Visually flawless, with a great cast and direction. So it can be described Lemony Snicket, which debuts in theaters as an alternative to other series for young people, like Harry Potter. Brad Silberling is who is ahead of this adaptation of the books by Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler heteronym) and illustrated by Brett Helquist. Lemony Snicket is a collection composed of thirteen books and narrate the adventures of the Baudelaire siblings after the death of his parents in a fire. Handler looking for a publisher for his first novel entitled "The Basic Eight". One of the publishers do not accept the novel but wanted him to write a children's book. While not enjoying it at first, Handler has modified a manuscript he had written for adults, who possessed a more gothic tone and sarcastic, and ended up making it into a "Gothic novel about children growing up in dire situations," a concept that appealed to editors .
By the amount of books published and the potential of each of the stories before his audience, probably the best solution for this series in film was filming the 13 episodes on 3 separate stories for film, released once a year. Thus the three stories of each film could be better developed and still leave in anticipation for the next adventure in the subsequent films. The script was provided by Robert Gordon, who had previously scripted MIB - Men in Black II in 2002. Just not sure of the production of other stories, Gordon chose to synthesize the various books and had its script based on the first three books in the series, with some modifications. The books are: "The Bad Beginning", "The Reptile Room" and "The Lake of Leeches." In addition, he had to leave the plot with a beginning, middle and end, but still leaving some hooks for possible future sequences. Gordon has structured his script exactly like the books, the adventures of brothers separated by chapters, and in each one of them would be in the house of each one of the tutors, and only then perform the connecting links in the climax, which would solve the doubts that arise about the unexplained death of his parents.
The script tells the story of Klaus (Liam Aiken), Violet (Emily Browning) and Sunny (Kara Hoffman / Shelby Hoffman), who are three brothers who were at Briny Beach suddenly receive the news that his parents died in a fire. How are minors, they can not even inherit the fortune of her parents, which only occurs when Violet, the oldest, turns 18. The trio then goes to live with Count Olaf (Jim Carrey), a distant relative rather greedy, they want to take the children's fortune for himself. But before Count Olaf put his main plan into action, children sometimes change tutor, and taken by Mr. Poe (Timothy Spall), come to the house of Uncle Monty (Billy Connolly), a breeder of reptiles, and the Aunt Josephine (Meryl Streep), full of fears and loves grammar. But to achieve its goal, Olaf not measure consequences.
Daniel Handler has created a story with anachronistic ambiance, and full of literary allusions and cultural. The setting seems to have much stylistic similarities with the nineteenth century as in the 1930s, but with contemporary scientific knowledge, and apparently anachronistic. These differences are best explained in the following volumes of books in the series. Even as a book for children, many details will be understood only by adults. Many of the names of characters, for example, allude to other fictional works or real people with macabre connections. In literary references, The Briny Beach is a reference to Lewis Carroll's poem, "The Walrus and the Carpenter". Important to note that the adaptation of Robert Gordon is very faithful to its original, but by modifying some detail, making a connection histories were apparent. For example, the plot begins with the story of "The Bad Beginning", go to "The Reptile Room" and "The Lake of Leeches", and ends with the climax of the first book. Virtually all the passages of the books are present, but some of the books changes were felt in the film as the lack of glasses Klaus and constant coughing of Mr. Poe.
For those who are watching the movie and do not know who is its director, might well think that this is a work of Tim Burton. But is Brad Silberling (Casper (1995), City of Angels (1999) and Moonlight Mile (2002)) who runs with great competence. The look of the film is breathtaking. The photography Emmanuel Lubezki transports us directly to the dark and gothic visual scenarios portrayed. The indoor FAEM always use dark tones, dirty, with good use of shadows and natural light. Production designer Rick Heinrichs and set decorator Cheryl Carasik perform an exquisite work. From the street facades of the tutors, even the interiors are masterfully reproduced. The large interior of the house of Count Olaf (Jim Carrey) is grim, dirty, old, disgusting, matching well with its owner. Early on we see the contrast of the house of the sinister Count Olaf hiring with the "normal" house quiet and Justice Strauss (Catherine O'Hara), her neighbor. The home of Uncle Monty (Billy Connolly) with his Reptile Room, showing him all the fascination for these animals. The Aunt Josephine (Meryl Streep) is breathtaking. The structure of the house located on the edge of Lake Lachrymose, its well detailed interior that reflects the eccentricity of Josephine and her love of grammar as a huge library, besides the huge window overlooking the lake. There is also the scene of the train tracks. A curious fact is that in spite of this scene of the film seem to pass in the 30s, Count Olaf's car has electronic locks.
The production, with a high cost of $ 140 million, much of that amount is applied in efficient visual effects. We have some scenes very well done. We have a scene of danger almost trampling on a rail, some involving frogs and snakes, a scenario burned (especially the final scenes when the brothers enter the house and the image they had of it will be deconstructed until it is shown all burnt) , and scenes involving leeches, and especially the spectacular scene of destruction objects and own Aunt Josephine. Effects are very realistic that make up the main and most complex scene involving effects on long. In this particular scene, the junction of the effects, with photography and art direction are an example of working together.
The period costumes by Colleen Atwood also made matching the visual scenarios and characters. We can not also forget the makeup work Oscar winner. Valli O'Reilly and Bill Corso perform perfect characterizations to the protagonists, and especially the villain. To get an idea, the makeup worn by Jim Carrey in this movie took 3 hours to be prepared. Already Thomas Newman, composer responsible for The Green Mile (1999) and Angels in America (2003), composes a flawless track that mixes moments of adventure, action, mystery and drama. The end of the film is to hold back the tears at the scene of reading a letter.
The cast does a commendable job. The children are all at a high level of interpretation. Liam Aiken is Klaus, who is 12 years old, a lover of books and uses his knowledge to find ways to escape from Count Olaf. The beautiful and stunning Emily Browning is flawless. Looking like a doll-sized. Besides filling our eyes, the actress plays with great naturalness and shows enormous talent.
Violet is 14 years old and is the oldest of the brothers. It is a great inventor and when you have an idea holds your hair not to disturb his concentration. Until the baby Sunny, played by sisters Kara Hoffman and Shelby Hoffman, does well. The baby is beautiful, charismatic and gets lots of laughs from the audience to give life to the girl who has an incredible ability to bite and a vocabulary somewhat understandable that the public is always subtitled. Besides the players, we have Jim Carrey, who despite being a bit exaggerated, since the books Count Olaf is much more dangerous than comic. Yet the characteristics of Conde are well built mainly by makeup. Some visual details were accented, as amended eyebrows, the eye-shaped tattoo and thinness of the character.
There are even Meryl Streep, with a fun interpretation of paranoid Aunt Josephine, and special participation of other names such as Jude Law, who lends his voice and interpretation in the shadows to Lemony Snicket, Catherine O'Hara as Justice Strauss Billy Connolly as the Uncle Monty, Timothy Spall as the guardian of the rights of children, Jennifer Coolidge as the woman pale face and, of course, Dustin Hoffman as the critical present in the play staged by Count Olaf in the final film.
Brad Silberling and Robert Gordon managed to capture well the sense of humor that is in the books and even increased the gloomy weather not so common for readers age that books are targeted. The mixture of the somber mood with humor is the great secret of production. The script is smart in a compilation of ideas, while making it clear that life is not so simple for children, highlights the importance of abstract virtues increasingly relegated to oblivion, like innocence, imagination, family unity , love and good will always triumph in the end.
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