Vanity Fair is the story of a woman from a poverty stricken background using her wits and beauty to make her way up the ranks in English society in the early 1800s. The movie stars Reese Witherspoon as Rebecca "Becky" Sharp. It also had some familiar faces in James Purefoy as Colonel Rawdon Crawley, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as Captain George Henry Osborne and Gabriel Byrne as the Marquess of Steyne.
The movie came out over 15 years ago but still held up visually. The costume design was diverse, vibrant and appropriate for the time. The plot was easy to follow, short, sweet and to the point. On a number of occurrences the theme of rising up when you are knocked down was presented which was great to see.
The acting from the entire cast was well done. I especially enjoyed Reese Witherspoon in the leading role. She was fierce, smart, strong willed and resourceful. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers was basically his Tutors character King Henry VIII. It’s clear that he has been typecast for a while as a villain of sorts. Gabriel Byrne and James Purefoy on the other hand brought something different to their roles and I thought that they both did well.
In the end I thought that this movie was just okay. For me it lacked a strong emotional connection and because of that didn’t leave me wanting to watch it again.
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