Matt Shea
RubySoho
Morgan Bell
Cibbuano
David O'Connell
Mountain Fog
A Mighty Heart
October 8th 2007 21:56
Her husband was kidnapped en route to an interview with an underground figure; a pregnant Pearl pushed aside her grief and fear to collect a group of international experts to try and find Daniel Pearl before it was too late. As we all know, though, it was too late.
Mariane Pearl is an incredible woman, showing poise and grace, as well as remarkable intelligence, in every act. Watch this interview:
Mariane Pearl is played by Angelina Jolie in dark makeup... Pearl has mixed ethnicity, which caused some furor from the African community over the idea of 'blackface' all over again.
Nonetheless, it's hard to argue against Jolie for the role. Her personal life has been wracked with paparazzi and rumours, but at the heart of it, she's Jon Voight's daughter and she's an actress. One that thrives in closeup, with her big, beautiful eyes and sensuous lips expressing emotion in total silence. The movie acts as a star vehicle for Jolie, putting her at the center of it all.
Asra Q. Nomani, friend and colleague of the Pearls, wrote an article in the Washington Post about her reaction to the film, which, I think, has a great deal of relevance:
"The character I saw on the screen was flat -- nerdy, bland and boring. He's not at all like Danny, who wrote "ditties" about Osama bin Laden while he was investigating Pakistan's nuclear secrets and jihadist groups as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal. On screen, he's warned three times to meet with Sheik Mubarik Ali Gilani -- the man with whom he thought he had an interview -- only in public. But off he goes, ignoring the warnings. The message: Reckless journalist.
That was nothing like the Danny I knew. As the credits rolled, I murmured to my mother, "Danny had a cameo in his own murder."
It's a moving film, naturally... the small theatre I watched the film in was wracked with sobs. Any story of a woman losing her husband in going to be an emotional one, surely. However, it's the story that is emotional, as is the brave figure of Mariane Pearl.
As a film, director Michael Winterbottom disappoints by relying on hacked attempts to maintain tension and drama. We're in that age, where political thrillers must come with shaky, handheld camera work and fast cuts.
Additionally, western directors never tire of showing traffic jams in Asian countries. Apparently, that's what they think of those countries - packed with filthy locations and a dirty mass of sweaty people.
During the police segments, the editing cuts so quickly between shots that its disorientating, which is, naturally, the point. My displeasure with the technique is the overuse in American cinema at the moment - to me, it's a cheap method of making the screen seem frenzied.
Most of the action scenes involve the Pakistani police busting thugs in connection to the kidnapping. Obviously, the audience is meant to cheer them on, hoping that they'll resort to crueler methods to rescue Daniel Pearl.
I wonder, though... if it was American police officers busting into homes without warrants, terrorizing suspects, would we cheer?
A Mighty Heart, then, shows that a wealthy foreigner, living abroad, can use the deplorable methods of interrogation to her favour. Is that the message that Mariane Pearl had for the world when she wrote her book?
No. As Asra Nomani writes:
"In the prologue to her book, Mariane wrote to her son: "I write this book for you, Adam, so you know that your father was not a hero but an ordinary man." In a movie voiceover, that dedication becomes: "This film is for our son so he knows that his father was an ordinary man. An ordinary hero.
...I think Danny would have rolled his eyes at that."
...I think Danny would have rolled his eyes at that."
I say: Honestly, though the film comes off as uninspired and cliched, the story of Mariane and Daniel Pearl is definitely one worth watching, and Jolie carries the grace of the main character very well.
See it for: Most of the shots with Jolie are shot in India.
* this image is from the IMDb page on A Mighty Heart
| 86 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
Comment by Michaelie
Flick Wit
I think of Mr and Mrs Smith or Original Sin and cringe.
But she does well in this? Must have a look.
She was OK in The Good Shepherd and Girl, Interrupted I suppose.
Will watch this for the story anyway.
Michaelie
Comment by postmoderncritic
Postmodern Critic
Relativity Watch
Padsoc
I actually thought that the brutal interrogations were meant to be seen as morally ambiguous, at least. Surely Mariane's Buddhist worldview would be repulsed by the use of violence on behalf of her husband? I also think Daniel would have been opposed to violence in his name as the two shared similar ideologies. I think the audience is meant to sympathise with Mariane's point of view, so I think that the violence is meant to be morally ambiguous at least, condemnable at most. I came across another reviewer on Rotten Tomatoes who said as much, but I can't remember his name.
I thought the film didn't develop the character of Daniel Pearl very well, and didn't show much about the Pearls' relationship. Jolie was great, though.
Thanks for the interview with MP, and the extract from the friend's article.