An early scene in \Vanity Fair"" has Becky Sharp (Reese Witherspoon) trying to impress a possible suitor, a wealthy soldier stationed in India, by declaring that she adores everything about the country. She takes a bite of spicy curry as proof, her eyes water and she conceals a grimace. She turns smilingly towards the suitor and flirtatiously tells him she loves the curry, as a single tear falls down her cheek.
Becky's wish to be higher in the social hierarchy dictates how she reacts to even a simple bite of curry. Mira Nair's (""Monsoon Wedding"") beautiful and energetic adaptation of William Thackeray's 1847 novel critiques the importance placed on class and money through the story of Becky Sharp, the orphaned daughter of a starving artist and a disreputable opera girl. The young Becky is taken in by a girl's school and, upon reaching adulthood, she is introduced to high society by her wealthier school friend Amelia and noble Sir Pitt Crawley, who hires her as his daughters' governess. Becky's tenacity and charisma help her rise through the ranks of London society despite the many characters who try to prevent her on account of her humble birth.
This film is no Merchant Ivory production; it is eye-catching and engaging from the first frame. Reese Witherspoon excels in playing characters who are tenacious and nervy (like her Tracy Flick in ""Election""), and social-climbing Becky Sharp is her best executed role. Witherspoon avoids turning Becky Sharp into a one-note vixen. Scenes in which she proudly introduces herself to lords and ladies who overtly scorn her are her most impressive; she smiles and pretends not to notice their insults while shades of hurt and anger simmer beneath her confident exterior. Witherspoon brings life and charisma to the screen, and her handling of the role prevents the film from veering into bodice-ripping territory (although the film does actually contain a scene of bodice ripping).
Unlike other films set in 19th-century England, this film eschews traditionally neutral, buttoned-up costumes in favor of historically incorrect but creative costumes metaphorically serving the film. The characters are clothed in opulent peacock blues and greens, with feather headdresses and the occasional peacock feather bracelet; the accoutrements of the beautiful and proud animal represent visually the pride and vanity of the upper-class characters. The color schemes also bring life and vibrancy to a time period that is usually represented as dark and stodgy.
As the costumes mirror the personality of the characters, the cinematography of Declan Quinn and the production design of Maria Djurkovic reflect the highs and lows of Becky's fortunes. When Becky is close to securing an engagement to the wealthy soldier stationed in India, she and the other characters are lit in flattering golden light within sumptuous sets of saturated colors. When Becky is rejected and forced to leave, however, she travels down a harshly lit rainy street, and passersby are clothed in coats of gray and black.
This film is successful in that it refuses to pass judgment on Becky; rather, it passes judgment on the hierarchical society that governs her actions. This film portrays the life of a peasant to be a hellish one, but it also portrays the life of a lord as unhappy and treacherous. The only bastions from unhappiness are love and family, but this film shows that issues of money can corrupt even that. It laments a society in which a brilliant artist can starve while an idiot can inherit the title of a lord. When this discrepancy is pointed out to Becky, she justifies her social-climbing by stating simply ""I am attempting to redress that balance.""
For its many assets, this film is not without its flaws. A major subplot concerning the fortunes of Becky's friend Amelia is underdeveloped and vague; her family goes from well-to-do to penniless without real explanation, and she sometimes acts in certain ways without apparent cause. Her subplot ends abruptly with a sudden, tacked-on ending. These flaws, however, are redeemed by the strength of the film as a whole.
