"Graced with Nair's loving direction, Witherspoon's radiance and that great cast, it is a treat, if somewhat less so than the novel." Michael Wilmington CHICAGO TRIBUNE "On the whole, Nair has mounted a handsome and intelligent production that holds nothing back." Jeff Strickler MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE "Witherspoon dishes out disarming charm and surprisingly effective vulnerability. It's a performance worthy of Academy Award consideration." Larry Ratliff SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS "Those willing to commit themselves, sit back, and take in all the film can offer should find the experience very rewarding." Jeff Otto IGN FILMFORCE "Lush costumes and gorgeous sets highlight this tale of 19th century social climber, Becky Sharp." Scott Nash THREE MOVIE BUFFS

"Witherspoon takes on the movie the way Becky takes on the world, with oceans of sheer star quality to dazzle and beguile. Resistance is futile." Nell Minow MOVIE MOM AT YAHOO! MOVIES "The satire is sharply observed and the performances acutely felt, most of all Witherspoon's." Bruce Newman SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS "Witherspoon's simply terrific, and it's amazing how quickly and easily she sheds speculation that she was too modern for the role." Stephen Hunter WASHINGTON POST "Vanity Fair is to Reese Witherspoon as "Erin Brockovich" was to Julia Roberts – only with a much better wardrobe." Marcy Dermansky ABOUT.COM "Witherspoon's simply terrific, and it's amazing how quickly and easily she sheds speculation that she was too modern for the role." Stephen Hunter WASHINGTON POST

At A Glance

"A feel-good gift to moderns, yet why not feel so good? Thackeray, and his Becky, would have relished it." David Elliott SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE

