Tag Archives: Eddie Redmayne

2020 Films, Courtroom, Drama, Historical Drama, Political Drama, Social Issues

The Trial of the Chicago 7-2020

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The Trial of the Chicago 7-2020

Director Aaron Sorkin

Starring Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Scott’s Review #1,136

Reviewed April 26, 2021

Grade: B+

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) is a Hollywood film with an important message. It’s conventional and explores a historic episode of great importance, and it tells the story well, taking many liberties for effect.

Director Aaron Sorkin sticks to a familiar formula, peppering humor with the standard heavy drama, and creates a film that will appeal to mainstream audiences. He earned several Oscar nominations for the film.

It’s a crowdpleaser first and foremost.

I would have been bothered more by the traditional approach if the subject matter hadn’t been so weighty or presented in a left-leaning way, which it was.

Solidly anti-war, this made the film more powerful and meaningful, though some of the comedic elements seemed silly and trite, and added to lighten the mood.

The period is 1969, though the main subject occurs in 1968, so there is a lot of back and forth. After antiwar activists clash with police and National Guardsmen at the important 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, violence erupts.

Charged with conspiracy and inciting to riot, seven of the protestors are put on trial. The charges are controversial because a new president, Richard Nixon, has just been elected, and a revenge-seeking Attorney General lusts for an example to be made of them.

The casting is tremendous.

John Doman is fabulous in the quick role of the evil Attorney General John Mitchell (historians know he later became a convicted criminal), and Frank Langella makes Judge Julius Hoffman into the asshole he was.

I’ve never been as impressed with Sacha Baron Cohen (or rather, this is the first time I’ve been impressed) as he steamrolls into the role of Abbie Hoffman, a social and political activist.

Eddie Redmayne, John Carroll Lynch, Mark Rylance, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt also deserve praise as either a member of the seven or lawyers for either side.

Whether it achieves specific accuracy isn’t top of mind for me. The Trial of the Chicago 7 provides a historical account of the events that unfolded the night of the riots and the subsequent courtroom proceedings the following year. I’m okay with a few exaggerations for cinema’s sake.

The product is a safe, glossy affair and incredibly slick to the eye.

The editing is fantastic. Snippets of the real Chicago riots of 1968 are interspersed with the created scenes, creating a sound effect through the back-and-forth.

But before this, real-life comments from Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy kick off the action. Both assassinated, their existence is essential to witness before the point at which the film is ever made.

Justice is not always served. Sorkin’s point in including these sequences seems to be that good politicians are out there fighting for truth and fairness.

My favorite scene is the final one. At the end of the trial, Hayden (Redmayne) is given a chance to make a case for a lenient sentence. However, over Judge Hoffman’s objections, Hayden uses his closing remarks to name the 4,752 soldiers who were killed in the Vietnam War since the trial began.

This act prompts many in the court to stand and cheer. Viewers will as well.

The main problem that gnawed at me is the same concern I had when I realized that Sorkin was at the director’s helm. He is a dazzling screenwriter, making the dialogue crisp and rich with intelligence.

But, known for television successes such as The West Wing (1999-2006) and Sports Night (1998-2000), this causes The Trial of the Chicago 7 to look like a made-for-television production versus a raw film experience.

I realize that Sorkin will likely never be a film auteur. Sorkin is why The Trial of the Chicago 7 is a B+ film, not an A film.

The late 1960s were a prominent and sometimes tragic time in United States history. The Trial of the Chicago 7 delves into a pivotal event in which several people were railroaded and punished for something they did not do.

The film makes sure that the railroaders get their just desserts, and that’s fun to see.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor-Sacha Baron Cohen, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Original Song-“Hear My Voice”

2015 Films, Biography, Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, Romantic Drama, Social Issues

The Danish Girl-2015

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The Danish Girl-2015

Director Tom Hooper

Starring Eddie Redmayne

Scott’s Review #310

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Reviewed December 29, 2015

Grade: A-

The Danish Girl (2015) tells the loosely based story of Danish painters and married couple Lili Ebe and Gerda Wegener and Lili’s struggles as the first known recipient of sex reassignment surgery, unheard of at the time (1930).

The film showcases terrific acting (Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander especially) and a journey of one person’s struggle with gender identity.

The subject matter is important and timely, as the recent transgender movement has emerged at the forefront of today’s social issues.

A happy, young couple living in Copenhagen, and married for six years, Gerda and Einar are inseparable and madly in love.

They are best friends and help each other with their art. Because a female model is late, Gerda convinces Einar to stand in for her.

This event triggers a lifelong identification as a female named Lili Elbe. Lili has emerged sporadically since childhood.

Through painful self-assessment and encouragement from progressive loved ones, Lili decides to go through with a highly experimental and risky sex change operation.

Gushing with sensitivity and tenderness, and groundbreaking, though I bet even more so if made ten years ago, one feels for both lead characters, as they both go through emotional turmoil.

