Atonement (2007)

Fledgling writer Briony Tallis, as a thirteen-year-old, 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

SPOILER: When Briony Tallis, 13 years old and an aspiring writer, sees her older sister Cecilia and Robbie Turner 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 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

Details

Official Sites:

Focus Features [United States] Official Facebook

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, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,634,065 (United Kingdom), 9 September 2007, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$796,836, 9 December 2007, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$50,927,067

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$129,266,061

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Joe Wright had the name Cyndie, which is his mother's name, painted on the beached barge.

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Goofs

In the scene in London streets, when Robbie and Cecilia are walking, the lens of the steady cam can be seen clearly reflected in the window of a parked car.

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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

Referenced in Conan: The Mayan 'Dilbert Cartoon-a-Day' Calendar (2012)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Review by an Antonement extra at Redcar Yorkshire

I finished filming as an extra in the blockbuster movie Atonement on August 22nd 2006. I didn't realise I'd have to wait a full 12 months and 1 day to see the end result on screen.

Well was it worth the wait? The answer is yes. The movie has the meticulous detail you would expect from a director of Joe Wright's calibre.

Richard Brooks (writing in the Sunday Times) said he would be amazed if the jury finds a better film than Atonement to take first place at the Venice film festival on August 29th.

He said, "I cannot think of a better British movie in years. Unlike most of our home-grown efforts, it is big scale, yet intimate when it needs to be." I would agree. The story unfolds and the audience is drawn into the plot from the start. It begins in pre-war England in a large country house with James McAvoy's character (Robbie Turner) being wrongly accused of rape and being imprisoned and thus separated from Keira Knightley. He is released from prison on condition he joins the army.

This is a love story and more, with the back drop of the Second World War. Although it is not a war film as such, the scenes of the Dunkirk evacuation are some of the best of their type ever executed in cinema history.

The scene that I was waiting to see was towards the end of the film. Joe Wright shot the Dunkirk scene in Redcar in one complete take, with no edits. It looks amazing, maybe being part of it made me slightly biased, but the human tableau that McAvoy's character walks through engulfs your senses and I can't wait to see it again. My only regret is that it wasn't longer.

Apart from this, Atonement doesn't disappoint in any department, the acting is first class and the story is engaging and I certainly didn't guess the ending. I will definitely see it again, this time at the Regent Cinema in Redcar, where the building is one of the cornerstones of the great set.

And finally did I see myself? Well possibly, the jury's still out, until I get my hands on the DVD next year. Enjoy it.