An adaptation of Michael Cunningham's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about three women in three different time periods whose lives are profoundly affected by Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, the film features equally magnificent performances from Meryl Streep (as a self-sacrificing modern Manhattanite hiding deep reservoirs of regret while being mother-hen to friends and family), Julianne Moore (as a fragile 1950s housewife whose deep depression and suicidal musings go all but unnoticed by everyone except her young son), and Oscar winner Nicole Kidman (who plays the self-aware but psychologically unstable Woolf herself, seen at the time she was writing the book). As the well-balanced stories unfold in the capable hands of director Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot), literal and figurative parallels are drawn between them, providing a stirring thematic undercurrent that is enriched by the film's assured pacing and editing. Filled with many resounding and startling moments, tied together beautifully by Philip Glass's fervently illustrative, string-based, Oscar-nominated score, The Hours is a triumph of emotional and narrative complexity, with consummate supporting performances by a cast that includes Ed Harris, Toni Collette, Claire Danes, Jeff Daniels, John C. Reilly, Stephen Dillane and Miranda Richardson. Highly recommended. [Note: Available in widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras include audio commentaries (one by costars Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore; the other by director Stephen Daldry and novelist Michael Cunningham), a two-minute filmmakers' intro, the 24-minute featurette “The Mind and Times of Virginia Woolf,” a 16-minute “Three Women” featurette exploring the talented trio of lead characters, a seven-minute featurette on “The Music of The Hours,” the nine-minute featurette “The Lives of Mrs. Dalloway,” and a trailer. Bottom line: an excellent extras package for one of 2002's most feted films.] (R. Blackwelder)
The Hours
Paramount, 114 min., PG-13, VHS: $95.99, DVD: $29.99, Jun. 24 Volume 18, Issue 3
The Hours
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