Author William Makepeace Thackeray closes the story of Vanity Fair with these words; "Ah! Vanitas Vanitatum! Which of us is happy in this world? Which of us has his desire? Or, having it, is satisfied?" For those without a knowlege of latin Vanitas Vanitatum! translates as Vanity of Vanities. Oxford Dictionary describes 'vanity[ies] as; futility, unsubstantiality, unreal thing ie, the vanity of human achievement. I make note of that because it would be vain [having too high an opinion of one's abilities] to try and convince every reader that Vanity Fair is a film worthy of every cinemagoers attention. Far from it. Vanity Fair is a film that is sumptuous, rich in characters and wonderfully imaginative and for those swept away by it's storyline, the 141 minutes will quickly slip by. Alas, for those whose genre isn't films in the style of a creative Merchant Ivory production, Vanity Fair will be an excruciatingly boring experience. Cinemagoers who love Vanity Fair will no doubt share the same sense of enthusiasm as those involved in the production side of the film there is an obvious glow of enthusiasm. "I’ve always felt that this was the period film I would like to make," says producer Janette Day who during her time as vice chairman of the UK production and distribution company Enterprise Pictures was in charge of acquisitions, distribution, and marketing feature films such as Pedro Almodóvar’s Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! and later [while at Granada UK] executive produced Terry Zwigoff’s award-winning "Ghost World". Matthew Faulk and Mark Skeet, who worked in the dual roles of screenwriters and associate producers say that for them, adapting the story was "a dream come true and in fact a privilege. The rich and comic array of characters that Thackeray provides is a screenwriter’s dream. This is a novel about us all." Britain's Medal of Excellence, BAFTA, Golden Globe, Writers Guild, Screenwriter of the Year and Academy Award winning screenwriter Julian Fellows ["Gosford Park"] who, by the way had a recurring role on the television series "Monarch of the Glen" notes that in the lead character " Becky Sharp, Thackeray has created a genuinely archetypal heroine, who remains vivid and fresh and relevant for any period or age group." Academy Award, BAFTA & Golden Globe Award winning producer Donna Gigliotti believes "Becky Sharp is one of literature’s great female characters. She recognizes that there is a better life out there, but the conventions of the time don’t allow people to move across social classes. Still, she figures out a way to do it. What is so moving is that, ultimately, having achieved what it is she so desperately wants, Becky discovers that there’s a certain emptiness to it." And, it seems the three producers all had great faith in the abillity of director Mira Nair when it came to "Vanity Fair", after all, they had each worked with Nair in the past. In fact producer Lydia Dean Pilcher has worked with Mira Nair on six occasions. Of Nair she says "working with Mira is a life experience, because she brings so much passion and humanity to her vision." Janette Day says that when it came to getting the look right and the proper feel for each character Nair was what the film needed. The film, "had to be huge and lavish and funny and moving in terms of characters and storylines all having to interconnect and it had to have a real truth and humanity to it. If you watch "Monsoon Wedding", Mira did all that, and you cared about every character." Academy AWard winner Julian Fellows compares Nair to directing great Robert Altman. "I absolutely loved working with Mira, whom I found to be as creative as any director I can remember. She always gives notes that stimulate, instead of flattening, a writer’s ideas." He notes that,"Like Robert Altman, she has an extraordinary visual imagination." Vison or not, "Vanity Fair" may not have been half the film it is if it wasn't for the fact that they attracted the right actress to the lead role of Becky. They needed a "charismatic leading lady who could bring to life one of the most well-known female characters in English literature." Having seen and loved Reese Witherspoon in "The Importance of Being Earnest" and having unashamedly enjoyed "Vanity Fair", I believe they made an excellent choice in casting her in the lead as Becky. Day explained that "Reese and Mira had been looking for something to do together, and "Vanity Fair" was the perfect match." Witherspoon collaborates her statement recalling, "I was so excited when I got the call from Mira that she wanted me to do this film with her. We had met a couple of years ago because I was a big fan of her work and were discussing other projects." And Nair is full of praise for her leading lady. "She really wanted to play Becky. She certainly has the kind of wit and intelligence, the guile, the enticing quality, and the fantastic quality that makes movie stars. You cannot help but love her." Truer words were never spoken. Crew Bytes "Vanity Fair" was .......
directed by Mira Nair ["Mississippi Masala ", "Monsoon Wedding", "Hysterical Blindness" and "Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love"]; screenplay by Matthew Faulk & Mark Skeet ["Morlang" and "Sahara"] and Academy Award winner Julian Fellows ["Shadowlands", "Piccadilly Jim", "Two Brothers" and "Gosford Park "]; costume design by Beatrix Aruna Pasztor ["Psycho", "Good Will Hunting", "In The Cut", "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues", "The Fisher King" and "Drugstore Cowboy"]; production design by Maria Djurkovic ["Sliding Doors", "Sylvia", "Billy Elliot" and "The Hours"]; edited by Allyson C Johnson ["Monsoon Wedding", "Reno Finds Her Mom", "Prey for Rock & Roll" and "Dinner Rush"]; director of photograhpy Declan Quinn ["Hysterical Blindness", "Monsoon Wedding", "Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love" and "One Night Stand"]; original music by Mychael Danna ["The Ice Storm", "Hearts In Atlantis", "Antwone Fisher" and "Shattered Glass"] produced by Janette Day ["Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!", "The Field", "A Nightmare on Elm Street 4" and "Rogue Trader"], Lydia Dean Pilcher ["Mississippi Masala", "Cradle Will Rock", "The Talented Mr Ripley " and "Roger & Me"] and Academy Award, BAFTA & Golden Globe Award winner Donna Gigliotti ["Shakespeare in Love", "Emma", "Traffic" and "Restoration"]. Casting About "Vanity Fair" stars .......
National Society of Film Critics Award winner Reese Witherspoon ["The Man in the Moon", "Legally Blonde", "Legally Blonde 2", "The Man in the Moon" and "Sweet Home Alabama"]; Gabriel Byrne ["Excalibur", "Miller’s Crossing", "The Man in the Iron Mask" and "Enemy of the State"]; Academy Award & Golden Globe Award winner Jim Broadbent ["Gangs Of New York", "Iris", "The Crying Game", "Bright Young Things" and "Moulin Rouge!"]; Rhys Ifans ["Notting Hill", "Danny Deckchair", "The Replacements", "The Shipping News" and "Hotel"]; Jonathan Rhys Meyers ["Prozac Nation", "Titus", "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead", "Ride with the Devil" and "Bend It Like Beckham"]; London Critics Circle Award winner Eileen Atkins ["The Dresser", "Gosford Park", "The Hours" and "Cold Mountain"]; Romola Garai ["I Capture the Castle" and "Nicholas Nickleby"]; Geraldine McEwan ["The Magdalene Sisters", "Dance Of Death", "Titus" and "The Love Letter"]; James Purefoy ["Mansfield Park", "Blessed", "A Knight's Tale" and "Resident Evil"] with Golden Globe and BAFTA Award winner Bob Hoskins ["Mona Lisa", "The Long Good Friday", "Last Orders" and "Maid In Manhattan"] as Sir Pitt Crawley. The Story

