Mikaela K., Staff Writer
March 3, 2012
Filed under Arts and Entertainment
Murder, fire, outcasts, and a Led Zeppelin song- all of the required elements to make an excellent David Fincher film. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, based on the first novel in Steig Larsson?s Millennium Trilogy, has recently been made into an opulent American film that rings more true to the Swedish author?s vision than the Swedish versions did. As well, the films, and their focal female character, have become so iconic that H&M has recently released a collection based on her fashion from the books and movies ? so, it is a lot of black leather jackets and pants, shredded t-shirts, and black boots that are reminiscent of the Grunge era.
Tattoo is about a scandalized journalist, named Mikael Blomkvist, researching the mysterious disappearance of a teenage girl forty years ago. While the book and novel do use Blomkvist as a focal character, he functions as more of a foil to the actual main and unique character of the series ? genius hacker and outcast, Lisbeth Salander. Throughout the novel, the author bounces between the viewpoints of both characters until eventually their lives intersect, and they come closer as the mystery of the teenage girl begins to come unraveled. Both of the Tattoo films and novels discuss many subjects that include female independence and stereotypes, along with more disturbing and less recognized issues that exist internationally.
The American version of Tattoo was released on December 20, 2011 and was directed by the Oscar-nominated director, David Fincher (Fight Club, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and The Social Network). The film had a phenomenal cast of both well known and indie film stars, which allowed the viewer to focus more on the characters and plotline than on individual actors. Mikael Blomkvist was played by Daniel Craig (Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Cowboys and Aliens), who gave a very genuine feel to the character and made him more real to the audience than Larsson?s original character. The film also starred the well-known actors Christopher Plummer (The Sound of Music, Up, and Beginners), Stellan Skarsg?rd (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World?s End, Mama Mia, and Thor), and Robin Wright (The Princess Bride, Unbreakable, Beowulf). But it was the most unknown actress that completely stole the show and undoubtedly deserves an Academy Award for the most brilliant performance of 2011. Rooney Mara, a relatively unknown independent film actress and the child of professional football royalty, made one of the most dramatic performances and completely and accurately embodied the character of Lisbeth Salander. Before this role, Mara had an extremely small role in The Social Network and starred in the recent remake of The Nightmare on Elm Street - and despite these small, somewhat forgettable roles, Mara has always shined on the screen and makes whatever character, no matter how dramatic, relatable to the audience, but she did something truly remarkable in Tattoo. She somehow managed to take an unbelievably damaged character with many secrets and few relationships and turn her into the girl you wish was your best friend. It is truly Mara who keeps the film well-paced and interesting, which can be difficult in a three hour murder mystery.
After viewing the film I began to compare the American Tattoo to the original Swedish version. The Swedish film premiered in 2009 and was directed by Niels Arden Oplev (Portland, Wolds Apart). The filmed starred Mikael Nyqvist (Abduction, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) as Blomkvist and Noomi Rapace (Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows, Prometheus) as Lisbeth. The trilogy was completed in late 2009 (all the films were shot directly after their predecessors in order to guarantee they premiered during the hype of the books). This version of Tattoo was very good, but I did not enjoy it as much ? and they changed too much in the transition from the novel to the screenplay. As well, comparing the cinematography of Oplev to Fincher, the shots were not as vivid and dramatic. Fincher had every frame shot perfectly, and there were no mistakes in costumes, lighting, colors, or anything. Meanwhile, Oplev, who is a very talented director, had many darkly lit shots, or ones with too much light, or the camera shook when the scene could have been fine without that effect. As well, while the actors in the Swedish version were very good, the American actors seemed to better embody their characters. Craig made Blomkvist more relatable and interesting, while Nyqvist made the character somewhat cynical and dull; Mara made Lisbeth more human and sympathetic without losing the character?s edge, while Rapace made the character much more frigid and manipulative. Overall, both versions of Tattoo were fantastic, but I simply felt that Fincher and his cast interpreted the novel better and made the characters more relatable to the audience. ?
The Millennium novels- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl who Played with Fire, and The Girl who Kicked the Hornet?s Nest-? were originally written by Swedish author Steig Larsson (2005 ? 2007), who was working on a fourth novel when he died of a sudden heart attack in November of 2004. Overnight the novels became a huge success in Sweden and began to cross international borders. In 2009, the first of the Millennium Trilogy was released in America, and, once again, the novels became a huge success. ?The novels have sold 27 million copies in over 40 countries and that number continues to grow. Currently, Larsson?s estate is involved in a large court case involving his father and brother, both of whom Larsson had not spoken to in years, and his partner of 32 years, Eva Gabrielsson, who has received no money from the Millennium Trilogy due to the fact they were never legally married. In 2010, Gabrielsson released the unfinished manuscript of the fourth Millennium novel and a biography of their lives together.?? ?
Final Grades for movies:
??????????? The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Swedish Film): B+
??????????? The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (American Version): A+
Sources:
Internet Movie Database www.imbd.com
Entertainment Weekly Magazine www.ew.com
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