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A classic tale that has been made into several films and mini-series over the last century, Nair's version pits Becky as a sympathetic character, as opposed to the back-stabbing trollop willing to trounce on the hearts of feeble-minded noblemen.
Witherspoon is joined by giant hairy goofball Rhys Ifans and the always under-appreciated Jonathan Rhys Myers.
While Nair's take on 19th century English culture is as lush and compelling as anything the director has done, the film shines when Nair focuses on the burgeoning influence of colonial India. Nair added specific scenes to the script, embracing the opportunity to portray her homeland.
"To me, 'Vanity Fair' was always very much about India. England was on the cusp of a period of time where Indian culture was really infiltrating many aspects of society. Thackeray writes about that extensively and to me that was clearly a critical part of the novel. In my mind, there was no other way to portray it."
One of the filmmaker's biggest challenges was working with an A-list star with a growing bun in the oven. Nair claims she wasn't phased.
"The fact that Reese was pregnant I thought turned out to be a blessing in disguise. When a woman is pregnant, it gives her a youthful exuberance, a radiant glow that I think added something to Reese's performance."
While the healthful glow may have given Witherspoon a certain extra sheen, the director was forced to take steps to conceal the actress' condition.
"Well, Becky was actually pregnant in several of the scenes, which obviously helped. There were also a lot of times where, if you look, there happens to consistently be 4 to 5 year old children standing around, covering her belly."
After "Vanity Fair," Nair is working on one of 20 short films in an international 'collective filmmaking project' called "Paris, je t'aime" with an astounding list of filmmakers such as the Coen Brothers. Mike Figgis, Tom Twyker, Walter Salles and more. She has also reportedly been offered the directing role for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," but hasn't decided whether she'll take on the project.
For a celebrated director whose stature in the film world seems to be growing exponentially, Nair seems just as excited about spreading the joy of cinema to developing nations.
Besides the workshops she runs in Uganda, Nair helms the International Bhenji Brigade, an Indian group devoted to developing, financing and producing a slate of feature films from Asia for the global market. She also teaches film school at Columbia University, which means she lives on three different continents throughout the year.
The director's global lifestyle has given her a burning ambition to develop and support filmmaking voices far outside of Hollywood.
"If we don't make these films, honey, nobody's going to."
"Vanity Fair" is currently screening on 2 screens at Piper's Alley and at the River East 21.
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Written by Richard Sharp
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