New Jersey Stage 2017: Issue 4 | Page 21

theme of attempting to escape your class while being drawn to a way of life viewed as savagery echoes that of Kaufman’s film of Richard Price’s New York gang novel The Wanderers. As with her director, I’ve previ- ously found myself unconvinced by Sienna Miller, but she’s excel- lent here, managing to elevate a role that could easily have been the early 20th century equiva- lent of the astronaut’s wife left to gaze tearfully at the stars. In her increasingly confrontational meetings with Fawcett, her Nina hints at the rise of the Suffrag- ette movement, herself advanc- ing one form of progress while her husband seeks another. At 140 minutes, The Lost City of Z justifies its running time (which is only 10 minutes lon- ger than the Beauty and the Beast remake). It’s a banquet of a movie, a visual feast that also provides plenty of food for thought. If Gray’s reach has exceeded his grasp here, it’s a compliment to both his ambi- tion and his talent. w The Lost City of Z 4 ½ stars out of 5 Directed by: James Gray Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Sienna Miller, Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland NJ STAGE 2017 - Vol. 4 No. 4 INDEX NEXT ARTICLE 21