I didn't realise that 'American Beauty' is actually the name of a type of crimson rose popular in the United States. But ultimately, the film is all about the real beauty that exists in the world - an interestingly hopeful film. It's a fabulous screenplay, by Alan Ball, and Conrad Hall's photography is outstanding.
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| We're almost in the face/rain territory of In Cold Blood here |
Thomas Newman has had as many Oscar nominations as Roger Deakins - 15. It's about time he won or received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Good performances: Spacey suitably flip, Annette Bening nicely intense (loved her singing while driving), Wes Bentley brooding, Thora Birch needy, Mena Suvari empty-headed, Allison Janney vacant, Chris Cooper conflicted.
Sam Mendes: "Conrad never ceased to ask questions. What interested him about film was not the craft, which he had down pat, but that area which is closest to dreams, in which the language of image is definitely more complex than words. He was trying to communicate beyond language all the time. I think that's what great art can do." (Quoted in American Cinematographer, May 2003.)
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