Atonement (DVD)

A wonderfully neo-classic interweaving intriguing plot lines within a bizarre
family and friends scenario. Performances by Keira Knightley and James McAvoy and supporting part by Vanessa Redgrave are sterling. It could only be British with it's cunningly amusing and ironic yet harrowing tale of love and fated romance. Aside from emotive surealism in parts which can be a tad confusing you won't regret watching this time and time again. If you want a gritty
realistic tearjerker then Atonement is a must see.
4/5

On a long hot summers day in 1935, 13 yr old Briony harbours a crush on Robbie the housekeepers son.
Robbie is in love with Cecilia, her older sister.
Robbie writes a very graphic letter to Cecilia which he never intends to send, and a tamer version that he gives to Briony to deliver, however he ends up giving her the wrong letter which Briony reads.
After witnessing an intimate moment between them after delivering the letter, Briony is shocked and confused.
Later that night a terrible assault takes place and Briony gives false witness that it was Robbie.
That one lie shatters the lives of the 3 of them, and Briony spends the rest of her life trying to atone for what she did.

Beautifully filmed, stunning locations, you can feel the heat and tensions of pre war England building up.
The ending took me totally by surprise.
Well worth watching.
Its added to my favourite film list

One of my favourite films of 2007, this made a great impact on me when I saw it in the cinema, and watching clips screened on TV since only reminds me of the many highlights that it features.
The storyline of the film is well-structured - based around a young girl's confused and spiteful reactions to her older sister's romance. Joe Wright as director subtly shifts styles, leading from the clipped and mannered 1930s through the upheavals of WW2, and on to the dramatic revelations in the sterile TV studio at the conclusion (delivered by the excellent Vanessa Redgrave).
This is one of those films that makes terrific use of the wide screen, nowhere more so than in the excellent recreation of the soldiers' views of the long wait for evacuation from Dunkirk.
Performances from the whole cast are very good, with James McAvoy in particular delivering what will hopefully be just one of many memorable roles to come.
Highly recommended!

Tragic love story in which a series of catastrophic misunderstandings wreck the lives of two sweethearts. Cast includes James McAvoy and Keira Knightley and is uniformly excellent. The flash-backs and flash-forwards in the plot are effective and not hard to follow. An engrossing film for grown-ups.

This film has the power to move you emotionally and stay with you. Some great acting by all and a wonderful soundtrack which adds to the emotion. I like unexpected endings and this definitely has one. James McAvoy excels as Robbie, who is accused of a crime he did not commit by a young girl. The film centres around the girl’s life as she grows and tries to atone for what she has done, and the devastating impact of her actions on those around her. The brilliant Keira Knightley does it again, with an excellent performance as Cecilia, who is in love with Robbie. Some dramatic scenes of World War II, and wartime London convincingly done. A beautiful film.

I was given the book a few years ago, I found it boring and difficult to follow although I did manage to finish it.

So when it came out on dvd I bought it in the hope that it would be a little more interesting and I was not disapointed, the story is easier to follow, the characters were cast brilliantly and the filming is superb! The shots of dunkirk are some of the best wartime special affects I have ever seen, making it so easy to imagine being there and the suffering of the men there.

I was slightly confused by the ending (which I was with the book too) and that is why this film for me is only a 4. I found it hard to be sure what really happened with the 2 main characters and what was written by the younger sister, but that aside it is well worth a watch.

This movie was fantastic, it was one of those films which leaves you thinking about it hours after the movie is over. Keira delivers an amazing performance as usual and all the other actors fit their roles well. It is just long enough to be enjoyable without thinking 'is it still on?'. I would rate it 9/10 an excellent movie!

I borrowed this DVD from a friend, knowing nothing about it. I thought the film was wonderful, and immediately bought the book. For once the film follows the book closely, and I decided that life wasn't worth living without my own copy to cry over on a wintry afternoon when I have a bar of chocolate and a big mug of latte.

I have bought this DVD because of the extras. I am a fan of Keira Knightley and wanted to see if she showed up on the deleted scenes.

First of all I must say that this film is very well-made. Everything is top quality, the acting, the direction, the cinematography, the costumes, the sceneries, the music, you name it. What I've liked the most was the acting. My personal favourite was Saiorse Ronan, she was beyond excellent. She blew me away I guess because I do not usually expect good acting from young performers. Knightley was also wonderful, I think this was her best performance to date (since The Edge of Love and The Duchess haven't come out yet). Garai, Redgrave and McAvoy were also amazing.

The extras of the DVD are quite good. They have a few deleted scenes and a making of with some important scenes from the film and opinions of the cast and crew (including Ian McEwan, the author of the book, and Jacqueline Durran, the costume designer).

Overall, I did not like the film very much. I've watched it twice at the cinemas so I could give the film another chance. I did not like the book (which I've read when they were shooting the film) either because I did not enjoy the story. I've liked only the first half of the book and film. For me both should have stopped there. I did not care what happened to the characters after that very day. It would be nice to leave everything to the reader/viewer's imagination. Maybe that is because I did not care for the character of Robbie Turner. I can't understand why he has so much screen time/space on the book. I thought Cecilia and specially Briony were much more interesting characters.

I would recommend this film for anyone who liked the book. If you haven't read the book I recommend you read it because it's very well written. If you haven't read and want to watch the film anyway I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a good drama and is open minded for different ways of story telling.

Excellent film!

After reading and loving the book so much I did wonder if the film would be a huge let down - but no!

I found the film very neatly done with the "viewed from both perspective" sequences nicely filmed to show the viewer what events had actually taken placed and also how they had been perseved from afar!

