Word: bereft
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Goodwin's tone is serious throughout: she treats her childish, five-year-old fears and reverence for Jackie Robinson with the same kind of gravity with which she later treats her perception of McCarthyism and the problems of adolescence. Bereft of landmarks that indicate change in maturity and voice, one never knows exactly how old Goodwin is at a given moment. On the other hand, growing up is indeed an invisible process--one is seldom conscious of growing older. Thus, the book's greatest problem is also that which lends it the most credibility...
...romantic evening at a piano recital turns suddenly surreal with the appearance of an immaculate six-fingered glove, followed by a swift, eerie close-up of a black-and-white poster of the pianist's hands. Not long afterwards there's a moment of dizzying tension in which Vincent/Jerome, bereft of his contact lenses, halts before crossing a manically busy street, and we suddenly see the blurred, flashing lights through his myopic eyes...
...might think that an on-line school would be bereft of school spirit. But program designers have included more than just a course catalog on-line...
...sober realism of her style that redeemed the novel, its weight and conviction that prevented readers from noticing (or caring) that by replacing noble enigmas with banal behaviorism, Smiley had downsized tragedy to melodrama. The movie version--bereft of diverting literary stratagems, relentlessly focused on what-next narrative--takes it another step down--to soap opera...
...From behind the camera (reportedly with some help from Laughton), Meredith delivers a lean, cerebral mystery with plenty of wit, and one that never pauses for clich?. One minor flaw: Meredith's landmark-spiked view of Paris, which is even credited with a 'role' in the film, is utterly bereft of French-speaking or even French-sounding people. (Or is that really a flaw...