The Trailer for 'Amelia' Takes Flight
Filed under: Drama, Romance, 20th Century Fox, Newsstand, Movie Marketing, Trailers and Clips
A biopic of Amelia Earhart is like every girl's dream come true. Did any woman not grow up idolizing her, spend hours covering her gorgeous flight jackets, and wondering just where her plane vanished to? She has a story just made for the big screen, and if there was an actress who could pull it off, I do think it's Hilary Swank. She has the physical resemblance, and I know she has the talent, if only because I still love her as Maggie Fitzgerald.
Unfortunately, I'm not seeing much promise in Amelia. The first trailer for Mira Nair's biopic has gone online at Yahoo! Movies. (I've embedded a version below the jump to make it easier, but be sure to go visit Yahoo! for the HD version.) While it's beautifully costumed and lushly filmed, it looks a little too teary and overwrought. Admittedly, my image of Earhart is one filtered through the Golden Age of celebrity, and I picture her as a flying Rosalind Russell / Girl Friday type. I've never forgotten a National Geographic blurb I read about her, which described her calmly powdering her nose after one of her plane crashes. That's the kind of biopic I want ... one that has humor and the adventure of the times, not one that's gloom and "You're going to die!" doom from the get go. I'll continue to hold out hope for it, as it has a great cast, and I want it to bring back 1920s and 30s fashion.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-26-2009 @ 10:39AM
Riley Freeman said...
im sorry i liked the actress from a night at the museum 2 she had charisma. i cant stand hilary swank and i think shes a terrible choice.
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6-26-2009 @ 11:07AM
Wayne said...
Wow. I couldn't even finish the *TRAILER*! Bad sign.
Interesting career, this Swank. When she does an even halfway decent movie, she wins an Oscar. The rest...dreck.
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6-26-2009 @ 11:26AM
vegimorph said...
Hilary Swank is a great actress and I like her work. She'll definetely do justice to the dramatic role of Amelia Earhart. I'm sure there will be funny moments in the movie. Blame the people for making the trailer for that, not her. Amy Adams, one of my favorite actresses did do a great job with the comedic and sweet side of Amelia in Night at the Museum so i congratulate her as well
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6-26-2009 @ 11:54AM
Christopher said...
How does "it's beautifully costumed and lushly filmed" and "I'll continue to hold out hope for it, as it has a great cast" support your point that you're not seeing "much promise" in it?
I didn't think much of this film UNTIL I saw this trailer. Now, I'm quite intrigued by it...and think it has quite a bit of promise for the very reasons you listed.
When I think of Amelia E., "humor" hardly comes to my mind, so this trailer depicts the tone that I would expect.
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6-26-2009 @ 1:24PM
Elisabeth said...
I know it seems crazy, but it's what you might call "a mixed reaction" and giving props to the stuff that I do like about the trailer.
It IS beautifully shot. It DOES have a great cast.
But it also looks like overdone Oscar bait. The trailer could have captured a spirit of adventure and achievement, and ended on a darker note rather than laying on the tears and gloom from the first moment. However, that might not be how the film is, it could just be the trailer -- and so I can hold out hope that it's a more even film and will give me what I want. Since when is opinion (especially based on one piece of marketing) monolithic?
6-26-2009 @ 3:15PM
Christopher said...
@Elisabeth - Of course, no one is limited to merely a single reactive feeling to this or any trailer, but you seemed to give more evidence to have hope that this is going to be a good flick rather than the opposite in your original post.
Also - I'd say 3/4 of this trailer is all about the "adventure." The only part that contains the appropriate bit of foreboding runs from the 1/2 to 3/4 mark.
Also also - since there are going to be a whopping 10 noms for best picture at the Oscars, we might as well pencil this one in now. 10 Oscar worthy pictures from one year is a lot to ask.
6-26-2009 @ 12:28PM
paul said...
It looks to me like the movie is made not for the majority of the film going public but for the minority. And to those, I think, this movie will have an immense appeal. Count me in the minority.
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6-26-2009 @ 1:10PM
cablebfg said...
I dunno about yall, but for me, the embedded video is a broken link.
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6-26-2009 @ 4:30PM
Riley Freeman said...
after watching a night of the museum 2 i actually looked up the actress and amelia and i became interested in her. i actually read a lot of her wikipedia stuff. i will say this if it was her playing the title role id have gone to see it. hilary swank hasnt done a single movie i ever had any interest in watching
i have seen insomnia though if thats the one with al pacino and i dont even remember her in it
i have the black dahlia but i dont think i ever watched it.
the reaping i saw and it was a terrible movie.
finally p.s. i love you i have seen but u could have pugged any actress into that sob fest
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6-28-2009 @ 11:26AM
Julie said...
I'm still excited about this movie and I have to admit, I actually like the trailer, but you know I like that over dramatic mushy stuff. LOL. I have mixed feelings about Hilary Swank, but I really thought she was perfect for this role. I'm going to hold on to the hope that its only the cut of the trailer making it look so depressing and the end result will be much better. And then again, it very closely resembles those trailers for Australia I fell for and we both know how that went....
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