Far and Away (Blu-ray) Review

Now I have to confess that Tom Cruise is my favourite actor:) Since childhood, I have received a lot of films on DVD with him starring. I have read, leant about him, searched information about his biography etc. Well, I was doing everything that young girls usually do when see the 'man of their dream':) But it's another story. Now I would like to dwell upon one of his old films 'Far and Away'.

What is interesting, he played with his ex-wife, Nicole Kidman. So, if you are a fan of him or her, it would be interesting for you to see how a love couple plays in one film.
It may happen that a couple can harm the film, especially when it is a couple of stars. They have quarrels and can be indifferent to their director. They say, the result can be disappointing. Such are the stereotypes. Tom Cruise was a young star then, and Nicole was just gaining popularity. Perhaps, it even saved the film in some sense.

Details

Directed by Ron Howard
Produced by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Bob Dolman
Screenplay by Bob Dolman
Story by Ron Howard, Bob Dolman
Starring Tom Cruise (as Joseph Donnelly), Nicole Kidman (as Shannon Christie)
Music by John Williams 
Cinematography Mikael Salomon
Edited by Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill
Production company: Imagine Entertainment
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release date: May 22, 1992
Running time: 140 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English
Budget: $60 million
Box office: $137.8 million

Genre

As for me, it is difficult to refer this film to a certain genre. However, I would say it is a historical drama. The events of the film refer to the late 19th century, to the period of exploration of the Wild West. Moreover, there are a lot of humorous moments in the film. Besides, there are some fighting scenes as well as dramatic episodes (especially the end).

The Plot

The plot of the film is not ordinary. When you are waiting for some event, everything happens in another way. It remids a donkey, a 'friend' of Cruise in this film. You may guess the result, but it will be still unclear in what way the heroes will reach this or that aim. Maybe, not all of them will.

Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise plays the role of Joseph Donnelly, a poor Irish boy whose land was taken away by the landlord after his father's death. Therefore, Joseph is going to go and kill the offender...Anyway, he has nothing to lose!

However, the lord was not so bad as people thought of him. He was a pretty, fatty man, who did not already manage his land (as it seemed to me). Everything was done by his assistant. In the film Joseph was wounded and needed treatment, thus, he was let to stay at the house and get better. Whom do you think he met there? Sure! Nicole Kidman, that is Shannon, a daughter of the lord. Yes, it reminds a story of Romeo and Juliet. But every epoch should have its Romeo and Juliet, I think. I see nothing bad in it.

American Dream

As a daughter of such a 'big father', Shannon has her own viewpoint that is different from that of her father. And she has a dream, to be precise, American dream. At that time, people received advertisements about good life in America that promised them free land if they come to the country. As an ambitious and clever girl, Shannon notices an Irishman who can be of use to her during her trip. Eventually, they get on the ship and go to the country of big opportunities to fulfil their dreams. 

Love Story

I would call their love story quite modern in comparison with that of Romeo and Juliet because the latter did not hide their love from each other, but nowadays young people feel shy to open to another person. So, after they had arrived to Boston, all things of Shannon were stolen. Thus, Joseph, as a real gentleman, could not leave the girl to the mercy of fate. Besides, he liked her (what he was trying to hide), and she was attracted by his personality as well (what she also did not admit).
I will not tell anything further. Just one tiny thing) Their love story lead to one unhappy incident due to which they lost everything. Winter. Cold. Street. Empty house. Warmth. Man shooting Shannon. What will be next? You will see if you watch the film. 

Criticism

As for me, the film is good, touching, full of humorous, romantic, and just beautiful scenes. However, the film received a lot of criticism in the USA (country of release), and the box office was lower than expected. Film critics then did not like how the actors played. Moreover, the viewers weren't amazed. The actors were said to be not very persuasive. Nevertheless, the film received three nominations: Best Action Scene, Best Couple, and Worst Soundtrack.

Conclusion

Perhaps, I am not an expert in Film Studies, but unlike the critics, I liked the film. So, I recommend to watch it! Besides, if you like the actors starring, you will be interested to see how they started their career.

Shannon: Pretend you love me.
Joseph: I pretend I love you.
Shannon: I pretend I love you, too.

This review can be also found on Ciao under my nickname AliceBond.