Atonement (2007)

Thirteen-year-old fledgling writer Briony Tallis irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.

Director:

Joe Wright

Writers:

Ian McEwan (novel), Christopher Hampton (screenplay)

Stars:

Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Brenda Blethyn

Won 1 Oscar. Another 50 wins & 148 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Saoirse Ronan	...	Briony Tallis, aged 13
Ailidh Mackay	...	Singing Housemaid
Brenda Blethyn	...	Grace Turner
Julia West	...	Betty
James McAvoy	...	Robbie Turner
Harriet Walter	...	Emily Tallis
Keira Knightley	...	Cecilia Tallis
Juno Temple	...	Lola Quincey
Felix von Simson	...	Pierrot Quincey (as Felix Von Simson)
Charlie von Simson	...	Jackson Quincey (as Charlie Von Simson)
Alfie Allen	...	Danny Hardman
Patrick Kennedy	...	Leon Tallis
Benedict Cumberbatch	...	Paul Marshall
Peter Wight	...	Police Inspector
Leander Deeny	...	Police Constable

Storyline

When Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan), thirteen-years-old and an aspiring writer, sees her older sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and Robbie Turner (James McAvoy) at the fountain in front of the family estate, she misinterprets what is happening, thus setting into motion a series of misunderstandings and a childish pique that will have lasting repercussions for all of them. Robbie is the son of a family servant toward whom the family has always been kind. They paid for his time at Cambridge and now he plans on going to medical school. After the fountain incident, Briony reads a letter intended for Cecilia and concludes that Robbie is a deviant. When her cousin Lola (Juno Temple) is raped, she tells the Police that it was Robbie she saw committing the deed.

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Plot Keywords:

rape | false accusation | sex | loss of virginity | miscarriage of justice | 

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Taglines:

You can only imagine the truth.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Romance | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing war images, language and some sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

The actress that played Robbie's mother also played Keira Knightley's mother in Pride & Prejudice (2005): Brenda Blethyn.

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Goofs

As the three soldiers are walking back to the coast, three war planes are reflected in the stream next to them ("Some poor blighter's going to catch a packet!") From that camera angle, the originals should be visible in the sky.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Briony Tallis, aged 13: I finished my play.

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Crazy Credits

The title types itself out like on a typewriter.

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Connections

Featured in Pinewood: 80 Years of Movie Magic (2015)

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Soundtracks

Miss You
Written by Charles Tobias, Harry Tobias, Henry H. Tobias (as Henry Tobias)
Performed by Flanagan and Allen
Courtesy of The Decca Music Group
Under license from Universal Music Operations Ltd

User Reviews

my review

Well, from the trailers I could tell this would be an epic film before I was even able to see it. I managed to attend a gala screening of the film last night and I thought it was amazing. Despite my constant dislike to Keira Knightly, I was unable to disapprove of her acting in this film. She has improved massively since the first pirates film. The film itself has an intriguing plot line which keeps you hooked throughout. The film includes humour at the start and fascination by the end. I loved watching this film and I enjoyed the smartness of the story. The film is cleverly done with jumps in time and different perspectives of events throughout which will leave you understanding the motives of each character more. The music is composed beautifully, the orchestral tunes accompanied with the clatter that a typewriter makes creates a beautiful piece of music that fits perfectly with the film itself. I have since begun to read the book, the only thing that the film lacks is the character depth that a book can write about but a film simply can't explain. I feel that the film shows what happened but the book is able to explain a little more as to why the events occurred. Overall the film was beautiful, brilliant and emotional.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Universal Pictures [Germany]

Country:

UK France USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

11 January 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Atonement

Filming Locations:

British Steel works, now Tata Steel works, Redcar, North Yorkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$784,145, 9 December 2007

Gross USA:

$50,927,067

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$131,016,624

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, StudioCanal, Relativity Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1