Historical Context of Atonement

The war scenes in Atonement were truly breath taking and heart wrenching to watch.  Atonement highlights the injustice of any war, considering Robbie is sent to war for a crime he did not commit.  The war scenes on the beach while waiting for evacuation were extremely moving.  These scenes seem to be the most enjoyed by viewers, yet also the most misunderstood.  Atonement is most definitely a fictional story, therefore people seem to believe that the war scenes are fictional as well.  On the contrary, these scenes are very real.  The scenes that took place in France and in the hospitals, were both historically accurate.  Especially the Dunkirk beach scenes, when the army is faced with horrors while awaiting their evacuation.  That is extremely accurate and the movie Atonement goes into great detail while explaining these war horrors.  Historical accuracy is also evident later in the movie, when Briony is faced with the after math of the war.  All of her experiences while working as a nurse in the hospital would have happened to an actual nurse who was present while World War II was occurring.  So although Atonement is a fictional story, it is constantly being misunderstood, as there is truth behind these magnificent war and hospital scenes. 

Class Differences in Atonement

Class differences appear throughout the movie on numerous occasions.  The most popular and obvious example is the love shared between Robbie Turner and Cecilia Tallis.  Cecilia and Robbie are very much in love with each other, but this is disapproved by the Tallis' family because of the very obvious class difference between the two.  Cecilia is the daughter of Jack Tallis, a ministry-employed, wealthy man.  Where as Robbie Turner is the son of the Tallis charwoman.  The unequal social positions they are in cause tension between the two lovers but that is soon broken when Cecilia undresses in front of him by the fountain and when Robbie's explicit note is read by Cecilia.  Despite the love they have grown for each other, Emily Tallis (Cecilia's mother) disapproves of their love not only because of the obvious class difference between the two of them but also because Robbie is their servants son, he is proven to be father-less and she does not want her daughter to fall beneath her class, and therefore believes she is only trying to protect her.  Because of the class difference Robbie is misunderstood and perceived as 'good for nothing' or  'not good enough' for Cecilia Tallis.  Just because he lives in a small home with only his mother, and not in a huge estate such as the Tallis mansion, he is perceived as less of a person and not capable of taking care of Cecilia.  The class difference between the two lovers puts a toll on their relationship and puts them in the worst situation possible.

The Theme of Class in Atonement

Briony's Misunderstandings & Misperceptions

Briony's misunderstandings and misperceptions are what creates the plot of "Atonement".  Briony is a precious 13 year old girl, with a wild imagination.  She is making the transition into adulthood, but her young mind cannot fully grasp what is happening around her.  This is because of psychological development, as well as the scenes she happens to observe, the fountain scene, the letter she reads, the library scene, and the rape scene.  Briony is young, and confused.  She misunderstands and mispercieves these unfortunate situations, this flaw which happens in Atonement, is not her fault.  It is something every child goes through as it is part of the psychological maturing process. Briony tries to understand what is going on in the adult world, but it is impossible for her to grasp the situations which are occuring around her.  In all the scenes that Briony misperceives all the information was not available.  She can see Cecilia and Robbie at the fountain but she cannot hear them, so she proceeds to presume she knows what they were talking about.  Briony then reads the "c word" in the letter, not knowing what it means or the context - she once again tricks herself into thinking she knows exactly what is going on.  She then again sees the scene in the library, but does not know what it means, but perceives it as an attack.  And finally, when she hears Lola being raped, she does not actually see who it was but convinces herself into thinking she knows exactly who it was.  Briony already believes that Robbie is a "sex maniac" because of the fountain scene, the letter and the library scene.  Through a series of misunderstanding, Briony falsely accuses Robbie Turner of raping her cousin, Lola.

Psychological Development of a Child

The Movie Atonement and its Cast

Choosing the cast of Atonement, was one of the most difficult tasks for director, Joe Wright.  He had to select each actor/actress wisely and match them with a character in his movie.  Atonement is often misunderstood and misinterpreted by its viewers.  During the movie, what Briony sees and what is actually happening are two completely different situations.  Because of Briony's limited point of view, it causes the director to repeat the same episode, but through different eyes so the viewer receives the whole picture.  This has caused a lot of confusion and misunderstanding of Atonement.  Despite this misunderstanding the actors of Atonement were stupendous and they deserve recognition.  I have listed the main actors along with the part they play in the movie and a slight discription.

