1.18.2010

An Education: 1960's London fashion on film.

During the Golden Globes last night, I was reminded of the great little coming-of-age film An Education, which I saw at the theatre several months ago (it had a very limited release). Based on the memoirs of British journalist Lynn Barber, the movie is about Jenny (Golden Globe nominee Carey Mulligan), a London schoolgirl who falls in love with an older man. Although the story sounds like a page from Nabakov's Lolita and the title may conjure up the Natalie Portman film The Professional, I was taken aback at how surprisingly honest and sensual the film was.
Mulligan as Jenny.

The characters, even the smaller roles, were believable. The film did a great job with casting a good ensemble: Peter Sarsgaard, who plays David and steals little Jenny's heart, may be best remembered in Garden State as Mark, the insensitive but hilarious friend; Alfred Molina plays Jenny's father and was the Bishop in The Da Vinci Code; Rosemary Cross, who plays a schoolteacher, played the female lead in 1998's Rushmore (which, if you're from Texas, was filmed in Houston by UT alum Wes Anderson); and Emma Thompson plays the headmistress.

I really could go on and on about the cast alone.

Basically, the movie is fantastic to watch because of its cast.

Set in 1961 (before the Beatles had Ringo Starr on drums), the film demonstrates the difference in its characters--both economical and maturation--with clothing. Jenny, as a school girl, is dressed plainly, with her hair simple.

On her first date with David, she meets David's friends, Danny and Helen (Dominic Cooper and Rosamund Pike, respectively). Jenny is intrigued by Helen, and literally pets Helen's fur shawl. Helen invites her shopping, which Jenny declines due to money, only to find out that David will take her shopping.

Talk about wardrobe upgrade for the remaining duration! The rest of the film takes us through Jenny's departure from childhood, emotionally and fashionably.

Almost makes me want to find a sugar daddy. Almost. If you have not seen the film, enjoy these stills until its DVD release, courtesy of Yahoo.

You can view the trailer of An Education and learn about the awards Mulligan, who is reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn, has won for her role here (don't bother reading the synopsis, though; it might as well be called "major spoiler"). Special thanks to Sony Pictures Classics and BBC Films.

26 comments:

  1. This looks like a film I would love to see. Is it a British-not-really-available-in-the-U.S. film?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I so badly want to see this film; and Carrey Mulligan is absolutely adorable!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. i first heard about this film during the golden globes. it sounds pretty damn amazing and i can't wait to see it. definitely going to go check out the trailer now :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is a great review! I will definitely watch this!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for sharing this great post! I want to see it :D thanks for the comment too !

    ♡,
    Jessica

    ReplyDelete
  6. I really really really want to see this movie now.
    P.S. love the banner!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great post & lovely pic... thx for sharing :) Mon Mode Blog

    ReplyDelete
  8. I cant wait to see this movie!!!
    thanks for stopping by & your comment :)

    fashionableroad.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. thank you for sharing. i'm so curious about this one. i bet this'll come out really great. mulligan seems promising. plus, she's an unique beauty. i can't wait seeing her turning big in the movie industry. in fact, i'm pretty optimistic she'll be!

    ReplyDelete
  10. So cool!! I must see this film. ;D

    ReplyDelete
  11. will have to chheck it out. great blog you've got here!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I was so LOL with the sugar daddy line... I want to see this film. I saw the trailers before and I was amazed by the clothes. And I love the May-December romance. xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hey,

    I'd like to send you a copy of Lynn Barber's AN EDUCATION (U.S. edition), which spans from her days as a school girl to adulthood, for follow-up review of the book. If you are interested, e-mail me at Kouvaras@atlasandco.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh I wanted to see this, but it must have been and gone already. Boo.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Absolutely love this post :)
    I wanted to read the book before I saw the film and now I have finished it I am desperate to see it. These stills looks tunning and of course the styling is impeccable.
    Thanks for sharing about the cast as well, apart from Carey Mulligan I had no idea who else was in it.
    Can't wait to rent it out now!
    Once again fab post :)
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  16. Eeee. These movie stills alone are making me drool. Thanks for the recommendation! An Education, meet my Netflix account.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I just saw this movie and I don't want to sound like a negative bitch, but I hated it! I must be the only person in the world who does not like it... but it's beyond me how it was nominated for the SAG Awards. I voted for "Precious" and am crossing my fingers it will win! Although from a fashion standpoint, "An Education" is a more interesting choice - I loved the styling as well as the photography throughout the film. :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Cookie: thanks so much for your honest opinion! You weren't being a bitch at all. I think this year's crop of films has so many different stand-outs, not just stylistically but also the stories that were told (as with Precious), or the technology that was used (as with Avatar). I have not seen Precious yet, but I read Push many moons ago, so maybe when I see Precious we can continue this conversation? Take care!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Sounds like a beautiful and interesting film. I'll have to see if it's on Netflix.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I love Carrey Mulligan! awesome photos.

    LIBERDADEavenue

    ReplyDelete
  21. I might have to sign up for netflix again since I owe I Luv $40 in late fees... I want to see this! I LOVE Peter Saaarrrrsgard (I can't spell his name)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for visiting my blog!
Leave a comment & I'll be sure to visit yours.

-- That Chelsea Girl

All content, unless written otherwise, is property of Chelsea Hands.
Use of author's personal photos is strictly forbidden.