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Vanity fair - Reese Witherspoon, James Purefoy, Gabriel Byrne, Mira Nair

Threat advisory: Elevated - Significant risk of entertaining activities

Movie propaganda

All's fair in love and war.

The daughter of a starving English artist and a French chorus girl, Becky Sharp (Reese Witherspoon) is orphaned at a young age. Even as a child, she yearns for a more glamorous life than her birthright promises. As she leaves Miss Pinkerton's Academy at Chiswick, Becky resolves to conquer English society by any means possible. She deploys all of her wit, guile, and sexuality as she makes her way up into high society during the first quarter of the 19th century.

Becky's ascension to the heights of society commences when she gains employment as governess to the daughters of eccentric Sir Pitt Crawley (Bob Hoskins). Becky wins over the children, and the Crawley family's rich spinster aunt Matilda (Eileen Atkins) as well. The rural Hampshire household comes to find her indispensable, and Matilda comes to confide in the bright young woman. But Becky knows that she cannot be a true part of English society until she moves to the city.

Theatrical propaganda posters

Target demographic movie keyword propaganda

Film drama period UK society social climber mistress

Persons of interest

Reese Witherspoon .... Becky Sharp
James Purefoy .... Rawdon Crawley
Gabriel Byrne .... Lord Steyne
Romola Garai .... Amelia Sedley
Rhys Ifans .... Dobbins
Bob Hoskins .... Sir Pitt Crawley (Pitt the elder)
Douglas Hodge .... Sir Pitt Crawley (Pitt the younger)
Kathryn Drysdale .... Rhoda Swartz
Nicholas Fell .... Footman
Sophie Hunter .... Maria Osborne
Natasha Little .... Lady Jane Sheepshanks
Richard McCabe .... George IV
Robert Pattinson .... Rawdy Crawley
Brian Pettifer .... Mr Raggles
Alexandra Staden .... Lady George
Jim Broadbent .... Mr Osborne
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers .... George Osborne
William Makepeace Thackeray .... Author
Matthew Faulk .... Screenwriter
Julian Fellowes .... Screenwriter
Mark Skeet .... Screenwriter
Mira Nair .... Screenwriter
Mira Nair .... Director

Cinematic intelligence sources

Vanity fair official movie site
Vanity fair film production notes
Vanity fair QuickTime movie trailers
Awards and film festivals:

International Press Academy Golden Satellite Awards 2004: Won: Costume Design (Beatrix Aruna Pasztor); Nominated: Art Direction and Production Design (Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana Macdonald)
London Film Festival 2004: Sky Movies special screening
Venice Film Festival 2004: Nominated: Golden Lion (Mira Nair)

Studios and distributors:

Icon Film Distribution

Intelligence analyst

Special Agent Matti

Theatrical report

Vanity fair is a delightful costume pageant. Many of the lines are witty and much of the imagery is sumptuous. It's better than Nicholas Nickleby but not as good as The importance of being earnest.