All in all a good watchable film that I for one will be loaning out to friends.

I do like James Mcavoy though, Narnia, Inside Im dancing and Starter for Ten he was great in them all!

Go James!

This film is wonderful. A moving and dramatic look at how the imagination of a child creates problems for her sister and the man her sister loves. I loved this film and the ending is really sad. James McAvoy and Keira Knightley were Oscar worthy in this film.

I approached this movie with trepidation. Often the films that are hyped and feted the most turn out to be disappointments. Not this one. This is an intelligent story of doomed love, packing an emotional punch without ever being sentimental. The cast are all excellent. the attention to detail in the period setting is breathtaking, and the story is both gripping and devastating.
I cannot recommend this film more highly.

it was a lovley film that kept me intrigud. it was the trailors on telivision that made me buy it. and i wasnt disappointed.

The film doesn't feel the need to go in depth in to all the nooks and crannies to tell the story, leaving some things to the interpretation of the viewer. It doesn't give away the plot with constant niggly clues.

The main characters gel brilliantly and the way the plot skips slightly forwards then backwards is a great way to portray the story.

One thing I will say is that in this instance it is better to watch the film before the book (or in place of reading the book!)

Excellant film more so for me because I live only a couple of miles from Redcar where the scene on the beach was filmed and saw it transformed.Also I won ticket to go to the local premiere of the film at Redcar which was amazing.The director was there and spoke to the audience.I wanted to my husband to see it but he is not keen on going to the cinema these days.He has the impression that all films are rubbish now but he misses out on so much.I thought it was a marvellous love story and all actors were superb and deserved more than they got in the film awards.The emotions that James McAvoy portrayed through his eyes alone were tear gerkingly real.Would watch it again & again as you can see and hear something else each time.I do not tend to look for errors in a picture as some do and just take it for what it is and enjoy it.

This is a brilliant film, I read the book first and it has been translated to the the film perfectly. All the actors and actresses are perfectly cast. Its a really emotional film, I defy anyone not to cry at the ending, which may not end in the way you expected or wanted it to. A must see.

i have not yet watched this film but thought i'd buy one dvd to keep and watch im sure i'll be happy and enjoy watching it too.

Having read everything Ian McEwan has ever written, I was eagerly awaiting 'Atonement' on DVD to compare it with his stunning novel set around the Second World War and I wasn't disappointed.

Although it's a truism that a film adaptation never quite compares with the imagined world the reader creates for themselves in the experience of reading a book, this version comes pretty close. James MacAvoy, Keira Knightly and the young girl who played Briony were all outstanding in a portrayal which managed to successfully evoke the stifling heat of the summer of 1935; the complex social relationships and, ultimately, the utter heartbreak and desolation of war.

I hope that anyone watching this DVD is inspired to read more of Ian McEwan's work as a result.

There are enough reviews of Atonement floating about the internet, but, frankly, people should simply watch it and make their own minds up, without preconceptions.
If someone tells you not to watch a movie, perhaps you should just to see if you agree with their point of view. (Open your minds people!)

I bought and watched Atonement, despite negative reviews from colleagues and friends (amongst many positive recommendations though, I might add) and I have to say I like it.

It is not the epic some people gush about or a life changing experience, nor is it quite as poor as some people seem to think. It is beautifully filmed and well acted, James McAvoy stepping up with possibly his best performance to date.
Keira Knightly was commendable, if a little robotic at times.

All in all, it is a touching story set in WWII and those of a sensitive nature should probably steer well clear of it, as there are gruesome scenes, foul language and depictions of a sexual nature. However, if you are a normal person who doesn't lead quite such a sheltered life, then it is a good evening's viewing and well worth a few quid. The sumptuous shots of the wistful, halcyon England that once was makes it definitely more watchable and you do have to realise that the story is not linear, often jumping to another person's perspective, but there are only 3 narratives, so it is easy to work out who is the current storyteller.

I agree with some who say watch it once and be happy to never watch it again - I didn't think it was magical and amazing, or the be all and end all of war-set romance stories, just a pretty good film, 4 out of 5, worth getting on Dvd, so go buy it cheap and have a good night in. (Unless you really, really hate THAT word, even though it is NEVER uttered once in the film...I dunno, some people find it highly offensive, others are less highly strung.)

Love it. There are not many films which I consider to be better than the book, but this is one of them!

What a stunning movie i was so taken aback, i mistakenly thought this would be an average chick flick but it was so much more, i was captivate from the first scene i had to watch it again the following night.
You can tell how good a movie is if if leaves you thinking long after the movie has finished and atonement is infectious.
THIS IS A MUST SEE MOVIE

what a load of overrated rubbish!!!!!!!!! total waste of money. claims to last 1 hour 58 minutes . lasts 1 hour 30. lot of it takes place in the dark so you cannot see it. no wonder there are so many for resale. once seen , never again
john.sadler5@tiscali.co.uk

Atonement is everything is says on the tin; clever, stylish, atmospheric and above all, well made. A classy cast create a genuinely clever story which moves at a good pace. The period detail is remarkable and if you can get over thinking how painfully thin Keira Knightley is, you will be mesmerised by her performance. I'd say buy rather than rent as there is so much to enjoy you will want to watch all over again.

This is a great film... there is historical bits (Dunkirk), very amusing bits and a great story line.

The film looks at different peoples views which makes some bits very funny.

Although the story is very sad near the end and you really feel part of the film. Can bring a tear to the eye.

There is one bit that I had to turn away as I am squeamish but it is very short.

It is a great film!!

Would highly recommended that you watch this!!