Seven Veils

Salome loves John the Baptist, who denies her. So she asks her father for John's head, that she can kiss him on the lips one time.

It's an age old story and a good one, and I saw the play which was sublimely acted, although it's contemporary presentation took something away from it in my opinion. The opera also is brilliant, but modernised, something which I feel took something away from it.

This version, filmed for cinema, is exceptional in showcasing the writing and directing talent of the writers and the director of the film, but is not really about Salome. It's about people, and their passion and intrigue and deceit. Diminutive Seyfried is a powerhouse in the part, but quite simply she is visually not matched to the role. Her acting skills are renowned, and indeed her singing, but this part in the arts demands a different character, like Gwendoline Christie, or Cate Blanchett. That's not a criticism of Seyfried, she is the sole reason I watched this film: it's a criticism of casting for exposure, instead of for the part.

I struggled my way through this film in several sessions because frankly, it bored me, and the many prisms of human nature were lost a little in the heavy and sometimes conceptual dialogue.

I would never say I enjoyed this film: I enjoyed Seyfried playing a magnificent part, but I also enjoyed her in Mamma Mia: she does not need a film like this to shine. I believe no-one needs a film like this, It may suit a trainee theatre actor rather than a cinema audience, but this is art rather than cinema. For that reason I only give this a score of 6, and 99% of that score is for Seyfried's acting.

The most impressive single thing about this Atom Egoyan film must be the setting, which draws heavily from the recent, real-life Canadian Opera Company production of Richard Strauss's opera 'Salome'. Even a few of the genuine singers are used in supportive roles. The plotline that is embedded within that atmosphere is, however, a fairly conventional one: the young stage director (Amanda Seyfried) must face two big ghosts from her past who are (a) her father and (b) her mentor, himself a legendary director. We;ve seen variations on that many times before. Other things getting in her way -- which would be enough of a challenge by themselves -- are the personal issues and problems of the lead singers and management who want to skew the production their own way. It's well enough done, and it's certainlyl visually impressive. I didn't think however that this role suited Seyfried too well; I though she should convey a more commanding, certain presence, because her character was supposed to be an experienced director already. (Comparison for contrast: Cate Blanchett, the imperious orchestra conductor in Tar (2022)). But there it is -- Egoyan has a strong personal style, and you get what you get.

I went through this pretty uncomfortable - sure it's about uncomfortable things, but the real reason for my uncomfortableness is just whole conception, approach of script and directing.

Surely opera fans will like it better. I don't need opera, bad things happen without musical background in real life. And even in some movies. Staged bad things ? Yeah, that's is what is big part in this, even aside from stage.

Acting was overall pretty good, however Amanda Bigeyeied did not seem as right for that part.

Was she (I mean character who played) watched with her daughter that bloody chopped head scene on TV near to end ?

Maybe director wanted that people think about it after watching :-)

In dark-drama "Seven Veils" Amanda Seyfried (as strong as ever) directs a remounting of the opera 'Salome' that her now deceased mentor & lover originally directed. In rhythm with the production (involving the likes of Rebecca Liddiard (good), Lanette Ware, Vanessa Antoine, and actual opera stars Ambur Braid & Michael Kupfer-Radecky) Seyfried evokes emotions from her own childhood trauma and current troubled marriage. Experienced writer / director Atom Egoyan clearly immersed himself in Richard Strauss' opera (and Oscar Wilde's play it was based on) which fans of may really enjoy - but for others this may be too 'artsy' to entertain.

Seyfried acting is excellent. Reality turns out to be even more tragic and complicated than the opera plot. Or perhaps we could say, that this is a way to convey a reality as dramatic as an opera, without taking focus from the work they are all doing.

I enjoyed it, though the subject can be hard to watch at moments. The work of a director can be fascinating and I really liked the way she developed it, without second guessing herself even though she is new, even when everybody seems against her, or even when they all try to make fun of her and assume they all know better than her because they are some part or it.