Closing the Ring
The narrative of Closing the Ring (Richard Attenborough, 2007) is intricately assembled. In fact, the manner by which the film employs a cross-cutting plot that alternates two different time-lines and two different locations gives the film a literary feel. So it is surprising to learn that the story has not been adapted from a novel but is the original creation of screen writer Peter Woodward, son of actor Edward Woodward. The intimate story of lost love and accepting those things that can't be undone is given a stately treatment by director Richard Attenborough. Attenborough is renowned for exploring important global subjects (Cry Freedom, 1987) and investigating key historical personalities (Ghandi, 1982 & Chaplin, 1992). With his latest film, Attenborough has turned his interest to modest settings and commonplace characters, and his themes are more personal. Closing the Ring is the rueful story of an aged woman coming to terms with the loss of her true love during World War II. The interwoven plotting, superbly handled by Attenborough, gives great substance to the pains and regrets of the past and how they shape the present.
The structure of Closing the Ring places greats demands upon the audience. Alternating the action over four settings can have a disorienting effect, particularly when one is trying to match up the young characters (from the 1940s scenes) with their older representations (in the scenes set in the early 1990s). Essentially the tale is about two lovers, Teddy (Stephen Amell) and Ethel Ann (Mischa Barton), and how the intervention of World War II tears their union apart. A parallel story plays out in Belfast in the early 1990s amid an escalation in IRA terrorist activity. Michael Quinlan (Pete Postlethwaite) and Jimmy Reilly (Martin McCann) scavenge daily through the wreckage of a buried US Army bomber that crashed into a local mountain-side fifty years earlier. Convention dictates that these two narratives will be connected somehow, and as viewers we are given the opportunity to speculate as to the exact relationship between these two seemingly disparate settings. When young Jimmy finds a ring among the debris the drama kicks-off as the re-emergence of that apparently benign item unearths a wealth of painful memories.
Attenborough's film is compelling, demanding, sometimes mystifying, yet ultimately satisfying. The film's structure is ambitious and it might have easily become unwieldy, but in the assured hands of an experienced filmmaker all the pieces eventually unite effectively. The "now and then" narrative arrangement is reminiscent of Big Fish (Tim Burton, 2003) and it offers the juicy opportunity to compare how older actors and their younger counterparts portray the same characters at different stages of their lives. In Closing the Ring, Mischa Barton and Shirley MacLaine play the film's female lead during different eras. Barton is fine as the young Ethel Ann, her magnetic beauty bewitching all the male characters in the movie. MacLaine opts to portray the older incarnation as an aloof drunk, broken by the events of the past. Although both actresses are excellent, the two interpretations don't match-up successfully and it's not easy to believe they're meant to be the one person. More successful on this score is the twin interpretations of Jack (Christopher Plummer - old Jack, Gregory Smith - young Jack), a dear friend of Teddy and Ethel Ann. Both performers imbue the character with a cheeky charm that hides a litany of regrets. Undoubtedly, the highlight of the film is young Irish actor Martin McCann. He injects the movie with some much needed humour with his performance as the guileless Jimmy Reilly. At the other end of the spectrum is Stephen Amell playing Teddy, the love interest to Barton's Ethel Ann. Though their love scenes are effectively romantic, the character of Teddy is bland and uninspired. Amell is morbidly wooden in the role. His take on the character is featureless and it makes it difficult to believe Ethel Ann would pine so longingly for him during his war service.
Despite some indifferent performances Closing the Ring is a heartfelt film, even if it doesn’t always feel as slick as it should have been. The historical scenes have a cheap aesthetic. This is not the territory of Saving Private Ryan (Steven Spielberg, 1998) or even Pearl Harbor (Michael Bay, 2001) with their gigantic sets and grand set-pieces. The settings and costumes in Closing the Ring are more modest, and there is no visceral sense of the effect of the war. Instead, this films focuses on the intimate impact of war on those that are left behind, extrapolated by alternating the action between a peaceful American small town and the bomb-ravaged city of Belfast. The cross-cutting narrative is impressively handled by Attenborough. In lesser hands the various story threads could have easily become confusing, or some narrative strands might have dominated others. Attenborough maintains control over each story and interweaves them in an unobtrusive manner. Even the IRA subplot of the Belfast section of the film eventually ties in nicely with the rest of the story without ever seeming contrived. The steady succession of revelations unfold at an even rate, some are typically predictable while others are pleasantly unexpected. Though, most of the time the viewer will know where this film is taking them.