It would be easy to lessen Gerda’s emotions, and perhaps with a lesser actress, this might have happened, but Vikander (unknown to me before seeing this film) gives a raw, empathetic performance.

One can imagine how they would feel if their spouse identified as the opposite sex. Confusion, blame, anger, and sorrow would all be common reactions.

Gerda is strong, brave, and helpful while crumbling beneath the surface.

Vikander brings all of this to the screen flawlessly.

Similarly, Redmayne brings depth and empathy to his role.  Redmayne’s Einar is masculine, but he has something sensitive and slightly feminine about him from the start.

Was this done on purpose to soften the blow? He also appears slightly built. Redmayne lost weight to portray this role and have a softer appearance.

Actors can easily dress up in drag, but the emotional investment needs to be there, and Redmayne makes the viewer care about Lili.

One is teary-eyed along with Lili as she sees no other choice but to undergo the risky operation. We see the desperation in Lili’s eyes thanks to Redmayne’s acting skills.

I loved how supportive the characters are. Granted, Einar/Lili and Gerda move in liberal, progressive circles, but for 1930, it was wonderful to see.

Of course, Copenhagen and Paris are open-minded cities, but Lili’s childhood friend Hans, a sophisticated, macho guy, offers support. The same goes for the Doctor taking on Lili’s surgery.

These elements create a delicate, peaceful film of encouragement.

To be clear, Lili is not gay, and this is made crystal clear during the film as she meets a gay man, and the distinction between them is made.

She does, however, identify as a woman. She was born with the wrong parts.

The greatest aspect of The Danish Girl is its powerhouse acting and compelling subject matter.

One’s gender is a given for most, but watching a riveting drama about someone who is unrestful with their gender is eye-opening and still rather taboo.

2015 was a year of progressive transgender films, and The Danish Girl is among the best, handling the subject matter gracefully a without judgment.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Actor-Eddie Redmayne, Best Supporting Actress-Alicia Vikander (won), Best Production Design, Best Costume Design

2014 Films, Biography, Drama, Romantic Drama

The Theory of Everything-2014

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The Theory of Everything-2014

Director James Marsh

Starring Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones

Scott’s Review #199

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Reviewed December 2, 2014

Grade: A-

The Theory of Everything (2014) tells the uplifting true story of renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking (played by Eddie Redmayne) and his lifelong battle with a debilitating illness- motor neuron disease, which he was diagnosed with in college.

He and his future wife, literature student Jane Wilde (played by Felicity Jones), meet in 1963 at the prestigious Cambridge University in England and fall madly in love.

From there, the film follows their lifelong love affair and Stephen’s subsequent health battles.

Redmayne is wonderful in the lead role.

Portraying a character with both speech and mobility deterioration is not an easy task, especially as the problems become worse and worse over time, forcing the actor to express varying levels of disability.

Redmayne rises to the occasion with both believability and conviction, making his portrayal as real as possible.

The performance fondly reminded me of another great physical performance, Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot from 1989.

Redmayne is a rising star in Hollywood.

Felicity Jones is also good, though I feel many actresses could have handled the role, and her part has less meat than Redmayne’s.

The rest of the cast is British, which makes the film feel authentic. Emily Watson, who plays Jane’s mother, shamefully receives only one scene. Was this talented actress’s role cut?

I get the sense the filmmakers had Oscar in mind, as the film is geared toward mainstream audiences with a wholesome slant.

The film skims past the complex theories and mathematical aspects and focuses more on the inspirational tale of a person overcoming an immense challenge.

Furthermore, the subsequent quadrangle between Hawking, Jane, Jane’s choir leader (Jonathan), and Hawking’s nurse (Elaine) is toned down and sanitized.

Hawking’s family accused his nurse of abusing him, which is never mentioned in the film.

The film presents their relationship as wonderful, so some facts have clearly been softened or omitted altogether, for a more moral feel.

The situation involving the four real-life characters is messy, but the film makes it seem sweet. Presumably, this is because all the characters are still alive.

This is an interesting aspect of the film and is less a criticism than a perception. Many films embellish reality for entertainment value.

The pairing of Jane and Jonathan seemed inevitable from the moment they met. They had much in common (religion), whereas Stephen and Jane were complete opposites- she was catholic, he was an atheist.

The sexual chemistry between Stephen and Elaine was evident from the moment they met. Elaine’s energetic sexiness contrasts sharply with Jane’s haggard, weary look at that point in the film.

The film isn’t designed to be a downer, as it could have been. The focus might have been sadder. Rather, it is sentimental and empowering.

The Theory of Everything (2014) is a heartwarming, conventional human story about a man rising above adversity, and at its center is a dynamic performance by Eddie Redmayne.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Actor-Eddie Redmayne (won), Best Actress-Felicity Jones, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score