Wit

Rating:
Summary: Courageous Hideous and Poignant
Review: Emma Thompson stars in, "Wit", an almost one woman performance about a professor with her Doctorate in literature facing experimental chemotherapy for advanced cancer. The film addresses a variety of current issues that are either being dealt with or ignored, and ultimately are issues the majority of us will face. The controversial nature of this story is tuned to a higher level of intensity, as this woman is enduring 8 months of what can only be described as barbaric treatment that will serve research but be of no value to her life. It will in fact only extend and intensify her suffering for the purposes of research.

Research is critical to the advancement of medicine. I offer no counter argument, but should a person not be told that what they will endure will be very intense suffering that is highly unlikely to help them, while it may help the treatment of patients in the future. This character is a highly educated individual. If someone like her, or anyone else, wishes to make the sacrifice in order to possibly help others, which willingness represents an exceptional gift in light of whatever they must endure, they should be fully informed in layman's terms and in advance. But the patient should be constantly informed, and be in total control if they decide they have had enough. Patients should not be unwilling lab rats.

Patients should be informed and in charge of what pain medication is available, and how much pain they are willing to endure, if the pain medication at some point interferes with pure research, too bad. If the comfort of a patient is not always the fist consideration for a person willing to endure experimental treatments, then the concept of doing no harm needs to be revisited.

This film brilliantly and graphically portrays what medicine can and cannot do. It demonstrates that the medically assisted continuation of life should never be considered in isolation, rather measured with the quality of life that is on offer for extension. And eventually the concept of an individual deciding when they have had enough and they want their life to end needs to be dealt with, and the right to die decision placed with the patient. Again the argument that euthanasia goes against the Hippocratic Oath is pure nonsense. What it goes against is the advice of attorneys, insurance companies, and a variety of special interest groups.

Extension of misery is doing harm.

Rating:
Summary: Women and dying
Review: Watching Wit felt like an encounter. It's the sort of film that leaves you with a complex skein of emotion to untangle after it's over and which gives you things to ponder about for a long time. Most of all, it rings true; it is true. I lost a dear friend to cancer just over a year ago and watching Emma Thomson's performance brought it all back in full force. This is really what it looks, feels, sounds like. At the same time this is ART; someone is acting, someone is directing, someone is staging and shooting chosen pieces of the tediousness of death and dying. Then how does it get to us? Why was I crying all through the second part of the film? Thinking back, I cried most during the scene where Vivian is eating a popsicle in the company of her nurse and when her aged mentor is reading "The Runaway Bunny" to her holding her in her arms; simple moments of utter humanity, companionship and tenderness; moments of shared sisterhood. It's funny that the only human moments in the film figure women characters, that compassion through words and gestures only comes from the women around Vivian. My favourite moment? Suzi, the nurse, is pouring morphine through a tube into Vivian's vein. "I hope this is soporific", says Vivian (a reference to her love of words and to her childhood); "I don't know 'bout that, but it sure makes you sleep" answers Suzi. Vivian stops for a second and then she bursts laughing and after a couple of seconds so does clueless Suzi and so do we. It's endearing, heart-wrenching and absurd, as is Vivian's explanation through gasps of laughter - ever the teacher, till the very end. I don't know John Donne's poetry, but I loved what I heard. Thinking about our own death and dying is the burden and the privilege of our humanity. Poetry can talk about death and preserve its mystery at the same time. This is what the film does as well. It brings you as close as you possibly can be and it leaves you outside simultaneously. Ultimately we can only meet our own death and we can only do it once and alone, just like Vivian.

Rating:
Summary: Food for thought... no, food for deep contemplation.
Review: The best examination of the contrasts between intellectualism and experiential knowledge that I have ever run across.

"Wit" concerns itself with the private musings of a professor of early 17th century English Literature, a specialist in the sacred sonnets of John Donne.... she is diagnosed with advanced, terminal ovarian cancer, and is persuaded to become guinea pig for eight courses of aggressive chemotherapy.

It is the contrasts and parallels between the uniquely human ability to think critically, to be intellectual, and the basic human needs of every person, that the play concerns itself with. In the process there are some things said that I think are very important. Intellectual labeling and pigeonholing are mere wisps of smoke, distractions from the awesome reality of our existence, our pain, our ecstasy, our fears of death. Our need for human contact. These matters which should concern us most, are hidden or ignored in grotesquely elaborate ways in modern society. These behaviors are exposed, not by exaggeration, but by simple observation, in the film.

The play is full of ironical observations, amusing yet poignant. Many details, many layers. It has been two days since my first viewing, and I continue to find myself stopping in mid-stride, to say "ahah!" as I see subtle things that could not have been accidental. Food for thought? Not exactly... more like a rich, multicourse meal.

The end was incredibly comforting. I bawled. And I'll watch this one again.

