Plot: What’s it about?
The heart leads the human mind on many journeys, often beginning at a fork in the road — one path leads to hate and the other to love. Hearts in Atlantis, another vision brought to the screen from the “master storyteller” and novelist Stephen King, gives an indicting but heartwarming look at both paths through a small, dynamic cast. Directed by Scott Hicks (Shine, Snow Falling on Cedars), adapted by William Goldman (The General’s Daughter, Misery), and skillfully shot by the late Polish cinematographer Piotr Sobocinski (Angel Eyes, Ransom), the film is a work of art told swiftly through stunning images and top-caliber performances.
Like many a King adaptation, the story unfolds in retrospect: Bobby Garfield (David Morse, The Green Mile) recalls the summer that changed his life forever after the death of a childhood friend rekindles the still burning images of that fateful year. Young Bobby (Anton Yelchin, Along Came a Spider) is living out his eleventh summer hanging out with his two best friends, Carol Gerber (Mika Boorem, Along Came a Spider) and John “Sully” Sullivan (Will Rothhaar, Jack Frost), but things aren’t entirely swell. Bobby’s mother Elizabeth (Hope Davis, Arlington Road) isn’t one of the picture-perfect moms of 1960’s TV, often given to selfish acts and driven by a cold heart.
But things change when Ted Brautigan (Anthony Hopkins) comes to live in the upstairs apartment. Bobby reads the paper to the old man for money, and keeps a lookout for the “low men” that have Brautigan on the run — for mysterious and supernatural reasons.
A small cast with no big names — save one, of course — drives the story. The characters crafted by King and recopied by Goldman leave the viewer amazed, angry, sad, hopeful, and filed with pure joy.
Hopkins is the standout, leading the pack of relatively unknown actors with his unyielding talent and understanding of his character. Much as Ted Brautigan enlightens those around him, Hopkins gets the actors around him to shine brighter and the audience to hush with his soothing voice — he makes the viewer want to hear what he has to say. This was another perfect role for him, and the aging actor continues to all of his films worth the time.
Sir Tony’s talent is clearly reflected in those around him; or at least, costar Anton Yelchin displays a gift that few child actors possess. Yelchin showed a truly believable range of emotions — even though he occasionally resorts to whimpering a few lines in a tactic that is sure to leave some viewers annoyed. For the most part, however, Yelchin involved the viewer to the point of concern for the characters, and fellow child actor, Mika Boorem, also performed more than adequately.
With such endearing performers and characters on hand, another layer of Stephen King’s thick skin gets pulled away to show his softer underbelly. Hearts in Atlantis returns to his oft-favored themes of childhoods long forgotten and maturation into adulthood — much King did for the first time in Stand By Me. Bobby’s neglectful mother and the struggle with his first love are powerful intangibles.
But while King was the fire-starter, Goldman’s adapted screenplay proves to be a gem in itself, and another well rendered King adaptation. The story does move rather quickly, and so it’s not exactly up to the level of performance he established with Misery — his efforts there were head-on — but with the author’s often complex storylines to adapt, it is a brave task that few do well.
Aiding Goldman’s cause was director Hicks, whose directorial style has yet to be matched. While Shine was more critically acclaimed, his more recent effort, Snow Falling on Cedars, showcases his love for flashbacks and parallel editing — a necessity for a film like Hearts. Combined with the talent of editor Pip Karmel, who also worked with Hicks on Shine, the film could not have been more elegantly constructed and pieced together. Cinematographer Piotr Sobocinski, too, gave his eye for detail one last time to help make a film not only narrative-driven, but also aesthetically driven as well. Sobocinski could not have left on a higher note.
Although King’s novels usually follow similar paths and examine similar themes, those expecting a Green Mile wannabe will find that the two stories could not be further from one another. This is a unique story made only better by a group of powerful actors and visual storytelling the likes of which are rarely seen in contemporary film.
Video: How does it look?
What can be said for Hearts in Atlantis is that the 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer is almost flawless. There is no edge enhancement to speak of, just a few minor errors here and there. Black levels are dead on target and artifacting is almost non-esistent. This is yet another tribute to Warner’s day and date releases on DVD. It’s hard to find errors with them, so I’ll leave it at this. It’s almost perfect.
Audio: How does it sound?
Almost equally as impressive is the audio quality. While not measuring up to the standards set by the video, it’s not supposed to. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is clear, clean and void of any errors. The surrounds are used, though sparingly, but to great effect. As with Shine and Snow Falling on Cedars, Hicks seems to have a knack for using sound and when it’s most effective. There is no distortion in the dialogue and viewers should find no need to complain when listening to the soundtrack.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Only two main features of interst here. The first being the screen-specific audio commentary by Director Scott Hicks. Being a solo track, it does have it’s ins and outs; though he does tend to offer some information that I found useful and insigtful. He spends a lot of time on camera work (I don’t know why) and how the story influenced how the movie was shot. More iteresting is the 30 minute interview with Sir Anthony Hopkins by Director Scott Hicks. Hopkins, one of the most talented actors to spring up in quite some time, shares his thoughts on the movie in a very interesting interview. A must watch. Also included are the cast bios and a theatrical trailer, presented in anamorphic widescreen.
