“Whenever Emerald Fennell is adapting anything, it’s going to be a crazy roller coaster ride, but it’s a roller coaster that you want to be in the front row for,” says critic Carla Renata ahead of the newest film adaptation of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights.
Renata’s sentiment captures the spirit of this week’s Critical Thinking episode, where Tomatometer-approved critics Carla Renata, Kristen Lopez, and Alonso Duralde spotlight their favorite period pieces. From 1975’s Monty Python and the Holy Grail to 2006’s Marie Antoinette, the critics share their recommendations for audiences gearing up for Fennell’s latest feature.
Kristen Lopez on Marie Antoinette: I love Sofia Coppola. So, the minute she said she was going to do a Marie Antoinette costume drama, I was in. I was already in…I think people consider it one of her masterpieces. It’s a Sofia Coppola film, so it’s a feast for the eyes. It’s utterly gorgeous. The costumes are exquisite…who else was going to adapt the life of one of the most opulent, extravagant people in history? And at the same time, I think what Sofia Coppola does with it is illustrate something that was not talked about enough in 2006, which is that this was the story of a young girl who was kind of used as a pawn in this big political intrigue and was dealing with things far above herself. It’s a wonderful story about finding who you are and being a young girl on the verge.
Carla Renata on The Age of Innocence: So, my favorite all time period piece ever is this film called The Age of Innocence. It’s directed by Martin Scorsese. And the reason why I love it so very much is it shows a very softer side of Martin Scorsese’s filmmaking. This is the same dude who did Taxi Driver and Raging Bull. And now he’s doing a period piece. I was there for all of it. The Age of Innocence is my number one film because Daniel Day-Lewis is in it, Michelle Pfeiffer is in it, Winona Ryder is in it, and it’s dealing with romance during a time that I just love delving into. It’s just a beautiful love story that highlights the specific theme of desire versus duty…The production design, the costumes, the music, the score, it’s just to me it was one of those films that really deserved more attention than what it got.
Alonso Duralde on Monty Python and the Holy Grail: Terry Jones is actually a medieval scholar and so he brought a lot of that knowledge into the film. Part of that knowledge, however, was understanding that Monty Python had about 10 cents to make this movie, which is why they are cutting corners whenever possible…I think so much of this movie has become so iconic and quotable.
