MovieChat Forums > Sylvia (2003) Discussion > Seen the film, it's pretty good.

Seen the film, it's pretty good.

posted 21 years ago by CSHaviland
9 replies | jump to latest

I saw this film at a preview and I thought it was pretty good. It is very likely to receive award nominations for both Paltrow and Daniel Craig. I am not an avid follower of Paltrow's career, and I knew absolutely nothing of Sylvia Plath or Ted Hughes. This gave me an unbiased position. It is a character-sketch film that stays with Paltrow from end to end. In fact for a while I wasn't clear if Hughes really was cheating on her, or if she was being paranoid, until they cut in a quick scene that showed what he was doing. (And even then I wondered if she was dreaming it up.) They may have done this on purpose to give it an edge. (Certainly anyone familiar with Plath already knows the story, but a good number of people are not readers of her poetry.) BTW if the Hughes estate is not happy with the film it's no wonder. Hughes is portrayed as someone who really doesn't care about her feelings at all, even though he seems to feel sorry for her after she is gone.

CHRISTOPHER SIRMONS HAVILAND
LegendMaker.com

[–] chris-1255 21 years ago

Christopher - I've got to ask as the little girl who plays Frieda Hughes is my daughter, but how did the film handle the role of their two children? Hopefully they were more than just window-dressing. Look forwards to your comments! (and to when they will get aro0und to releasing it in the UK)

[–] JoeyStobart 21 years ago

The film will be released in the UK in January I think but you can see it at the London Film Festival on November 10th if you can get a ticket (it's the closing film so a bit of a gala performance).

I have heard that the children are really good, in particular Frieda. And I'm not just saying that!

[–] CSHaviland 21 years ago

Early scenes depicted the baby crying, showing an impact on Sylvia's life and adding to her tension (as all babies do); although I don't recall if this was the same child as the one I saw later, it seems to me that they may have had at least two or three children to play this role. I assume that your daughter was the child at about 5 yrs old or so? The scene I remember best is when she's playing outside the house by herself, and there wasn't anything much to play with. It looked desolate, lonely, depressing, but the little girl was making the best of it. I believe that mood worked out well. I also remember her with her little brother slowly unwrapping presents that Hughes gave them on a visit. And I remember the children waiting in the car as Sylvia stands by the oceanside and seems to contemplate suicide, but glances back at the children seem to prevent her. And finally, I remember her kissing the little girl goodbye at the end, before taping herself into the kitchen to gas herself to death, and the authorities taking the little girl away afterward. These are the only scenes I remember off-hand, and in each case the little girl (and her brother, when we see him) did serve important functions in the scenes.

CHRISTOPHER SIRMONS HAVILAND
LegendMaker.com

[–] stephtonge 21 years ago

Referring to, of course, Frieda and Nicholas Hughes. Frieda Hughes is now a poet and painter and brother Nick lives with his wife in Alaska where he is a professor of marine biology (interestingly, he takes after Plath's father as far as interest and career type go). Nick Hughes pretty much stays out of the limelight and Frieda Hughes, at least publically, has the main reigns on the Plath estate (alas, she doesn't have *as* much control over her Father's estate because of step-mother Carol Hughes).

Frieda Hughes was only 2 1/2 and Nick 1 at the time of Plath's death in February 1963(Frieda Hughes was born on April 1st of 1960 and Nick in January of 1962). Definitely the children serve a huge purpose. Contrary to popular belief it *wasn't* just Hughes and "Daddy"...or Mommy for that matter (Otto and Aurelia Plath) who had an impact on the contents of Plath's writings but her children did as well (poems like "Child", "Night Dances", "By Candlelight" and so on). I feel that some of her most touching and profound poems are those she wrote about her own children, who she had a deep love for...although she was sometimes at odds with the duties of being a mother.

I think, from what I know, that Frieda Hughes was a lot more aware of the strife and tension that was in abundance at the end of her parent's marriage....so it seems appropriate that they would show her playing alone and the overall mood being loneliness and depression.

Also, it has been said that Plath was most likely thinking about killing her children as well...if you go by one of her last poems "Edge" where she writes about wanting to fold her children back up inside herself and then the description of the two dead children by pitchers of milk....however, obviously, she changed her mind (Hughes' lover Assia Wevill also killed herself and their 2 year old daughter in a similar manner in 1969).

It's nice to see a positive review of "Sylvia"!

Stephanie

[–] chris-1255 21 years ago

Christopher (and others),

Thanks so much for your comments - other than some photos that were taken during filming and the running commentary that my wife gave me whilst fulfilling the role of chaperone to Eliza (who played Frieda as a 2.5 year old - she was just under 3 during the filming), yours are the first comments I've seen about the film! I'm looking forward to seeing it even more now...

It was certainly quite an experience for Eliza, and one that she really enjoyed - especially getting to do some of the scenes four, five or six times... putting the washing on the line, eating her porridge (the latter ended up frustrating her a bit as she never got more than a mouthful before it was whisked away & returned for a reshoot).

Hopefully this won't be a one-off for her - she never shuts up for us and we've always thought there's a budding actor lurking not far from the surface!

Cheers from London,

Chris Wade

[–] theglassbaumer 21 years ago

I've never read any of Plath's poetry, but I am currently reading her only novel, The Bell Jar. It's supposed to be semi-autobiographical. Reading the book has increased my interests in seeing Sylvia. She's just seems like such an interesting person.

Go here: http://www.angelfire.com/empire/sunsetjones

[–] johanna0105 21 years ago

Chris,what about Amira Casar,who plays Assia Wevill?

[–] CSHaviland 21 years ago

There isn't much to say about this part, she had very little screen time.

CHRISTOPHER SIRMONS HAVILAND
LegendMaker.com

[–] johanna0105 21 years ago

Chris,what about Amira Casar,who plays Assia Wevill?