It’s a complicated story, but even in
a movie with a love triangle, class ten-
sions and a high-stakes grift, the main
narrative driver is the fate of that paint-
ing. The book lets that unfold in a linear
fashion, so those who have read it may
experience less dramatic tension in the
film version, which jumps around in
time, withholding information about
the bombing and the painting that read-
ers would have known all along.
“That was the big leap from page to
screen: the nonlinear, almost editorial
conceit,” says director Crowley. “We
focus in on two time periods of Theo’s
life. It allowed us a visual approach
which was very satisfying—a way of ac-
cessing his internal life.” By necessity,
the film excises some of the novel’s epic
scope and dense interiority—Tartt’s
book weighs in at 784 pages—while still
bringing the key settings to life.
the film, which arrives on
Sept. 13, is a story of elegance and de-
spair, preservation and decay. In a time
winning cinematographer Roger Dea-
kins shoots the film opulently, getting
at both the rarefied atmosphere of New
York society and the desolate suburban
landscape of the Nevada neighborhood
where Theo lives with his father.
The wide scope and largely metro-
politan setting have led to the novel
being described as “Dickensian,” a label
Crowley embraces. “Obviously Donna
[Tartt] adores Dickens, and this is her
nod to him,” he says. “Structurally, you
have a tale about an orphan who travels
from the upper echelons right down to
the underworld, which is a very Dicken-
sian idea.” Everywhere Theo goes, death
and misadventure follow. The light of
hope comes from his love of art, and the
power it can have to connect even across
generations.
“I think that this story is celebrat-
ing the joy and importance of passing
something on culturally,” Crowley says.
“If you are moved or touched by a great
work of art, in some sense you have a re-
sponsibility to it—to pass it on.”
when studios have embraced surefire
commercial successes like franchises
and reboots, The Goldfinch represents
a rare grownup movie with a healthy
budget from the studio system: War-
ner Bros. estimates the film’s cost at
$40 million. “This would normally be
an independent film, so to have a studio
make it is [remarkable],” says Kidman.
The attention to detail shows: visu-
ally, The Goldfinch is a jewel box, richly
designed and rendered, and a love let-
ter to the city where much of the action
takes place. “The story’s based around
an old, romantic New York that is dis-
appearing very quickly,” says produc-
tion designer K.K. Barrett. “The Green-
wich Village area and then the kind of
upper-crust, uptown area, as a contrast
to each other. Downtown’s getting gen-
trified; uptown’s changing.” Oscar-
△
Young Theo (Fegley) gets an
education from his mentor and
caretaker Hobie (Wright)
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