In the Shakespearean play, Julius Caesar was warned "to beware the Ides of March". In history as he walked to the Senate, Julius Caesar was told by a seer a second time of his impending doom on the day and yet Caesar marched onwards to his impending doom. In the recently released film THE IDES OF MARCH (George Clooney, Columbia, 2011) no such doom awaits any of it's characters. What does march onwards to it's doom is the metaphorical death of idealism, trampled by the political machinations and maneuvering behind the scenes during a campaign. It is this death, symbolized with the characters of Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling) and Mike Morris (George Clooney) that gives the film a sublime message, and for me an unexpected one at that.
The narrative to the film is excellent. It is a fascinating (although I am unaware of the accuracy) look into the machinations of a campaign and this glimpse is afforded us without any specifically overt political messages. This is utterly refreshing as the temptation exists to sub textually infuse the narrative with just such a message. Throughout the film the dialogue is outstanding but the moments without dialogue work just as, if not more effectively. And the character arcs, particularly for Meyers and Morris are full and rich. Both travel the road from idealist to corrupt conformist and the films representation of politics as the ultimate tool of corruption is paramount to giving the narrative such excellence.
Also striking to me is work that George Clooney accomplished as a director combined with the efforts of his cinematographer Phedon Papamichael. There exists a stillness to this work, a quiet subtlety that allows the visuals of the film to carry the work. A good example of this is when Morris succumbs to Meyers pressure and fires Paul (Philip Seymour Hoffman). We don't know what Morris has decided to do leaving the previous scene and Clooney elects to show Paul coming out onto the street and asks him to enter his vehicle. Then, we see only the vehicles, with no dialogue. We know what is being said, we don't have to hear it and this is just beautiful work. As Paul exits the vehicle, his performance tells us all that was said inside the truck.
Achieving this stillness requires good shot composition and also serves to lend weight to the moment. It is a tonal shift for Mike Morris as well as the film as a whole. It is the moment when he is abandoning his principles (although his dalliance with the intern could be seen as the same). Clooney and Papamichael both chose to place the camera in some very interesting places, creating shots that were de-centered and off kilter, adding to the effect that something wasn't right with our narrative or our characters.
And the characters in this film were all cast spectacularly. George Clooney is always good and Evan Rachel Wood is so adult finally. Hoffman and Paul Giamatti are two of the best in the business today but in the end this film belongs to Ryan Gosling. There is a quiet intensity to him, giving you the feeling that he is always ready to explode, that something is about to burst forth, scripted or not. This has been a banner year for Gosling and he is really coming into his own.
George Clooney chose to do a few other things which I love. First, the ending is ambiguous. You want to know what happens to these characters, but Clooney leaves it open for individual interpretation. Does Stephen Meyers crack and turn on Mike Morris? Does the scandal come out on Governor Morris? Leaving it open and ambiguous is great filmmaking. Finally, Clooney keeps the film tightly timed at under two hours, a refreshing change of pace in contemporary Hollywood. I think this film was excellent and is proving Clooney and Gosling to be at the top of their respective games.
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