NINE
Rob Marshall’s film version of the Broadway musical Nine is currently playing at the AMC Lennox Theater as part of their AMC Select program which features independent films as an option in addition to the mainstream releases. Marshall’s musical extravaganza features an all star cast comprised of Academy Award winners, Daniel Day Lewis, Sophia Loren, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Judi Dench, Academy Award Nominee Kate Hudson, and Grammy Award winner Fergie.
The film centers on famed Italian film Director, Guido Contini, who is at a crossroads in his life personally and professionally. The film focuses on all the women in his life, past and present that have had a profound influence on Guido; meanwhile he is trying to make a comeback film after a series of flops. The women include his mother (Loren), his wife (Cotillard), his mistress (Cruz), his costume designer (Dench), his leading lady (Kidman), an American photojournalist (Hudson), and a whore (Fergie) from his childhood.
Marshall has created a beautiful film in his homage to Italian cinema with his interpretation of the musical Nine. Marshall’s views of the countryside and city streets of Italy are breathtaking and make you feel as if you are back in the 1960s with the spectacular costumes and fashions of that era. Much of the film is told through dreamlike fantasies from Guido’s imagination. Marshall’s visual style is bold, beautiful, and captivating with his grand musical numbers featuring many memorable song and dance numbers by his extraordinary cast. Marshall’s utilization of black and white photography in the flashback sequences from his childhood appears very clean and crisp. From the screenplay adaptation to the music, choreography, costumes, and lighting, Marshall and his collaborators have achieved excellence in their film version of Nine.
Marshall has succeeded in creating a Fellini inspired musical which appeals more to a male audience rather than the traditional female audience. Men will relate to Guido’s struggle with all the women in his life and the personal demons he is working to conquer in his mind. Lewis gives a sensitive performance as the struggling Guido which is very poignant. Cotillard manages to give a very effective performance as Guido’s wife, Luisa. Cotillard is able to portray her pain of Guido’s infidelity so simply with her facial expressions. Loren proves she is a grand dame in her beautiful performance as Guido’s mother. The rest of the cast shines in this wonderfully adapted musical by Rob Marshall.
The film centers on famed Italian film Director, Guido Contini, who is at a crossroads in his life personally and professionally. The film focuses on all the women in his life, past and present that have had a profound influence on Guido; meanwhile he is trying to make a comeback film after a series of flops. The women include his mother (Loren), his wife (Cotillard), his mistress (Cruz), his costume designer (Dench), his leading lady (Kidman), an American photojournalist (Hudson), and a whore (Fergie) from his childhood.
Marshall has created a beautiful film in his homage to Italian cinema with his interpretation of the musical Nine. Marshall’s views of the countryside and city streets of Italy are breathtaking and make you feel as if you are back in the 1960s with the spectacular costumes and fashions of that era. Much of the film is told through dreamlike fantasies from Guido’s imagination. Marshall’s visual style is bold, beautiful, and captivating with his grand musical numbers featuring many memorable song and dance numbers by his extraordinary cast. Marshall’s utilization of black and white photography in the flashback sequences from his childhood appears very clean and crisp. From the screenplay adaptation to the music, choreography, costumes, and lighting, Marshall and his collaborators have achieved excellence in their film version of Nine.
Marshall has succeeded in creating a Fellini inspired musical which appeals more to a male audience rather than the traditional female audience. Men will relate to Guido’s struggle with all the women in his life and the personal demons he is working to conquer in his mind. Lewis gives a sensitive performance as the struggling Guido which is very poignant. Cotillard manages to give a very effective performance as Guido’s wife, Luisa. Cotillard is able to portray her pain of Guido’s infidelity so simply with her facial expressions. Loren proves she is a grand dame in her beautiful performance as Guido’s mother. The rest of the cast shines in this wonderfully adapted musical by Rob Marshall.
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