Rating:
Summary: For whom the bell tolls.....
Review: John Donne's poem, "No Man is an Island" ends with the words, "Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee." The words seemed romantic when I was a teenager. After all, Hemingway derived the title of one of his books about WWI from them and Hollywood made a glam film about his book.

These days I am approaching the twilight years at breakneck speed and death doesn't seem romantic. So why on earth would I want to be reminded of my own mortality or the mortality of those I love by a film about a woman dying of cancer? The answers for me are these: 1) Emma Thompson. I've seen every film she's made, even the mediocre ones, and I refuse to miss a single one of her films (CARRINGTON sure wasn't very cheerful); 2) Thompson plays a professor of English who's specialty is the metaphysical poetry of John Donne. I had to see how one could develop a film about this topic; 3) I wanted to see the film version of WIT because I could not get to New York City to see Judith Light play Vivian Bearing in the Pulitzer prize winning play; 4) The stellar supporting cast assembled for the film including the fabulous Eileen Atkins and Audra McDonald; 5) Ms. Thompson's co-writing the screen play (she won the Oscar for her screen play of the book "Sense and Sensibility").

WIT is a profound film. I am still trying to make all the connections, however, the overwhelming sadness of Donne's poem strikes home -- "Ask not for whom the bell tolls..."

Rating:
Summary: A Rewarding Experience
Review: First of all, be advised, this is a tough film to watch; but also know that if you choose to do so, you will be rewarded with an experience that is invaluable and unforgettable, and in ways that transcend mere cinematic satisfaction. There is no mystery here, no secrets nor allegories. Indeed, the subject matter is made succinctly evident in the first words you hear, spoken by Dr. Kelekian (Christopher Lloyd) to Vivian Bearing (Emma Thompson): "You have cancer." And so begins "Wit," directed by Mike Nichols, a film that will claim you emotionally and take you to a place of eternal night-- a region, in fact, wherein even the most intrepid of body and spirit fear to tread. It puts you in a dark room with that thing in the closet and keeps you there; and there is no way out. And once inside, it forces you to face your worst fears, albeit vicariously, in a way that invites some serious reflection upon mortality and the profundity of life.

Vivian Bearing is a professor of English Literature, specializing in the work of Seventeenth Century poet John Donne. Hers is a scholarly life, and she is secure with her place in it; not yet fifty, she has achieved a level of comfort with herself, as well as her work, especially in the class she teaches on Donne. With her students she is a demanding taskmaster and does not suffer fools, nor students who opt for more immediate pleasures over Donne, refusing to accept youthful zeal as an excuse for academic impropriety. In her classroom, she insists that those in attendance rise to her level; she does not stoop to conquer.

Then, with the words of Dr. Kelekian, her world abruptly changes. At first, wrapped in intellectual armor, she finds at least some comfort and respite in her beloved Donne, but she soon finds that the pursuits of the mind, even leavened with a healthy ego, attain a diminished capacity within the environs of a ravaging disease. The eternity of the hospital affords her much time for reflection, and as her illness progresses she undergoes a change in perspectives; taking stock, she considers such things as the aloof manner she affected that served no purpose other than to distance her from her students. And she thinks about it now, not with regret, but differently; her intellectual acumen no longer separates her from her students, nor affords her a lofty perch from which she may sit in judgment. She understands, at last, that she is not so different from them after all. For as she discovers to her considerable dismay-- pain is the great equalizer.

Written by Nichols and Thompson, the screenplay is based on the play by Margaret Edson. The story unfolds like a living diary, as Vivian addresses the viewer directly, with a descriptive narrative that leaves little to the imagination. Graphically real and unrelenting, it is a riveting chronicle that will hold you in thrall from beginning to end and beyond-- because this experience does not end when the screen goes dark; it's something that is going to be with you for a long time afterwards, so be prepared. And the reason this will linger in your memory is that it's a contemplation of a reality that is horrendous beyond imagination. This is that thing that always happens to someone else, but never to "me," and to be put in the room with someone to whom the unthinkable has happened-- to be up close and personal with it-- is emotionally devastating. This is a true horror story beyond anything Stephen King could write, because this is "real." What happens to Vivian Bearing is something that happens to people all the time, and there has never been a film before or since that will put you more in touch with what it feels like, from the incredulity born at the moment of diagnosis to the acceptance of the reality of it. And it has nothing to do with courage; it is not about that at all. It's about knowing that you are going to have to do this thing that you least in the whole world want to do-- and that you have no choice in the matter.

