I watched Atonement over the weekend and found it a deeply moving and beautifully tragic story. Directed by Joe Wright, Atonement is a masterpiece, not words I use lightly.
James McAvoy is absolutely fantastic, delivering a powerful and riveting performance, and for the first time, Keira Knightley really impressed me, giving a glimpse of the great actress I think she will become.
There is one scene in particular that is simply extraordinary; James McAvoy’s character arrives at Dunkirk beach for evacuation, and the camera follows him and his two colleagues around the beach for five minutes. A single, constant steadicam shot that weaves around the beach, picking up the three characters at different points as it moves around.
This scene was shot on Redcar beach with over a thousand extras in just one day; they took just four takes of the Steadicam shot using the third take in the film.
A fantastic piece of filmmaking and cinematography.
If you watched the clip or have seen the film, you will have heard the wonderful, and at times haunting, music by Dario Marianelli; a soundtrack so perfect that it is as important as the actors and director.
If you haven’t seen Atonement, I can’t recommend it highly enough.