"A magnificent viewing experience, with each costume and set capturing the grandeur and squalor of both England and India." Philip Wuntch DALLAS MORNING NEWS

Becky, the orphaned daughter of a starving English artist and a French chorus girl, is about to leave Miss Pinkerton’s Academy at Chiswick. Becky has high ambitions. To conquer English society and gain a place of both importance and glamour. Her first position takes her to the run down, home of Sir Pitt Crawley caring for the children. Her fortune changes when Pitt's rich spinster aunt Matilda takes a liking to her. Matilda confides with Becky and a strong bond grows between the two women. Then Matilda invites Becky to come and live with her in London. Becky seizes on the opportunity to move to the city. Once in London, Becky is reunited with her best friend Amelia Sedley who introduces Becky to well to do people of repute and title. Becky is perpared to use her wit, guile, and sexuality to get what she wants. But when she secretly marries the handsome, dashing heir Rawdon Crawley, she oversteps her mark. Her friendship with Amelia is strained and Matilda casts the couple out. Becky's lot get worse when Napoleon invades Europe and Rawdon is sent to the fight on the front lines of the battle. Pregnant and in dire straits, life is looking gloomy indeed. The Verdict "If you love those sumptuous period pieces in the style of Merchant Ivory, heavily character driven and rich, then chances are "Vanity Fair" will be just the fare your looking for. It's a feast for the eye's. This classic tale comes with a side dish of Bollywood. A pregnant Reese Witherspoon presents a stylish, wicked Becky. Recommended for lovers of sumptuous films and Reese Witherspoon fans." The Cast

Reese Witherspoon Kate Fleetwood Gabriel Byrne Jim Broadbent Angelica Mandy Roger Lloyd Pack Ruth Sheen Lillette Dubey Romola Garai Tony Maudsley Deborah Findlay John Franklyn-Robbins Paul Bazely Rhys Ifans Jonathan Rhys Meyers Charlie Beall David Sterne Bob Hoskins Douglas Hodge Meg Wynn Owen Georgina Edmonds Emilie Richardson Tim Preece Geraldine McEwan Natasha Little Eileen Atkins James Purefoy Helen Coker Tim Seely

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Becky Sharp Miss Pinkerton's Crone The Marquess of Steyne Mr Osborne Young Becky Francis Sharp Miss Pinkerton Ms Green Amelia Sedley Joseph Sedley Mrs Sedley Mr Sedley Biju William Dobbin George Osborne Gambler Mail Coach Driver Sir Pitt Crawley Pitt Crawley Lady Crawley Young Rose Crawley Young Celia Crawley Horrocks Lady Southdown Lady Jane Sheepshanks Miss Matilda Crawley Rawdon Crawley Firkin Doctor

The Crew Directed by Mira Nair From the novel by William Makepeace Thackeray Screenplay by Julian Fellowes/Matthew Faulk/Mark Skeet Produced by Janette Day/Lydia Dean Pilcher/Donna Gigliotti Original Music by Mychael Danna Cinematography by Declan Quinn Film Editing by Allyson C Johnson Casting by Mary Selway & Loveleen Tandan Production Design by Maria Djurkovic Art Direction by Sam Stokes & Lucinda Thomson Costume Design by Beatrix Aruna Pasztor Run Time 141 minutes Rated PG [AUST] Copyright ©2004 - Focus Features - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2004 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved