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ACTOR
Tom HiddlestonKate FahyAmy LloydLydia Leonard
DIRECTOR
Joanna Hogg
SYNOPSICS
Archipelago (2010) is a English movie. Joanna Hogg has directed this movie. Tom Hiddleston,Kate Fahy,Amy Lloyd,Lydia Leonard are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2010. Archipelago (2010) is considered one of the best Drama movie in India and around the world.
Deep fractures within a family dynamic begin to surface during a getaway to the Isles of Scilly.
Archipelago (2010) Trailers
Same Actors
Same Director
Archipelago (2010) Reviews
Going on holiday by mistake
Few films in recent years have polarised audiences and critics quite as much as Archipelago, Joanna Hogg's follow-up to her much-lauded debut Unrelated. If the critics have had near-universal raptures over its long, very long, static wide-shots and natural murk, for many audiences it's simply the Emperor's new fashion range – arse-achingly pretentious art-twaddle. Well, I say it's great: a superbly photographed, acidly funny dissection of class snobbery and familial dysfunction en vacance, where invisible elephants stampede through the guest rooms, and every infinitesimal gesture counts. The characterisation is spot on, from Hiddleston's painfully wet young man to his moist-eyed mother, filling the watery void of her life with watercolour lessons. Easy targets perhaps, but less fish in barrels and more akin to the lobsters their poor holiday cook prepares: seemingly inert, then writhing in silent agony as Hogg turns up the heat.
Excellent cautionary tale
The film's name Archipelago, is quite rich, whilst it summons the image of the Isles of Scilly, where the film is set, it also captures this sense of distance between the characters in the film, who are nonetheless part of the same family identity. Cynthia loves her brother Edward deeply, but is unable to express this other than through snide remarks, passive aggressive behaviour, and tantrums. Edward is at a quarter-life crisis, limply compassionate and full of weltschmerz, fashioned after Prince Myshkin, the "idiot" of Dostoevesky's eponymous story. I also, haha, perhaps somewhat fancifully, like to think of Lyonesse in relation to this film, a kingdom that legendarily connected the Scilly Isles to Cornwall, and then sank into the sea. The Scilly Isles themselves are believed in Roman times to have been one island, named Ennor. Something happened and the connection to the mainland, and of the whole, disintegrated. This is much like what appears to have happened to the family in the film (it's hinted that a childhood visit to the Isles was much more light-hearted). The film could be regarded as not much of a progression for Joanna Hogg. Both Archipelago and her cinema debut Unrelated (2007) concern upper middle class families on holiday in beautiful locations, the status of trapped outsiders, and feature the motif of an absent character continuously at the end of a telephone. However I think there's something genuinely different about Archipelago, the characters are definitely more sympathetic, and the family dynamic very different (although, such is the shock of actually seeing tangible upper middle class characters on screen that, full of schadenfreude, many British class warriors will make a bee-line for the rotten tomatoes). The location shooting is somewhat of a kindness from the director to those of us who are so used to seeing British social realist dramas played out against bleak and unforgiving landscapes (Morvern Callar being a notable exception). There are passages in the film where Hogg lets the eye rest on pure landscape photography. The only real happiness in the film occurs after a cathartic harangue from one character produces a genuine smile from Cynthia, who sees the healing in the foulness. This is symptomatic of a particularly British emotional constipation that is in dire need of mend. Despite the emotional problems of the family, there are moments of genuine hilarity in the film that lightened my mood, the best being what is basically a comedy of manners sketch in a posh restaurant. On a personal level I think I will be haunted by Tom Hiddleston's performance as Edward, too sensitive for this world, a sad and noble man, who lacks any expression of passion, and misplaces his affection. All the more remarkable given his quite opposite performance as a shallow, obnoxious and cowardly youth in Unrelated.
Commendable British film which will not appeal to the majority.
Archipelago is a most certainly a 'love it or hate it' film which sharply divides opinion. It's not every day you see a film set on the Scillies so it was a must see for me personally. I'd read both good and bad reviews before I saw it so knew largely what to expect and yes, I can understand why many find it difficult and slow with long still takes and angst ridden silences. Agree that the characters are hard to engage with or like and yes it's infuriating and overly pretentious at times. However, because of, and not in spite of all these things, it ultimately succeeds in its portrayal of a very different type of dysfunctional family and brilliantly conveys the interactive awkwardness between the characters and there's quiet, suppressed comedy in the twaddle they speak. It generates a unique and almost claustrophobic atmosphere, although being too raw in its lack of script. It's a reminder that wealth and privilege don't necessarily equate to inner happiness - in this case loneliness and bitterness pervade. I felt very slightly on edge throughout. If you have an open mind you will gain much from Archipelago which deserves but probably won't get a wider and more appreciative audience.
Sublime
... I mean, really sublime. I rated this film ten some time ago. I've only now noticed the film on 5 stars and thought I'd have a look at the reviews. I read a good deal of them, and chuckled at some. It's stated many times by reviewers that this family is 'middle class'. I think these people have a poor understanding of the class structure in Great Britain. This family is middle-upper class, possibly even higher. But then, Southern England is a bit softer centred than the North. I can't help suspecting that the lower reviews come from viewers who'd like nothing better than a film constructed similarly to the Die Hard Trilogy. It's mentioned many times about annoying locked-off cameras. Is it that cameras must always be on a trolley to prevent static shots. It's a cliché. The choices for static shots are excellent ones and they serve the purposes of the story perfectly. The actors also receive some knocks. I think their abilities are being underestimated somewhat. There are massive holes throughout the film allowing for your imagination to pull it and all possibilities to bits. It requires considerable thought this film. There's a lot left open for you to do the work - This is progressive directing. Give just enough detail for the audience to ponder the hundreds of angles and possibilities. I really can't understand the gripe. I watched this film and melted. If the truth be known I've watched, watched, watched and rewatched it. Superb piece of film making.
The birds have a better dialogue than the actors
The opening scene has birds merrily singing in the background and you settle yourself down for what you hope will be a treat to the eye and a "Festen" style family bust-up. What you actually get for the next interminable 2 hours is extended shots of scenes out of which the characters have disappeared some minutes before - the characters having said very little or nothing - and moody landscapes with birds singing or wind blowing (Blow-Up anyone?). There is a 2 minute shot (although it felt like 10) of the cook stumbling over some rocks out of a cave. Why? Were we to assume she had some kind of illicit assignation with Edward? I don't know and after an hour I couldn't have cared less if they had all fallen into a threshing machine. I thoroughly sympathised with the father who only appears on the end of the phone who, quite wisely, makes up excuses for not being able to make it down to this family holiday. I wished I had made up any excuse NOT to have seen this film.