This film is a veritable showcase for the incredible talent of Emma Thompson, who gives a performance that is so remarkable there are not enough superlatives to do it justice. Ineligible for Oscar consideration as this film was made for television (HBO), her performance nevertheless is as Oscar worthy as they come (even more impressive than her Oscar winning performance as Margaret in "Howard's End," which was nothing less than a study in perfection). As Vivian Bearing, Thompson is absolutely mesmerizing-- you simply cannot take your eyes off of her for even a moment. There are times when you want to look away, to avert your eyes because it's just too painful to watch, but you can't. Once you begin this journey you are bound to her for better or worse. You suffer with her through the physical pain, as well as through the base indignities to which she is subjected as a matter of course by the doctors and care givers who simply do not respond to the humanity of the person in their care; a sad commentary, to be sure, but so true.

What really marks Thompson's performance as so extraordinary, however, is the fact that as you watch the drama unfold, you forget this is an actor playing a role; rather, this is a very real person you are watching-- a person named Vivian Bearing who is dying of cancer.

The supporting cast includes Eileen Atkins (E.M. Ashford), Audra McDonald (Susie), Jonathan M. Woodward (Jason) and Harold Pinter (Vivian's Father). An emotionally absorbing drama that redefines empathy and compassion, "Wit" will make you feel alive like never before, and thankful for each and every day that you wake up healthy. It's a film that will enrich your life.

Rating:
Summary: the Truth
Review: Wit. Awesome. There are no other words to describe it. A year ago this month my mother passed away from multiple cancers, starting with breast cancer. I cried constantly during Wit. the main character reminded me so much of my mother. her words, her passion for life, her loves and hates, all intwined with the evils of cancer. I award wit with five starse most definatly, and if i could, six, or seven. I know i am only 15, and i haven't "experienced the world" much. but i do know about cancer and its effects. I Do know about the emotions and perils of chemo-therapy. Wit has taken all of my emotions, and put them into a real-life situation. I hope that you enjoy. Wit.

Rating:
Summary: This is ART.
Review: Other reviewers have pretty much covered the plotline above, but IMHO this is one of the greatest films I have ever seen. Definitely for mature audiences. Both the screenplay and the performances are so wonderful that there's something new to discover with each viewing. Ms. Thompson's performance is extraordinary, and I agree with other reviewers that an exception should have been made to the Academy Awards rules in order for her to receive the Oscar for Best Actress.

Rating:
Summary: An emotional rollercoaster
Review: I rented this because I love Emma Thompson and I own several period epics in which she stars. I haven't cried this hard in a long time! It is stressful to watch and it brought out a host of emotions. The end of the movie where they called the code blue was startling. All in all this is an excellent film and makes any healthy person appreciate life. This movie will have a profound effect on anyone who sees it....five stars is an understatement.

Rating:
Summary: Wit: A Matter of Life and Death
Review: No film as ever had such a profound effect on me as Mike Nichols' "Wit" It takes the viewer on a roller-coaster ride of emotions. One minute you will be laughing, the next sobbing. This is a powerful, poignant film about the ravages of cancer and the nature of life and death. Mike Nichols received well deserved Emmy and Golden Globes for his direction.

Emma Thompson gives what may be the performance of her career as Dr. Vivian Bearing, a strict and brilliant professor of John Donne's metaphysical poetry who is dying from ovarian cancer. She flawlessly and wrenchingly depicts the slow decline of a briliant woman. Vivian is receiving experimental treatment, and is often treated as nothing more than a speciman by her doctors. As she is hospitalized, she observes and analyzes her condition and the effect it is having on her life. Vivian's remarks are often funny, but as the cancer spreads through her body, she realizes that she has to reasses her life. In a heartrending scene, Vivian breaks down and says, "I used to feel safe." She was always a woman in control, and now that control is being savagely ripped from her by an invisible enemy. Eventually Vivian decides that when her heart stops, she does not wish to be revived: "Why make things more complicated?"

As the illness reaches its last stages, we see Vivian moaning and shaking with excrutiating pain. It is nearly unbearable to watch, but we must. The final scene, where Vivian is held like a child and read a children's story by her elderly teacher, is the most heartbreaking image ever put on film. "I feel so bad," Vivian manages to say, and that is all she can say.

"Wit" is a intensely moving and painful film to watch. It shows death by cancer in minute detail, never letting the viewer off easy. And that is how it should be. "Wit" is an educational experience as well as a cinematoc one, and you will leave the film understanding better the hell that cancer patients go through. It will leave you sad and haunted, but also comforted. For even though a woman has suffered and died, she kept her dignity....and her wit, with her until the very end.

Rating:
Summary: Heart Breaking
Review: Emma Thompson's performance provides new respect and empathy for anyone who has battled cancer. It is heart wrenching to see the pain, suffering and indifference that the story portrays. Yet it brings a refreshed appreciation for each moment of life that we have.
The fact that Ms. Bearing has seemed to lead a life that keeps most at arms length through a demanding drive for control, reaffirms how important it is to welcome friends and family into our lives. Other reviewers have said it better than I- this is worth seeing but be prepared.