Directions Unit - Sam Mendes Research: Revolutionary Road Review (2008)

Revolutionary Road, a film set in the 1950's focusing on the lives of Frank and April Wheeler who struggle with the realities of living what appears to be the American dream. With Frank tired of his relentless job, April bored of her run of the mill house wife duties, the couple decided to act upon a life long dream of moving to Paris in a hope for a happier and exciting new life. Forced to reconsider when Frank is offered a promotion and April falls pregnant, they struggle to come to terms with the fact things might not be as simple. Sam Mendes directs this Melodramatic adaptation from the same titled novel exploring themes of infidelity, marriage and conformity proving the instability and conflict that still exists in what is classed as the utopian life.

The first thing to notice is the story telling as a whole. It is strong and realistic moving at a steady pace through the whole film. When watching you can't deny the alignment you have between the two characters wanting them to succeed and escape their mundane routines, but as life gets in the way, reality and complications set to fade their dreams further from them than what was first imagined. In a quote from an interview, Sam says: "Paris is a metaphor. We all have our Paris, our escape, our Eden"and this is truly what the film is about, escapism. On this roller coaster journey with the Wheelers you begin to emulate the emotions that they are feeling too as Mendes has demonstrated really well throughout.

In terms of the way the film is shot, Mendes has chosen to show a very cinematic way of filming with beautifully lit scenes of simplicity and static camera angles creating a hyper-sense feel to what we as a viewer are witnessing. "I felt like it needed a much more honest, direct and simple approach". Its real but its bold and almost surreal creating a point of two unhappy characters fighting something inside a perfect and beautiful setting they can't find themselves in. The audience is shown elegance and class but at the heart of it all is turmoil and emptiness.

The score is hauntingly beautiful, composed by Thomas Newman, it adds sympathy as well as class and elegance to the film. Sam commonly works with Newman on most of his features to encorporate drama with emotion in adition to what as an audience are meant to be feeling as we are watching things unravel on screen. The music builds up almost like April and Franks excitement for a better life but then it softly drops to slow and sombre as if its realised the dream is diminishing.

Mendes has casted the films main characters as Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. He has done this for many reasons. They are both recognisable and very well received actors and with a film that touches on very complex levels, the thought of having two very reputable actors to play the parts was something key to making the film work. Kate was also Sam's wife at the time as he said this made working with her very easy. Through their previous work, they have both acted in dramas before and more notably, together. In the Titanic they both play the protagonists Jack and Rose. Credited highly for the roles they played, Sam could have seen the on screen chemistry between them and wanted to reignite it for Revolutionary Road.

When choosing a location to shoot the film, Sam chose Darien in Connecticut. He did this to make the film seem more realistic than a studio. It was filmed in a proper house and he said with all the crew and the temperature of the weather it added to the actors performances. "We wanted to get a sense of reality, and for the pressure cooker of the Wheelers' house to feel real. It was very hot. It was a small house, with all the crew jammed in there. But I think that reality fed the performances".

http://www.londonnet.co.uk/cinema/interviews/revolutionary-road-sam-mendes