Reese Witherspoon is surprisingly effective as Becky Sharp in Mira Nair's lush adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray's classic novel of Victorian England, VANITY FAIR. Nair, known for such films as SALAAM BOMBAY!, MISSISSIPPI MASALA, and MONSOON WEDDING, tells the compelling story of a young orphan girl, Sharp, who attempts to rise above her station in very class-conscious British society. Sharp enters this very rich and rigid world as a governess who captures the heart of Rawdon Crawley (James Purefoy), who chooses love over the family fortune, a financial decision that could potentially doom the relationship. Meanwhile, her best friend, Amelia Sedley (Romola Garai), lets true love slip right through her fingers. As war rages on against Napoleon and the French, Sharp continues her ascension, though she's met by naysayers and gossipmongers every step of the way.
Nair has put together a terrific cast, including Gabriel Byrne, Bob Hoskins, Jim Broadbent, Douglas Hodge, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, and Rhys Ifans. Natasha Little, who played Becky Sharp in a 1999 BBC miniseries, appears here as Lady Jane, and British favorite Eileen Atkins is hysterical as Miss Matilda Crawley. Splendid costumes, beautiful locations (including Hampton Court Gardens and India), high-quality acting, and gorgeous music combine to make this a worthy version of a classic tale about a feminist ahead of her time.

THEATRICAL RELEASE: SEPTEMBER 1, 2004

DVD Features:

Region 1
Snap Case
Anamorphic Widescreen - 2.35
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Dolby Digital 5.1 - French
Additional Release Material:
Deleted Scenes
Audio Commentary: Mira Nair - Director
Featurette:
1. The Women Behind Vanity Fair
2. Welcome To Vanity Fair

Reese Witherspoon: American actress, CRUEL INTENTIONS (1999)
James Purefoy: Actor
Jonathan Rhys-Myers: 
Romola Garai: Actor, I CAPTURE THE CASTLE (2003)
Gabriel Byrne: Irish Actor - Miller's Crossing/The Man in the Iron Mask
Eileen Atkins: British character actress
Jim Broadbent: British actor
Bob Hoskins: British Actor
Rhys Ifans: British actor, NOTTING HILL
Geraldine McEwan: British Actress
Douglas Hodge: British Actor/Dark Obsess

Mira Nair: Indian Director

Janette Day: PRODUCER\"JACK & SARAH"
Lydia Dean Pilcher: Producer
Donna Gigliotti: Producer, RESTORATION

Mark Skeet: Actor, VANITY FAIR (2004)
Julian Fellowes: 
Matthew Faulk: Screenwriter, VANITY FAIR (2004)

Mychael Danna: Score Composer

"[B]y the final scene, you feel as though lives have been lived."
"Ms. Witherspoon, as usual, conveys a bristly, determined spunk."
"[With a] smart pace and exuberant style..."
"VANITY FAIR is a never-ending Western story that benefits from Nair's philosophically Eastern point of view."
"Witherspoon holds her own against these lions of British cinema....The actress has the requisite wit and smarts..."
"Nair's treatment is exotic and full of color..."
"[Nair] has an instinctive feel for the comic possibilities of marital alliances, as she showed in her wonderful MONSOON WEDDING."