Attenborough's success here is due to his ability to control the story, always keeping the viewer on the right track. Where another filmmaker might have turned this material into a sweeping saga or a massive effects-driven war epic, Attenborough has focused on intimate detail. Closing the Ring is a comfortable film, and harking back to the literary analogy, it has the feel of a good book. With impressive performances from Plummer and young Martin McCann the story comes alive on the screen in a very pleasing fashion.
The structure of Closing the Ring places greats demands upon the audience. Alternating the action over four settings can have a disorienting effect, particularly when one is trying to match up the young characters (from the 1940s scenes) with their older representations (in the scenes set in the early 1990s). Essentially the tale is about two lovers, Teddy (Stephen Amell) and Ethel Ann (Mischa Barton), and how the intervention of World War II tears their union apart. A parallel story plays out in Belfast in the early 1990s amid an escalation in IRA terrorist activity. Michael Quinlan (Pete Postlethwaite) and Jimmy Reilly (Martin McCann) scavenge daily through the wreckage of a buried US Army bomber that crashed into a local mountain-side fifty years earlier. Convention dictates that these two narratives will be connected somehow, and as viewers we are given the opportunity to speculate as to the exact relationship between these two seemingly disparate settings. When young Jimmy finds a ring among the debris the drama kicks-off as the re-emergence of that apparently benign item unearths a wealth of painful memories.
Attenborough's film is compelling, demanding, sometimes mystifying, yet ultimately satisfying. The film's structure is ambitious and it might have easily become unwieldy, but in the assured hands of an experienced filmmaker all the pieces eventually unite effectively. The "now and then" narrative arrangement is reminiscent of Big Fish (Tim Burton, 2003) and it offers the juicy opportunity to compare how older actors and their younger counterparts portray the same characters at different stages of their lives. In Closing the Ring, Mischa Barton and Shirley MacLaine play the film's female lead during different eras. Barton is fine as the young Ethel Ann, her magnetic beauty bewitching all the male characters in the movie. MacLaine opts to portray the older incarnation as an aloof drunk, broken by the events of the past. Although both actresses are excellent, the two interpretations don't match-up successfully and it's not easy to believe they're meant to be the one person. More successful on this score is the twin interpretations of Jack (Christopher Plummer - old Jack, Gregory Smith - young Jack), a dear friend of Teddy and Ethel Ann. Both performers imbue the character with a cheeky charm that hides a litany of regrets. Undoubtedly, the highlight of the film is young Irish actor Martin McCann. He injects the movie with some much needed humour with his performance as the guileless Jimmy Reilly. At the other end of the spectrum is Stephen Amell playing Teddy, the love interest to Barton's Ethel Ann. Though their love scenes are effectively romantic, the character of Teddy is bland and uninspired. Amell is morbidly wooden in the role. His take on the character is featureless and it makes it difficult to believe Ethel Ann would pine so longingly for him during his war service.
Despite some indifferent performances Closing the Ring is a heartfelt film, even if it doesn’t always feel as slick as it should have been. The historical scenes have a cheap aesthetic. This is not the territory of Saving Private Ryan (Steven Spielberg, 1998) or even Pearl Harbor (Michael Bay, 2001) with their gigantic sets and grand set-pieces. The settings and costumes in Closing the Ring are more modest, and there is no visceral sense of the effect of the war. Instead, this films focuses on the intimate impact of war on those that are left behind, extrapolated by alternating the action between a peaceful American small town and the bomb-ravaged city of Belfast. The cross-cutting narrative is impressively handled by Attenborough. In lesser hands the various story threads could have easily become confusing, or some narrative strands might have dominated others. Attenborough maintains control over each story and interweaves them in an unobtrusive manner. Even the IRA subplot of the Belfast section of the film eventually ties in nicely with the rest of the story without ever seeming contrived. The steady succession of revelations unfold at an even rate, some are typically predictable while others are pleasantly unexpected. Though, most of the time the viewer will know where this film is taking them.
Attenborough's success here is due to his ability to control the story, always keeping the viewer on the right track. Where another filmmaker might have turned this material into a sweeping saga or a massive effects-driven war epic, Attenborough has focused on intimate detail. Closing the Ring is a comfortable film, and harking back to the literary analogy, it has the feel of a good book. With impressive performances from Plummer and young Martin McCann the story comes alive on the screen in a very pleasing fashion.
Mischa Barton looking sweet
