“A Single Man”
Written by Tom Ford and David Scearce, based on the book by Christopher Isherwood; Directed by Tom Ford. Stars Colin Firth and Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode and Nicholas Hoult. Story centers on an English professor who, after the sudden death of his partner tries to go about his typical day in Los Angeles.
Seen January 9, 2010, by Lars Bastholm and Adam Wohl
LARS:
Somehow I doubt that Hollywood let out yodels of joy, when the fashion designer Tom Ford announced that he wanted to direct movies. Granted, Mr. Ford is a very talented man who first saved Gucci, then built himself a menswear empire under his own name. As any accomplished artist eventually feels the need to branch out into different mediums, Ford chose to challenge himself by directing a film version of Christopher Isherwood’s novel, “A Single Man”.
Isherwood is probably best known for his “Berlin Stories” and in particular for the movie, “Cabaret” that was based on them. “A Single Man” constantly gets named near the top of “best gay” lists of books as well as one of the great novels of the 20th Century, according to the many raves on Amazon.com. I have not read the book, but much like other books that take place mostly inside the head of the protagonist, it’s not the kind of writing that lends itself naturally to visualizing on a big screen. Where superior writing can pull the reader into the mind processes of another person, the film medium is by definition about watching. And watching other people think, even the great Colin Firth, is just not all that interesting. Hence my short review of the film would be this: it’s boring.
Of course it looks great. I mean, it’s Tom Ford, so of course it looks great. Ford shows facility in composing shots and using different kinds of textures to really pop on the screen. For a while, I thought a cashmere sweater should have 3rd billing right after Colin Firth and Julianne Moore – it’s performance is that distinctive. The 1960s set design is expertly done and Ford plays well with the look of the film; Adam and I could not decide whether it was shot on hi-def video or actually film. The look and mood changes make it a really hard call to make. So in this respect, Ford graduates to film director with a straight A.
If the film is a little boring, it’s certainly not the actors’ fault. Firth does a great job. He is in every single scene of the movie, so if he hadn’t been able to effectively capture the loss, hope and despair of having lost his long-time lover in a car crash, which we see in the first scene of the film. After that, it’s a day-in-life of a not particularly interesting life, yet Firth makes his character, George, compelling and human, teeming with intelligence and inner life. There is talk about an Oscar nomination for Firth and it’s certainly a wonderful performance. Julianne Moore is also wonderful as George’s best buddy in a performance that could easily have been too over-the-top to work, but somehow manages to ring completely true.
So all in all, I wonder if Ford chose to direct this film because he loves the book to bits and didn’t realize that it wouldn’t make for a particularly interesting movie? As a director, he has potential and I’m looking forward to seeing him direct something a little more engaging.
ADAM:
The blessing (and curse) of being the literal publisher of the blog is that I get last licks (a baseball term), meaning I get to put my review second and for all intents and purposes get to see my friend Lars’ copy before mine goes up. The blessing? When I’m hurting for a way into my review, something in Lars’ might inspire me. The curse? More often than not, Lars and I see fairly eye-to-eye on films, so it can be hard to bring something new to the table.
And such is the case here with “A Single Man.” As a huge fan of Tom Ford (Gucci, YSL, his eponymous line of clothing), I want to see him succeed after being scorned a bit by the Hollywood establishment for considering such an audacious leap into film directing. I respect leaps like that. They represent a counterbalance to dissenters that squash dreams by saying they cannot be realized. So well done you, Mr. Ford, for not letting disbelievers stand in your way. Having the money to get the movie made didn’t hurt either. I hope you remember that when other up and coming directors who are fans of your work and do not have those resources ask for your advice.
And so the movie…I feel like I’d be doing a disservice if I skirted past the look of the sets, the clothes and production design. Yes, we all expect Ford to get this right – he’s Tom Ford. But just giving him a pass based on expectation isn’t fair; it needs to be mentioned and celebrated, because the look in all of these facets is magnificent. The meticulous detail of the clothing and accessories, the choices of location and the design of the interiors – the overall look is a character of this film. And it’s everything a GQ or Esquire or Details reader would want and expect. You can practically smell the tobacco, the leather and the redwood of George’s home (a John Lautner masterpiece*). The film takes place in 1962, just a year after Ford was born, but he clearly has a grasp of the period, because it’s as authentic as any other film I’ve seen set then.
The performances are quite good, maybe even great, simply because there isn’t much to work with; Colin Firth as George is tremendous and Julianne Moore as Charley holds her own. The Isherwood book about sadness and grief after losing a lover doesn’t cover much beyond that top-line story. Ford has stayed true to the book, so I can’t imagine any other director getting much more from the material — it’s quality film making. I’d be shocked if it didn’t earn Ford another go behind the camera. I just hope he’ll choose something a bit meatier story-wise and execute it without losing his eye for setting and style.
*The house in Glendale, CA, is for sale. $1.5 million. Timeshare, anyone?
