Sometimes props are just props—but sometimes they are silent storytellers. Sometimes they are a part of the exposition; sometimes they are in the scene to soak up the tension, conflict, and emotion and become a vessel for everything that was left unsaid. Inception’s spinning totem, Citizen Kane’s snow globe, and Suspicion’s glass of milk are just a few examples of props that carry the narrative.In Joe Wright’s Atonement (2007), that silent storyteller is the vase. It’s a family heirloom, an early 18th-century Meissen porcelain vase; “the most valuable thing we own,” as Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) says. When it cracks in this scene, it’s not just a crack in the vase; it’s the first crack in the story. It’s a physical manifestation of the fractures that are about to rip through relationships, families, and lives.The broken vase is the hinge on which the story turns.The IncidentThe moment happens quite early. We meet Cecilia and Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), the housekeeper’s son, on a sweltering summer day in 1935. Their obvious attraction to each other, their unspoken love, is masked by nervous irritation. As Cecilia, carrying the vase, rushes to the fountain to replace water, Robbie follows. The air between them is tense. He offers to replace the water, but Cecilia refuses. He persists, and during their push-and-pull, the vase cracks. A broken piece of the vase falls into the water. Even more irritated, Cecilia strips down to her undergarments, reaches into the water, retrieves the broken piece, and walks away....
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Today