Two Contrasting Cinematic Experiences: Historical Drama Meets Musical Documentary
The cinematic landscape offers two dramatically different experiences this week with The Testament Of Ann Lee and EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, both arriving in theaters with distinct approaches to storytelling and visual presentation.
The Testament Of Ann Lee: A Visually Stunning Historical Drama
Following their collaboration on The Brutalist (2024), filmmakers Mona Fastvold and Brady Corbet reunite for The Testament Of Ann Lee, an earnest period drama exploring religion, prejudice, feminism, and architecture in 18th-century England and America. This time, Fastvold takes the director's chair while Corbet contributes to the writing, creating what might be described as their distinctive cinematic niche.
With cinematographer William Rexer, Fastvold has crafted a film that is truly breathtaking to look at, presenting the 1700s with a picturesque quality that rivals Thomas Gainsborough's paintings. Amanda Seyfried delivers a tremendously impressive performance as Ann Lee, maintaining a credible north-of-England accent throughout while portraying the Lancastrian leader of the Shaker movement.
The film follows Ann Lee and her faithful followers from Manchester's industrial landscape to a settlement on the Hudson River, tracking their journey as they believe her to be the embodiment of Christ's Second Coming. The Shakers, originally known as the 'Shaking Quakers' for their ecstatic movements during worship, later adopted the more formal name United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Coming.
Exploring Shaker History and Architecture
The Testament Of Ann Lee provides fascinating insights into Shaker history, particularly Ann Lee's personal experiences that shaped her religious convictions. The film suggests her advocacy for sexual abstinence was influenced by both the tragedy of losing four infants before their first birthdays and her husband Abraham's sexual preferences, which included oral sex and sado-masochism.
The supporting cast includes Christopher Abbott as Abraham, Lewis Pullman as Ann's brother William, and Thomasin McKenzie as devoted disciple Mary, who serves as the film's narrator. The production offers a compelling look at how Shaker architecture and furniture developed their minimalist aesthetic, though some viewers may find the dramatic pacing challenging despite livelier moments when Ann faces witchcraft accusations.
EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert - A Musical Revelation
In stark contrast, Baz Luhrmann's EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert serves as a compelling companion piece to his 2022 biopic Elvis, drawing from research conducted for that project. The documentary features remarkable restored footage discovered in Warner Brothers archives stored in Kansas salt mines - 65 boxes of unseen concert material from Elvis's early 1970s Vegas years.
This meticulously restored footage, synchronized with previously missing audio, presents a thrilling reminder of Elvis Presley's extraordinary performing abilities during what some consider his later period. The film challenges perceptions of Vegas-era Elvis as merely a rhinestone-suited shadow of his former self, demonstrating instead that he really was as good as ever.
Beyond the Concert Footage
EPiC transcends being merely a concert film through Luhrmann's inclusion of an unheard audiotape featuring Elvis discussing his career. The documentary follows both on-stage performances and backstage moments, with appearances by Cary Grant and Sammy Davis Jr., who marvels at Elvis's relentless energy: 'You started to rev up and you never stopped.'
The musical highlight includes a wondrous performance of Suspicious Minds culminating in a drum solo that Elvis inhabits with almost religious fervor - a moment that might have earned approval from Ann Lee herself given its ecstatic quality. While primarily focused on music, the documentary provides broader context about Elvis's career and cultural impact.
Also Showing: Molly Vs The Machines
Another significant documentary arriving this week is Molly Vs The Machines, which examines the tragic story of 14-year-old Molly Russell who took her own life in 2017 after exposure to toxic online content. The film presents a powerful critique of social media platforms and their creators' resistance to regulation, following Molly's father Ian as he campaigns against what he views as poison being fed to children through digital platforms.
Marc Silver's documentary represents what might be described as a thunderously important examination of social media's corrosive influence, scheduled for cinema release and television broadcast on Channel 4 in early March.
Both The Testament Of Ann Lee and EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert offer distinctive cinematic experiences - one a visually stunning but dramatically challenging historical piece, the other a vibrant celebration of musical performance. While they approach their subjects differently, both contribute meaningfully to their respective genres and provide audiences with opportunities to engage with fascinating historical and cultural figures.
