Hi there,
I haven't seen the movie yet but this is an interesting review:
Vanity Fair is an epic story by William Makepeace Thackeray of the rise Becky Sharp through the social ranks from her impoverished beginnings as an orphan girl. The film is your usual period extravaganza with all the usual trappings - lush locations, stunning costumes, hairstyles, horses, but what makes it a bit special is the director Mira Nair who is an Indian gal who made her mark with the brilliant "Monsoon Wedding" a couple of years ago.
Mira brings a fresh eye to the period and even gets a chance to throw in a Bollywood style dance number at one point! If you are more of a purest then maybe the BBC-TV version is more for you.
Reese Witherspoon could have made the whole thing unbearable but actually pulls it off nicely with her wicked slow eyes and shrewd moves reminiscent of Tracey Fleck in her best film to date - "Election". Also worthy of mention is Rhyss Ifans in a rather dapper serious role as an Army captain and Gabriel Byrne as the rather onerous Marquis of Steyne.
It's a long film loaded with matters of manners and backroom bitchiness, all to do with breeding but overall a familiar story quite well told.
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