HBO does some fine programming, and Hemingway & Gellhorn is no exception. This is a historical drama, made-for-television movie, of high caliber. Clive Owen inhabits the role of Ernest Hemingway, and he is excellent. He brought Hemingway to life even more so, I think, than Daniel Day-Lewis helped us know Lincoln. Well, maybe not, but Owen was darn good. I was a little skeptical of Nicole Kidman, but she showed she understood Martha Gellhorn and gave us a strongly felt representation of the feisty Collier’s magazine journalist.
The story opens with a much older Gellhorn narrating, and Kidman’s make-up job is commendable. The story of their lives holds fascination and, at least equally so, the archival footage which is interspersed throughout the tale of Hem and Marty. They had an undeniable magnetism but were not destined to walk into eternity together. Too much booze, competition, machismo, and war. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We meet Hemingway as a writer and married man (wife Pauline played by Molly Parker with just enough self-righteous frump to make us happy he left her). War correspondent Martha Gellhorn comes on the scene, a gorgeous blonde with spirit, charisma, and guts, and of course Hemingway is smitten. They go to Spain, they go to Finland and China. They live in Cuba. Their personal relationship unfolds with tons of magnetism, and the documentary side which shows vignettes of the war is powerful, and gives heft and puts into context the intimacy of their story.
Supporting cast is very, very good, led by David Strathairn as John Dos Passos. Rounding out this crew are Parker Posey, Rodrigo Santoro, Joan Chen, and Peter Coyote. There are more, but take a look at this casting: Lars Ulrich, drummer for the band Metallica, as Joris Ivens. The only dud for me, who really took me out of the experience of the movie for a few moments, was Tony Shalhoub as Mikhail Koltsov (I have no idea who some of these guys are, either). Tony’s Russian accent was a painful caricature, but that could be due to my watching hours and hours, years, really, of him as Monk, which left some indelible imprint that can’t be altered. Or maybe director Philip Kaufman just failed to transform Monk. But this is a small glitch in an otherwise worthwhile movie.
And speaking of the director Philip Kaufman, he has a respectable filmography that features Quills, Henry and June, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, and The Right Stuff. He did a fine job here, with his biggest triumph being Clive Owen’s portrait of Hemingway.
As with most films, anticipation is somewhat critical. I went into Hemingway & Gellhorn thinking it was going to be boring, tedious, and too long (2 ½ hours). I was pleasantly surprised at how interesting I found it, and I recommend it to those viewers who like dramas or history, are curious about the life of Ernest Hemingway, or those who just like a good story. And think twice before you pass up a Motel 6 with a neon sign that says “Free HBO”. – [DVD] [Blu-Ray]
Drama/Biography/Romance
Rated R
DVD Release Date: 4/2/13
