Gwyneth Paltrow gives a "truly compelling performance" in Proof, a big screen version of the play by David Auburn. She re-teamed with Shakespeare In Love helmer John Madden to play a student mathematician worried that she's inherited schizophrenia from her genius father (Anthony Hopkins). It's not the stuff blockbusters are made of, but discerning moviegoers weren't disappointed.
Eureka!
Before the film was given the green light, Madden directed Paltrow in a stage of version of Proof. In a breezy 'Making Of' featurette he explains that there was something inherently cinematic about the story that lured him into making a movie version and, of course, Paltrow was his first choice of leading lady. In gearing up for the shoot, the Oscar-winning actress reveals, "I've never been more prepared for anything in my life. " Disappointingly though, we don't hear from Auburn, who had the gruelling task of adapting his own play, or even Rebecca Miller (daughter of Arthur), who interfered in later drafts. On the upside, Anthony Hopkins appears between takes to reveal that he was on the verge of giving up acting when this screenplay fell on his doormat.
Madden does offer more nuts-and-bolts insight into the process of adaptation in his commentary. He says the text largely remains the same but he reorganised the structure to fit in with "the hidden narrative". By that he means the question of whether Catherine (Paltrow) has lost her mind, which was "key to unlocking the piece as a cinematic narrative." Even though this reviewer felt the conceit didn't really work as well as it should have, at least Madden isn't afraid to get into the nitty-gritty of story development. He's also very articulate when it comes to the visual motifs eg referring to the house as "a character" that also represents Catherine's psychological "enclosure".
A Numbers Game
The director has plenty to say about three deleted scenes too. A vignette where Catherine talks to her dead father in a bathroom mirror gives a sense of "the symbiosis of both of them", he says, but he adds that this was a repetition of a point already made elsewhere. We also get an extended version of the shopping sequence where Catherine's sister (Hope Davis) plants seeds of doubt about her mental state and a new scene offering a glimpse of what Catherine's life could be like - hanging out with her college pals. Madden admits though, "It does feel like a different movie now that I watch it."
Although the absence of David Auburn is a big minus for this DVD, Madden's contributions do add up to a thoughtful and engaging assessment of the film.
EXTRA FEATURES
Proof is released on DVD on Monday 10th July
