The Brilliance Of “The Social Network”
Hopes are high for the Oscar potential of “The Social Network” after the film’s success at last week’s Golden Globe awards. The film won some prestigious awards including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Music. When the Oscar nominations are announced in January there is little doubt that David Fincher’s film is going to be a front-runner for the key prizes.
There was little to suggest that the film was going to be such a resounding success when it was first announced. The idea of a movie documenting the founding of Facebook and the lawsuits that followed seemed like very dry material indeed. There was a distinct possibility the project would be dull and worthy.
The first indication the property would be more interesting came with the news that Aaron Sorkin would script the piece. The writer’s reputation was riding high after the success of his previous film and television work. He first came to attention with the stage and film versions of “A Few Good Men”, but it was the phenomenal world wide acclaim that met “The West Wing” that sealed his claim to fame.
Sorkin’s writing has a number of key features that are fully to the fore in “The Social Network”. The most obvious example is his fast-paced, high-energy use of dialog. His characters think and talk fast. The characters are intelligent, driven and enormously articulate. Ideas, jokes and displays of verbal dexterity fly off the page and screen. It takes a while for an audience member to tune in to the sheer pace and energy of the banter between his characters.
It takes a director of remarkable vision to help the words to fly. David Fincher was a perfect choice. Although his previous film (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) had a lukewarm critical reception, it was enormously popular with the public. His earlier work showed his ability to create films that featured driven, obsessive characters. “Fight Club” and “Zodiac” were both centered around loners who were single-minded in their pursuit of their desires and ambitions.
Fincher is a visual stylist who was able to create an impressive visual correlation to the verbal sparks generated by the text. His roving camera moves in to highlight particular words and lines, accentuating the impact of each statement made by a character. The use of special effects is also very effective, especially as regards the Winklevoss twins, who are played by one actor.
The acting is of the highest order. Jesse Eisenberg, previously seen in “Zombieland”, “Adventureland” and “The Squid and the Whale”, expertly plays Mark Zuckerberg. His performance captures the sense of injustice and social isolation that drove the entrepreneur to found perhaps the most successful social network site in the history of the Internet.
All the other performances in the film are equally assured. Special mention must go to Armie Hammer who has the onerous task of playing two characters. British newcomer Andrew Garfield also made a splash in the piece, and has been signed to be the lead in the new “Spider-Man” film.
“The Social Network” is a classy, literate and exciting film. The writing is exceptional. The direction is imaginative and the acting is exceptional. If its success in the Golden Globes is anything to go by, it is sure to do well at the Academy Awards.
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