I did not expect to see a movie that looked like the movie of the year and it's not what I've seen, but at least I've seen a movie that is well taken. You know from the first moment that the most important thing in the film is the reaction between them and that they end up together, of course, but at least it goes step by step.Rebecca is great, makes a role, for my taste, incredible. It was a long time since I saw an actress who showed me that I was truly in love and with her, I've seen it. Richard is not up to it, but hey, it's not bad. Alan, of course, is fine, but that's not saying anything new.It has a great atmosphere, it seems that you are fully involved in that era. It is appreciated that makeup, costumes and art work so well.I can not say the same about the address. While it is true that the film tells the tempo level, does not bore, is giving the amounts in parts, but then at the time of the staging, is not able to make a nice plane or move characters from a Pretty shape and give life to a plane.Photography is beautiful in parts. The interiors are pretty good, but the exteriors, the photography is a bit too white. It's not pretty The final stretch is too long, that also has to be said.

The novel was exceptional and the love story devastatingly sad, but the film had so little chemistry between Rebecca Hall and Richard Madden that I felt nothing. Really didn't care about them at all. Not one bit. Nada.Alan Rickman was extraordinary as usual (and so weird watching this film knowing this was one of his last films), but even he couldn't save this movie. I've always been a big fan of Patrice Leconte, especially Man on a Train, a film that had a quiet haunting beauty about it. If only he had been able to suffuse A Promise with that same emotional weight.

I was riveted by Hall's performance and character. It is the first movie I have viewed her in and have subsequently viewed some of her other movies - this being my favourite.I'm surprised more people didn't enjoy the romance. I found the scenes intense and moving. Both the main characters were humble and deep in their feelings towards each other. I found the restraint displayed between them - despite the depth of their feeling - gave the characters a particular dignity - especially that of Charlotte. I loved the subtleties in her expressions which displayed a greater depth of love and emotion for Frederick than she was able to express.I enjoyed the movie far better than the book. Unfortunately I found the ending a let down to the film overall; although there was a build up to their meeting it lacked the passion and feeling their eventual meeting could of and should have had. Still better than the book though; and I can appreciate that the build up during Frederick's absence showed the depth of feeling Charlotte had for Frederick despite the years of separation.I rated the film a 10 despite its flaws because I disagree with the harsh general ratings and enjoyed it so much I had to watch my favourite scenes over and over.

"A Promise" is a film that I had a very hard time enjoying. While it has some lovely cinematography and some amazingly pretty scenes of pre- World War One Germany, the story itself is amazingly sterile and bereft of energy. When the story begins, Friedrich (Richard Madden) is an amazingly capable and efficient assistant. Over time, he becomes invaluable to the boss, Herr Hoffmeister (Alan Rickman) and is his trusted aid. So, when Hoffmeister becomes ill and cannot remain on the job, he invites Friedrick to come to his home and relay his instructions to the factory. So, each day Friedrich shuttles back and forth from work to the Hoffmeister home--where he slowly begins to notice the boss' wife, Lotte Hoffmeister (Rebecca Hall). She is significantly younger than her husband and over time, she and Friedrich become more and more friendly and eventually he becomes almost like a member of the family--taking the young son and his mother on various outings. So, it's not surprising that Friedrich develops feelings for her...and then her husband sends Friedrich to be the company's liaison in Mexico. What's to become of their relationship? And, more importantly, does the audience even care?!As I sat and watched this film, several things struck me. The entire project was very, very lifeless. Throughout EVERYTHING, Friedrich and the boss' wife showed almost no energy and there was really almost no chemistry between them. They eventually SAID they loved each other but you wonder where this came from. As for him, you can tell he's obsessed as he spends his time sniffing where the Missus had been (THIS IS SO CREEPY). But with her, you really have no idea she reciprocates the feelings during so much of the movie because she is so incredibly restrained...too restrained. For the most part, the film is about repressed feelings and you almost never see them expressed. Had you LIKED the characters, this pain would have actually made the film quite intriguing. But, because it's very difficult to care about them, the film is so very, very dull. In essence, the film lacked romance--which is BAD because it's supposed to be a romance!I should add to this that MUCH of the film occurs during WWI and the film barely even mentions it (like it's a minor inconvenience that gets in the way of their love) and you are left baffled at so much of the film. Most baffling is the pair FINALLY meet long after the war is over...and their conversation is stilted and ultra-bizarre. I call it a case of poorly written and difficult to believe dialog and you just have to hear it to believe it. Overall, other than the lovely costumes, sets, music and cinematography, I cannot find much about "A Promise" that would get me to recommend it.By the way, the DVD for this film follows an annoying new trend. You cannot easily play the film but must slog through many promos for other films, as the MENU feature and SKIP buttons are disabled. You can use the FAST FORWARD keys but must hit them repeatedly to skip past each ad.