EMPIRE OF LIGHT
****
Director: Sam Mendes
Screenplay: Sam Mendes
Principal cast:
Olivia Colman
Micheal Ward
Colin Firth
Toby Jones
Tom Brooke
Tanya Moodie
Country: UK/USA
Classification: MA15+
Runtime: 115 mins.
Australian release date: 2 February 2023.
In his beautiful, moving film, Empire of Light, writer/director Sam Mendes has contrived a script that covers a lot of bases, delving into love between an older woman and a younger man, interracial relations, racism, mental health, the power of music and love of the movies, all set against the backdrop of the early 1980s in England. It’s something of a grab-bag of issues and some of these topics are dealt with a little sketchily but, overall, the effect of Mendes’ film is nostalgic and poignant, leaving you with a warm glow despite some scenes being quite brutal or tragic. It’s the first time that Mendes has penned his own screenplay and he explained why he wanted to do so, saying, “For most people, their most formative period is their teenage years. For me, that was the late ’70s and early ’80s: the music, the movies, the pop culture of that period generally formed who I was. It was a period of great political upheaval in the UK, with a great deal of very incendiary racial politics – but at the same time, an amazing period for music and for culture generally – very creative, very politicized, very energized. Empire of Light itself, however, is a movie almost entirely born out of the pandemic. Lockdown [during COVID-19] was a period of intense self-examination and reflection for all of us. And for me it meant starting to confront these memories that I’d been wrestling with since childhood. That was the spur to write – to explore those memories and to see if I could unlock anything interesting.” He’s certainly unlocked a remarkable performance from Olivia Colman (not that you would expect anything less from this fine actor).
The Empire Cinema in Margate, on the Kentish coast, is Hilary Small’s (Colman) entire world. She’s a duty manager there and, as a single woman of ‘a certain age’, she has little social interaction outside her working hours, save for the occasional dance class. She suffers from depression and had a breakdown at work in the past which required treatment at a healthcare institution but she has been given back her old job by her boss, the slimy Mr. Ellis (Colin Firth) - not entirely out of the goodness of his heart - she’s a conscientious worker but he has other reasons for wanting her back at the Empire. When a new employee starts working there, a young Black man named Stephen (Micheal Ward), Hilary quickly takes a shine to his warm heart and open smile, and before long they begin an affectionate, sexual liaison. The staff (remember when cinemas had staff?) are all on friendly terms with each other, hanging out and chatting in the lunch-room between sessions, so when Hilary starts exhibiting some signs of her past behaviours, projectionist Norman (Toby Jones) and ticket seller Neil (Tom Brooke) endeavour to protect her, but her mental health deteriorates once more. Meanwhile, Stephen has his own problems with Margate’s local skinheads.
Phew! Like I said at the start of this review, there’s a lot going on in Empire of Light. The overarching theme, though, is the restorative power of cinema. As Norman puts it, “That little beam of light is escape” for the audience and, ultimately, it’s what helps Hilary to survive and thrive. Roger Deakins’ camera captures everything in golden hues, often with dust motes sailing gently on the air, which enhances the sense of dreamy nostalgia, especially when Norman trains Stephen to operate the projectors. Deakins has received a well-deserved Oscar nomination, his sixteenth(!), for his work on the film. There’s some terrific music from the period, too: songs from the likes of Cat Stevens, Bob Dylan, Two-Tone bands The Specials and The Beat, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division and The Cure, all selected by Mendes, and accompanied by an excellent score by double Oscar-winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. But it’s Colman who steals the film – her range is extraordinary and it’s on full display here as Hilary’s moods shift from high to low, manic to depressive, and back again. This makes Ward’s performance seem a little one-note, although he still makes Stephen thoroughly charming.
If you love movies and especially if you were around at the start of the ‘80s, you won’t want to miss Empire of Light.
Screenplay: Sam Mendes
Principal cast:
Olivia Colman
Micheal Ward
Colin Firth
Toby Jones
Tom Brooke
Tanya Moodie
Country: UK/USA
Classification: MA15+
Runtime: 115 mins.
Australian release date: 2 February 2023.
In his beautiful, moving film, Empire of Light, writer/director Sam Mendes has contrived a script that covers a lot of bases, delving into love between an older woman and a younger man, interracial relations, racism, mental health, the power of music and love of the movies, all set against the backdrop of the early 1980s in England. It’s something of a grab-bag of issues and some of these topics are dealt with a little sketchily but, overall, the effect of Mendes’ film is nostalgic and poignant, leaving you with a warm glow despite some scenes being quite brutal or tragic. It’s the first time that Mendes has penned his own screenplay and he explained why he wanted to do so, saying, “For most people, their most formative period is their teenage years. For me, that was the late ’70s and early ’80s: the music, the movies, the pop culture of that period generally formed who I was. It was a period of great political upheaval in the UK, with a great deal of very incendiary racial politics – but at the same time, an amazing period for music and for culture generally – very creative, very politicized, very energized. Empire of Light itself, however, is a movie almost entirely born out of the pandemic. Lockdown [during COVID-19] was a period of intense self-examination and reflection for all of us. And for me it meant starting to confront these memories that I’d been wrestling with since childhood. That was the spur to write – to explore those memories and to see if I could unlock anything interesting.” He’s certainly unlocked a remarkable performance from Olivia Colman (not that you would expect anything less from this fine actor).
The Empire Cinema in Margate, on the Kentish coast, is Hilary Small’s (Colman) entire world. She’s a duty manager there and, as a single woman of ‘a certain age’, she has little social interaction outside her working hours, save for the occasional dance class. She suffers from depression and had a breakdown at work in the past which required treatment at a healthcare institution but she has been given back her old job by her boss, the slimy Mr. Ellis (Colin Firth) - not entirely out of the goodness of his heart - she’s a conscientious worker but he has other reasons for wanting her back at the Empire. When a new employee starts working there, a young Black man named Stephen (Micheal Ward), Hilary quickly takes a shine to his warm heart and open smile, and before long they begin an affectionate, sexual liaison. The staff (remember when cinemas had staff?) are all on friendly terms with each other, hanging out and chatting in the lunch-room between sessions, so when Hilary starts exhibiting some signs of her past behaviours, projectionist Norman (Toby Jones) and ticket seller Neil (Tom Brooke) endeavour to protect her, but her mental health deteriorates once more. Meanwhile, Stephen has his own problems with Margate’s local skinheads.
Phew! Like I said at the start of this review, there’s a lot going on in Empire of Light. The overarching theme, though, is the restorative power of cinema. As Norman puts it, “That little beam of light is escape” for the audience and, ultimately, it’s what helps Hilary to survive and thrive. Roger Deakins’ camera captures everything in golden hues, often with dust motes sailing gently on the air, which enhances the sense of dreamy nostalgia, especially when Norman trains Stephen to operate the projectors. Deakins has received a well-deserved Oscar nomination, his sixteenth(!), for his work on the film. There’s some terrific music from the period, too: songs from the likes of Cat Stevens, Bob Dylan, Two-Tone bands The Specials and The Beat, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division and The Cure, all selected by Mendes, and accompanied by an excellent score by double Oscar-winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. But it’s Colman who steals the film – her range is extraordinary and it’s on full display here as Hilary’s moods shift from high to low, manic to depressive, and back again. This makes Ward’s performance seem a little one-note, although he still makes Stephen thoroughly charming.
If you love movies and especially if you were around at the start of the ‘80s, you won’t want to miss Empire of Light.