. His performance somehow resonates in a way that little else in the movie does. So much of Silkwood feels like empty space - an airy gap between Truth and Message. Russell stays centered, though. And by choosing the subtler approach, he allows us the opportunity to glimpse the humanity of these characters. If only everyone else had the wisdom to do the same, they would have had a real movie on their hands. |
posted by Jeff @ 1/03/2007 10:50:00 AM  |
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| 5 Comments: |
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like a hillbilly riding in air conditioning for the first time ("i think it might be time to start killing hogs"), i am amazed by my netflix subscription. swing shift has arrived and i am really excited to watch it. that's all.
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cool beans. i don't think anyone has had the chance to see silkwood, which is a shame because it's the first club movie that i've actually disliked. i was eager to hear what others thought.
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Yeah, I'm afraid I didn't get around to checking it out. I was going to, but my... um... grandma died. Yeah, that's it. My grandma died.
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from nuclear radiation poisoning, right?
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It was a horrible tragedy.
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--Craig Brewer |
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Founded in Athens, GA in late 2006, we are a group of movie lovers who participate in a weekly, online discussion regarding the merits, qualities, themes, histories, implications, connotations, denotations, and general appeal (or lack thereof) of a variety of selected films.
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like a hillbilly riding in air conditioning for the first time ("i think it might be time to start killing hogs"), i am amazed by my netflix subscription. swing shift has arrived and i am really excited to watch it. that's all.