August

I had never heard of this film about a year ago, which I feel quite ashamed about. It was directed by Anthony Hopkins and also starred the great man himself. The largely Welsh cast act well and couldn't be replaced by anything better. The plot focuses on the life of Hopkin's character, his small family (mother and niece), his boredom with life, his missed chances and his undying love for a visitors wife. This film has many fine moments which can invoke thought in you, especially when Hopkin's breaks down in tears at the end. I would recommend this film to anyone if not only for Hopkins but for the story itself.

What a shame to see the excellent actor, Anthony Hopkins, make such an inept effort at directing. This movie is about a group of miserable Welsh gentry who have nothing better to do than make each other as unhappy as they know how. This is a sort of childish attempt to imitate "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe" with a larger cast. There is no character that seems like a real person (other than in an institution) and will bore most anyone to sleep. I watched to the end just to see if Hopkins would improve with experience. He didn't.

Gracious! What a depressing film this was. I love Hopkins. I always have, but why this dark, depressing film that was ridiculously over-acted? I have loved every film Anthony has ever made, but this one, even though I understand a person's struggle with life, friendship, love, and the disappointments of not having true love or a fulfilling life, why should we be subjected to such absurd screaming and desperate actions? The musical score was the only thing I value about this film other than when Anthony's character is CALM. Anthony and I have the same birthday, and so I've always identified with him. He is an accomplished actor and now, as I've learned, a wonderful composer as well, but I just would rather die than to watch this movie again. Sorry, Anthony, I will still love you the rest of my life, but why...oh why did you agree to do this horrible film? Have a great birthday when I do...December 31!!!

An accomplished major film directorial debut for Anthony Hopkins, a beautiful piece of work, accompanied by a wonderful score, also composed by Hopkins. But one must wonder, as with the adaptation of any great work of art, why it was necessary. "Uncle Vanya" has been masterfully translated, it seems superfluous at best to rewrite it. As with Shakespeare, the transposition into a new landscape need not be accomplished through a completely new script. This being said, however, it is always pleasing to see a project so close to a person's heart as this obviously was to Hopkins' come to such beautiful fruition.

This is a lovely, well considered and well paced version of Chekhov's famous play. It is both amusing and sad, really a perfect balance. The title is a little misleading because this is actually UNCLE VANYA, not an adaptation. The characters' names have been altered and a brief mining accident has been added, but it is otherwise nearly a word-for-word translation, well worth watching. Hopkins is a wonderful Vanya (Ieuan), shifting moods rapidly from farce to frenzy. Kate Burton is a fine Yelena (Helen), not surprising because she worked for many years at the Williamstown Festival under Nikos Psacharopoulos, a director renowned for his Chekhov productions.