VANITY FAIR

"Bring in my bags and where is Lord Pitt?"

Becky Sharp to Lord Pitt

Growing up as an orphan in Georgian London, Becky Sharp knew that she was destined for greater things and it was up to her to achieve this. Starting out as a Governess in the Pitt household, Becky soon put her foot on the first step of the social ladder when she became involved with Lord Pitt Crawley's (Hoskins) son Rawdon (Purefoy). The problem was that she now had to endear herself to the other women of society and not just been though of a social climber.

William Makepeace Thackery's classic novel comes to the big screen but can Hollywood darling Reese Witherspoon become one of the great female literacy characters?

Even though it was set in the early 1800s, Vanity Fair has always been seen as a quite modern tale. Becky Sharp raise through the social echelons of British society can be paralleled to many a film or pop star today. She is a woman taking charge of her own destiny and playing the right cards to get were she wants. This is a more and more common occurrence in modern times but in the 1800s this was a rarity, leading Becky Sharp to become one of the most cherished female characters in English literature.

The task of bringing such a beloved character to the silver screen has fallen at the feet of accomplished Indian director Mira Nair. Known for her character driven dramas such as 'Salaam Bombay!' and 'Monsoon Wedding', Nair is also known as a director with an eye for detail, traits that would assist in bringing the novel to film. With 'Vanity Fair' she succeeds in recreating the many social levels associated with Georgian England. We see the dark, dingy streets where the poor scrape a living to the decedent splendour of upper classes, with each scene vividly brought to live with a cavalcade of colour and design. In fact the look of the film is superb, even by the high standard set by many a costume drama. The problem lies with the adaptation of the story.

For the first half of the film you are suitably engaged by Becky's social climbing, as she rises to the stature that she longs to attain. Here we get to know and like the character, as she uses her wit and decent education to gain favour with the aristocracy and get herself known by all the right people. After this the film falls into melodrama, as debt, poverty and adultery take over as Becky desperately tries to cling to what she has gained. While this is an intriguing premise, showing both the ups and downs of the social structure of the time, the story becomes too convoluted as we have to sit through too many story lines as the film rushes towards an ending. During this time the Becky Sharp that we came to adore turns into a person that you will despise as all her morals and dignity are thrown away, as she becomes a shadow of her former self. It gets to the point were you actually don't want her to be happy and the inevitable happy ending is not something you want for this character.

The performances from Reese Witherspoon and the illustrious British/Irish cast do not reflect the lackings of the script however. Witherspoon dons an extremely good British accent as the tenacious Becky Sharp. Her Hollywood career of late has seen her playing parts that you instantly connect with and cannot help but like. The same can be said about Becky Sharp, for the first half of the movie, as Witherspoon makes you want her to do well and climb that social ladder. The second half of the film is a very different matter for the actress and even though the character may fall in you expectations, you can not help but admire the usually bubbly blonde's commitment to this fall and the wiliness to show that there is more to here talents than some people might think. The same can be said for the performances of James Purefoy and Romola Garai. Each of them gives performances that should capture the eye of many a casting director and lead them on to bigger and better things. Bob Hoskins, Gabriel Bryne and Rhys Ifans give noteworthy performances.

'Vanity Fair' is more than just a story of social climbing in the 1800s. This is also a tale of passion, greed, lust, fear, betrayal and unrequited love but the problem is that most of these plot lines are confined to the final half of the movie, therefore throwing too much at the viewer. While the film is a visual spectacle, it is the change in plot direction and character traits that let the movie down and make it not as enjoyable as it should have been. With performances and attention to detail this good, we deserve better instead we have just a decent movie and not a great one.