Wit

Rating:
Summary: Not By Wit Alone
Review: Perhaps of all types of courage required in the human condition, none surpasses the courage required to be stripped down to the spiritual bone of one's ego. In Wit, both the character, Vivian Bearing, and the actress, Emma Thompson, have this rare brand of courage. In an age when our female stars in the entertainment industry tend more and more towards cosmetic fluff, Thompson restores my faith in the woman of quality. She has... wit. She has intelligence, she has class, she has style. Her dedication to her art is supreme; in this film she abandons ego so completely in her portrayal of a woman dying, that I had to bow my head in admiration and respect. Cued by her character's devotion to a life of the mind, I followed the greater part of the movie in a state of intellectual fascination... until at last, as she wore down, so did I. Just as she would have me. As wit alone could not save her, nor could it save me, the viewer, from the sheer, naked terror and pain of the process of dying, of death. By finish, I felt ripped open, exposed, brutalized into feeling, into understanding how secluded we become from ourselves and from others when we isolate any part of our humanness. We are not to be intellect alone, however superior. We are not to be spirit alone, not body alone, but we are to be whole, even as we are in the process, no, most of all when we are in the process... of being broken down.

Wit is filmed sparingly and beautifully. There is no excess. The focus is clear and it is never anywhere but where it should be; every detail is in place for a purpose. John Donne's poetry is the perfect encasement to this story of life and death - and the metaphor of life as a comma, a pause, a mere breath away from death, is sharp and true. No less perfect - Margaret Wise Brown's "The Runaway Bunny." Run, if you will, but your humanity will finally find you.

The best movie I have ever viewed? Can it be? To date - it is. And Thompson's performance, even as I wince to downgrade it by calling it a "performance," even as I wince at such superlatives, is the most impressive I have ever seen. Bravo.

Rating:
Summary: The Soul of Wit
Review: This movie is truly exceptional, Emma Thompson absolutely shines giving Wit just enough soul. I must admit I adore Ms. Thompson, but even if I had never any other performance, I could not have been more captivated. Mike Nichols has outdone himself again. I loved many things about this movie, but nothing more so than when you find yourself alone in intimate conversations with this woman facing death, her life's study, at her bedside. Mr. Nichols allows and invites the audience inside this incredible story. The way past, present, an inevitable events rely upon one another, is so evident when scences played out years ago on stages miles away, find their way into the cancer unit to be played out again with a lovely perpective. I found this film touching, moving, and funny. Wit is one of the best films ever made, and the fact that I saw its premiere on my comfy sofa instead of in a theater full of people made it none the less amazing. It is anything but "soporific".

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: Art doesn't get any better than this.

Rating:
Summary: Best Actress... Emma Thomspon
Review: Had Emma Thompson been eligable for an Academy Award this year for Wit, the category for best actress would have been no contest. It has been some time since an actress won or was even nominated for an Oscar who had a better perfomance than this. This is an exceptional movie, an oscar worthy screenplay and one of our finest actresses at her best.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant,, Harrowing Profound
Review: Days after seeing this film I continue to find new revelations of depth and beauty. I wanted to look away but couldn't; I wanted to shake the doctors and the main character... I wanted something warm and comforting. The latter came "between the lines" as it were. The theological underpinnings, intertwined with the hard, uncompromising, left brained approach to the human spirit from both the doctors and the poetry professor were brilliantly, and elegantly acted and directed. If you're up for a gruelling but thoroughly engrossing film this is it.

Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary!
Review: One of the best films I've ever seen.

Rating:
Summary: When all is said, it's Donne!
Review: The story of a cancer patient has been adequately explained in other reviews. Suffice it to say that most reviewers have described the film's depiction of the agonies of those who become "instruments" of medical personnel but also not to be dismissed is the tenderness shown of those like the nurse who cared for Vivian.
Out of all the reviews I read, I was very surprised that no one
noticed the film's "frame": the John Donne poem, "Death be not
proud" The clear reference by Vivian's professor to the poem's
reference to life, death and eternal life. And the way the
actress spoke in this scene was unforgettable: "This is how it
reads: 'And death shall be no more. Comma. Death, thou shalt
die.' Nothing but a breath--a comma--separates life from life
everlasting. Death is not something to act out on a stage with
exclamation marks. It is a comma, a pause."
Also, a technique employed by the director (perhaps to make a point?)was the presence (in the same scene) of the "crucifix" painting on the wall behind the actress and again at the end of the film, the same painting on a postcard. I think the connection was obvious, even if not intended.
Intended or not, the film was a beautiful work of art in itself. Congratulations to Nichols and Thompson and all who worked on this masterpiece! It will be enjoyed for many years to come!

Rating:
Summary: what's done is Dunn
Review: Having just wiped the last tears from my eyes, i thought it necessary to recommend highly a film that has left me too thoughtful to continue with daily life for at least the next fifteen minutes. "Wit" is a film that combines character development with strong narrative that plunges its audience into their own souls (while providing a wonderful approach to philosophical paradox).
Emma Thompson is phenomenal (true to most of her performances, and indeed proves again her written talent as well as acting talent), and Christopher Lloyd works, though he plays a small but crucial role.
The film does continue past points where i would have liked it to end, but the scenes were good all the same.
Not advised for a night that demands a light comedy, but for satisfying the need for a quality film with superb acting, including a dose of humanity with intelligence, i wholeheartedly recommend "Wit".

Rating:
Summary: I laughed, I cried...
Review: I love Emma Thompson. She is a goddess in every movie she has ever done, and this one is no exception.

Bring tissues and something dear to hold on to (blanket, pet, significant other, stuffed animal, etc.).

Rating:
Summary: Astonishingly Real
Review: This is not easy viewing. This is not a light subject matter either. This film hits so hard and will be remembered long after it's over for one simple reason. It's so real. This is real life. If the subject matter is tough for you to get into, then check it out just for Emma Thompson's performance. Amazing. Emma stars as Vivian Bearing, an English teacher who is diagnosed with cancer. The film then follows her through her life and her ordeal with the deadly disease. It's all her. The whole film focuses on her and her point of view, and doesn't go for the medical view of it. It's about human compassion. It's about facing one's mortality. The movie is so shockingly real, with no cotton candy covering at all. Emma Thompson's performance is nothing short of astonishing. You feel for her. You pray for her. You feel as if you know her. I certainly did. This film brought back some very personal memories of my own. My aunt died from cancer a number of years ago. She moved in with us and we took care of her. I watched as she faded away. Rather quickly at that as well. The images and different stages of it that I saw were really tough on an 11 year old. Images I will never forget as long as I live. She was misdiagnosed at the beginning, and when it was corrected, it was too late. She would still be here with us today if it had been diagnosed correctly. This film was a definite hearttugger for me. Have some hankies handy. Director Mike Nichols is a genius. Both him and Emma deserve Emmy's. Wit is a groundbreaking film. The best Made For Cable film in ages.