Director - Joe Wright
Cecilia Tallis - Keira Knightley
Cecilia is Briony's older sister by ten years, she suffers from multiple misfortunes throughout Atonement. She is described as untidy yet very caring.
Robbie Turner - James McAovy
He is the main male character of Atonement.  He falls in love with Cecilia, and is falsey accused of rape by Briony Tallis.
Briony Tallis - Saoirse Ronan
She is the main character of the movie as the 13 year old girl moves throughout her adolescent years. She is described as imaginative and naive.
Emily Tallis - Harriet Walter
Emily is mother to Cecilia, Leon and Briony. She is described as distant and unfriendly, perhaps even depressed.  Ever since Briony's birth she suffers from severe migraines. 
Lola Quincey - Juno Temple
Lola is cousin to Briony and is staying at her home as her parents go through a divorce.  She is described as selfish and oblivious.  Lola is the victim of rape and sexual assault.
Leon Tallis - Patrick Kennedy
Leon is Briony's older brother.  He is described as care free and well spirited.  He is a friend to Paul Marshall.
Paul Marshall - Benedict Cumberbatch
He is Leon Tallis' friend who is staying at the Tallis' estate.  Paul is out to get Lola from the beginning, he sexually assaults her and the proceeds to rape her.



James McAvoy, Saoirse Ronan, Venessa Redgrave, director Joe Wright, Keira Knightley

For More Information On The Cast & Crew

Costumes & Set in Atonement

The costumes in Atonement were designed by Jacqueline Durran.  All the costumes were specifically made for this movie which was set in the 1930-40's in  England.  The costume that is most admired and referenced to is the green gown which Cecilia was wearing when Robbie and her brother Leon came for dinner.  This is also the dress she wore when her and Robbie made love in the library.  This dress is often mispercieved because of the slit down the middle which reveals Cecilia's leg every so often.  It has been argued that people did not dress like that in the 30's and misunderstood as "slutty". Costume designer Durran wanted all Cecilia Tallis' clothing to weigh close to nothing.  "'With Cecilia Tallis' clothing, we wanted everything to be as light as possible, so that she was this beautiful butterfly wilting in the heat".  Cecilia's costumes were all created with the 30's and 40's kept in mind, yet it was still appealing to the modern eye. Apart from Cecilia's costumes, the other costumes Durran found the most intense were the army uniforms in the Dunkirk beach scenes.  All the fabrics were made in Poland for it is much cheaper there.  250 soldiers were dressed in the uniforms that Durran and director Joe Wright wanted, and for the other 750, they had to compromise.  The nurse uniforms are the last costume I am going to mention in this blog.  I found these to be very interesting and personally my favourite costume in the movie due to their simplicity.  Durran expresses "the original nurse costume was made of literally a striped dress and white apron".  The apron was made from Polish bed sheets because of the weight and weave.

More Costume Details!

The setting of Atonement mainly takes place in the Tallis' family estate.  This estate is actually owned by Caroline Magnus.  Magnus didn't have much money to maintain the mansion, so she was actually forced to  auction off some of the valuable contents.  The estate wasn't in very good condition and it was mispervcieved until the film makers of Atonement took over.  She was hoping that producers might find the home interesting, and obviously they did. Most of the movie was set in this old fashioned Victorian home in England.  It is a beautiful estate which enhanced the overall feel of Atonement.  This estate is now found as a tourist attraction, where "Atonement Tours" are offered.  I have provided pictures to follow in order for you to get a sense of the set in Atonement.



The Tallis' family estate                                                Bird Eye View of the Estate



Where Cecilia and Robbie "did the dead"               Where Cecilia removed her shoes after the fountain incident

More Pictures & Information of the Tallis' Estate

The Setting & Landscape of Atonement

Atonement takes place during 1935 in England, this is where
Briony lives along with her mother and sister in their family's country side estate.  The movie begins by allowing the viewer to see the Tallis' mansion up close as well as their luscious grounds and beautiful landscaping.  The Tallis' estate shows wealth and power to the members who live within.   Robbie Turner, Cecilia's lover - leads a different life style than the Tallis' family.  He lives in a small house down the road with his mother.  There is a major class difference between the Tallis' and Turner's - this is shown throughout Atonement by the setting and landscape.  Robbie lives in a small home while Cecilia lives in a large estate, because of this significant class difference Robbie is misunderstood by the Tallis family and is not considered as good enough for their daughter, Cecilia.  When Robbie accidentally sends Cecilia the letter which contains the "c-word", the Tallis family is led to believe that this was in no way any sort of mistake because of where he lives, and his level of social class.  The setting and landscape in Atonement further the theme of misunderstanding and misperception.  The Tallis family views Robbie Turner as less of a person and socially unfit because of the location in which he lives and the family he comes from.