‘Atonement’

The best way to enjoy Joe Wright’s “Atonement,” the adaptation of Ian McEwan’s novel, is probably to forget having read the book. The movie doesn’t do justice to the novel’s themes and questions -- in fact, it hardly touches them. Instead it focuses on the swooning gorgeousness of it all -- the setting, the clothing, the lovers, the suffering, the devastation. Under Wright’s direction, Seamus McGarvey’s cinematography, Sarah Greenwood’s production design and Jacqueline Durran’s costume design, the film, which stars Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, is easily the most beautiful production of the year. Sometimes, you just want to see something pretty.