Philip Kaufman has given me some of my greatest film experiences. The invasion of Czechoslovakia in The Unbearable Lightness of Being is always close in my memory--what an emotional punch. But he's getting old; in his 80s now and showing his decline. This film is mostly a triumph for Walter Murch, the editor, and the set designs are splendid too. What's missing is the directorial shaping of the story and characters. History films should not have an endless procession of actors playing famous people for about 20 seconds of screen time, as we see here. Only Dos Passos gets any more than superficial treatment.
Clive Owen does his best with Hemingway but it's really not his part. Nicole Kidman sure looks glamourous, but often disconnected from the proceedings.
Review of Hemingway & Gellhorn
