♥♥Gone to pastures new. Thanks to all of you. You are a lovely crowd, but time does not ...
♥♥Gone to pastures new. Thanks to all of you. You are a lovely crowd, but time does not permit me to do the site justice any more♥♥
Member since:01.08.2003
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Film only review.
Imagine you are fresh out of college, and want a career in Journalism. You see an advertisement of a job most fashion conscious writers would kill for, although to you it is just a way in to that final aim of becoming a journalist. This is the situation that Andrea, (Anne Hathaway), finds herself in, although the job she had in mind is very different to the opportunity which presents itself as Assistant to the Editor in Chief of Runway magazine.
At the beginning of the film, we see her going for her interview, and the interview being interrupted by the entrance of the boss, Miranda Priestley (played by Meryl Street), which should have given poor Andrea some idea of what she could expect working for a tyrant who literally scared most of the staff that work for her into a chaotic arrangement of seeming calm whenever Miranda appeared on the scene. She is the Editor in Chief of Runway Magazine, and a career magnate.
Telling you where the story goes would be a shame, as you need to discover this for yourself, although it does have morals to tell, and the introduction of many characters along the way. The film is an award winning combination
of skill nominated for costume design, Leading Role, Best Edited Feature Film (and here the work was amazing), and won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in Motion Picture, and really did merit it.
So what is all about ?
More important than the story line itself is the weaving of characters to make it work, and here the display of priorities of people working in the fashion industry was both funny and I would imagine to a certain extent true. The struggle for top jobs, the jealousy, and the competition between different fashion houses and the manner in which the competition is eliminated are both funny and poignant, sad and strange, although realistical in their portrait. Meryl Streeps performance relied heavily upon the charisma of the character, and her part in the film was amazingly strong. Whereas many films of this nature portray power by personalities that are loud and overpowering, her part was strong because of its dismissal of this traditional concept, and the creation of a larger than life character, whose calm is incredible, though who can create exactly what she wants to create, simply because she is who she is.
I enjoyed the film enormously, and thought that Meryl Streep excelled herself. I also liked the fight to get top jobs, and although I have never worked in the fashion industry, can actually imagine the cat fight for the top jobs. Anne Hathaway's part in the film wasn't outstanding, although it was adequate to display the thoughts of those from outside the fashion world, and their thoughts on the frivolity of decisions being made, although it was very well explained within the story how high fashion really does have a say in how run of the mill people dress, and the sincerity of the explanation was amazingly well written and delivered by Streep.
Emily Blunt made a good impression in the film as the long suffering assistant to Miranda Priestley, and I found her rôle both touching and comical and Stanley Tucci's part in the rôle of Nigel, an up and coming Runway worker that befriends Andrea and helps her to play the part expected of her in the fashion world. He came over as sensitive and caring, which perhaps was his downfall in terms of the career he held in the movie.
The contrast between the fashion world, and the outside life of Andrea all added up to making the film even more enjoyable and posing the question of the balancing act between career and having friends and outside loyalty. As a viewer, you feel the disappointment of failure, and the joys of success, although ask yourself which is the winning way for a human being to be, i.e. Top of the career world, ruthless and friendless, or mediocre, true to what you believe, and working towards goals that balance private and working world better.
Directed by David Frankel, I thought that the direction was first class, and indeed suited the subject matter to a tee, being sleek and giving real atmosphere to the film.
The music in the film was quite good, although for me not as memorable as the acting itself. Although there were some of musics huge talents in the soundtrack, I thought that the choice of music could have been better. Ranging from Madonna, Alanis Morisette, Mobi and Ray La Montagne, and culminating in the Suite from The Devil Wears Prada by Theodore Shapiro, the soundtrack album itself is a disappointing combination compared to other soundtracks available on the market.
Available from Amazon on DVD at 12.99 GBP from 7th February, this is a good price for a film that is worthy of watching over again, though rental is also available. I found the film to be more than I expected, thought it to would be a chic flick but was pleased to see that the subject ran deeper than perhaps chic flicks would, making it suitable for a wider range of viewers. Even my husband enjoyed it.
Run Time 110 Minutes 20th Century Fox Productions. Age classification PG 13
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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Really good review. This film has never really appealed to me because I started reading the book and couldn't get into it. I think that Meryl Streep is an amazing actress and judging by how you reviewed her performance it might be worth taking a look.
Torombolina 23.02.2007 15:02
This film was okay, nothing special to me. Tiziana
Coloneljohn 18.02.2007 17:51
I have seen it advertised but never what it was about. I am not certain it is my kind of watchable film. May have a look. John
Based on the hilarious best-selling novel, this stylish and funny movie starring Meryl ... more
Streep and Anne Hathaway is a sensational must-see.As assistant to impossibly demanding New York fashion magazine editor Miranda Prestly (Streep), young Andy Sachs (...
![The Devil Wears Prada [DVD] [2006]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78188044.jpg "The Devil Wears Prada [DVD] [2006]")
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