DECEMBER 8, 2022
FILM: EMPIRE OF LIGHT
STARRING: OLIVIA COLMAN, MICHAEL WARD, COLIN FIRTH
DIRECTED BY SAM MENDES
RATING: 2 ½ STARS (Out of 4)
BY Dan Pal
The film career of Sam Mendes has seen its share of highs (American Beauty, Road to Perdition, 1917) and mid-range successes that are largely forgotten today (Revolutionary Road, Away We Go.) His new film Empire of Light which he wrote and directed sadly might fall into the latter category. It features another in a long line of powerhouse performances from Olivia Colman and some notably luscious cinematography from two-time Oscar winner Roger Deakins. Beyond these elements (and they ARE quite mighty) the script is a bit of a mess.
Set in the early 1980s, Colman plays Hilary, a middle-aged woman, who is clearly going through the motions in her job as a local movie theater duty manager. When a new young Black employee, Stephen (played by a very good Michael Ward), is hired, Hilary’s world begins to turn around. She’s smitten by the very personable and attractive man who shares her love of the old the theater. With disapproving glances at young people being overly physical, Hilary only slowly begins to express her interest in Stephen. She’s tightly wound which becomes a bit better explained later in the film.
These primary plot points render some comparison to Mendes’s earlier work American Beauty where 42-year old Lester Burnham (played by Kevin Spacey) falls for high school cheerleader Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari.) Here the roles are reversed and the ages are each upped by about 5-10 years. However, it is clear that Mendes is still working through such “forbidden” relationships. Here, the fact that Stephen is Black is less of a concern for Hilary then for local hooligans who generally don’t want Stephen around taking “their” jobs.
The film seems to want to tackle a variety of issues without ever really focusing on one. There are protests in the street outside the theater but no real clear context is given. Then there is the subject of mental illness. We see Hilary take Lithium but only later in the film do we understand the reason. In this sense, Mendes seems to be commenting on the effects of psychotropic medications. There’s also a subplot featuring Hilary’s boss, played by Colin Firth, who seeks her out for some clandestine office sex. It becomes clear that Hilary has an issue with men but why is never overtly communicated.
All over the film Mendes peppers dialogue and wall signs with expressions like, “find the lightness in the dark,” “oh, to be able to fly” and “dance till you drop.” Each of these find their way into the film but, again, don’t completely gel. Yes, the wounded characters of Hilary and Stephen need to break out of the worlds in which they live but Mendes pushes the ideas in somewhat heavy handed scenes without really letting them breathe.
There are plenty of references to other films from the era, including Being There, Raging Bull, and Chariots of Fire. The film police though will take note that the order in which these films are screened in the film is out chronological release order. One would think that a film about movies would be a bit more careful with such details.
Still, the real show here belongs to Colman who can play it flat and cold while also romantic and out of control. There are moments that almost risk being over the top but Colman is skilled enough not to take those scenes too far.
Then of course there is Deakins’s cinematography. There are some truly beautiful shots that often echo the cold atmosphere of Edward Hopper’s paintings. I only wish there were more to create a stronger unified visual look throughout the film.
The production design is also a stand-out. The theater is beautiful in its scale and art deco elements. Even the decaying upper floors are showcased with grandeur suggesting what the space might have once been.
Empire of Light isn’t a “bad” film just over wrought with too many ideas that needed more focus. Some have said this is Mendes’s Cinema Paradiso but it doesn’t come close to that. See it for Colman and the visuals.
Empire of Light played as part of the Chicago International Film Festival. It opens today in limited theatrical release.
FILM: EMPIRE OF LIGHT
STARRING: OLIVIA COLMAN, MICHAEL WARD, COLIN FIRTH
DIRECTED BY SAM MENDES
RATING: 2 ½ STARS (Out of 4)
BY Dan Pal
The film career of Sam Mendes has seen its share of highs (American Beauty, Road to Perdition, 1917) and mid-range successes that are largely forgotten today (Revolutionary Road, Away We Go.) His new film Empire of Light which he wrote and directed sadly might fall into the latter category. It features another in a long line of powerhouse performances from Olivia Colman and some notably luscious cinematography from two-time Oscar winner Roger Deakins. Beyond these elements (and they ARE quite mighty) the script is a bit of a mess.
Set in the early 1980s, Colman plays Hilary, a middle-aged woman, who is clearly going through the motions in her job as a local movie theater duty manager. When a new young Black employee, Stephen (played by a very good Michael Ward), is hired, Hilary’s world begins to turn around. She’s smitten by the very personable and attractive man who shares her love of the old the theater. With disapproving glances at young people being overly physical, Hilary only slowly begins to express her interest in Stephen. She’s tightly wound which becomes a bit better explained later in the film.
These primary plot points render some comparison to Mendes’s earlier work American Beauty where 42-year old Lester Burnham (played by Kevin Spacey) falls for high school cheerleader Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari.) Here the roles are reversed and the ages are each upped by about 5-10 years. However, it is clear that Mendes is still working through such “forbidden” relationships. Here, the fact that Stephen is Black is less of a concern for Hilary then for local hooligans who generally don’t want Stephen around taking “their” jobs.
The film seems to want to tackle a variety of issues without ever really focusing on one. There are protests in the street outside the theater but no real clear context is given. Then there is the subject of mental illness. We see Hilary take Lithium but only later in the film do we understand the reason. In this sense, Mendes seems to be commenting on the effects of psychotropic medications. There’s also a subplot featuring Hilary’s boss, played by Colin Firth, who seeks her out for some clandestine office sex. It becomes clear that Hilary has an issue with men but why is never overtly communicated.
All over the film Mendes peppers dialogue and wall signs with expressions like, “find the lightness in the dark,” “oh, to be able to fly” and “dance till you drop.” Each of these find their way into the film but, again, don’t completely gel. Yes, the wounded characters of Hilary and Stephen need to break out of the worlds in which they live but Mendes pushes the ideas in somewhat heavy handed scenes without really letting them breathe.
There are plenty of references to other films from the era, including Being There, Raging Bull, and Chariots of Fire. The film police though will take note that the order in which these films are screened in the film is out chronological release order. One would think that a film about movies would be a bit more careful with such details.
Still, the real show here belongs to Colman who can play it flat and cold while also romantic and out of control. There are moments that almost risk being over the top but Colman is skilled enough not to take those scenes too far.
Then of course there is Deakins’s cinematography. There are some truly beautiful shots that often echo the cold atmosphere of Edward Hopper’s paintings. I only wish there were more to create a stronger unified visual look throughout the film.
The production design is also a stand-out. The theater is beautiful in its scale and art deco elements. Even the decaying upper floors are showcased with grandeur suggesting what the space might have once been.
Empire of Light isn’t a “bad” film just over wrought with too many ideas that needed more focus. Some have said this is Mendes’s Cinema Paradiso but it doesn’t come close to that. See it for Colman and the visuals.
Empire of Light played as part of the Chicago International Film Festival. It opens today in limited theatrical release.
