The Pendragon Film Society

Criminal Justice

2009-10-13T04:24:00.000-07:00

Criminal Justice (BBC One) 3/5

Amazingly the shockingly poor 'Blue Murder' (which feartures Caroline Quentin looking like a zombie while playing a single mother who also solves murder cases) actually got superior ratings than BBC One's drama 'Criminal Justice' which was written by Peter Moffat.

In truth this legal drama was not the superior production that the BBC were eager to suggest. Although, the acting by the likes of Maxine Peake, who played the unhappily married woman at the centre of story, was rather good, most of the program was lacking. Peake's character Juliet has murdered her husband, a highly respected barrister, and isn't really giving much away in terms of her motives. While on remand most presume that her husband was probably abusing her. To complicate things further Peake is pregnant and gives birth midway through the series and this allows for the audience to see what a devoted mother she can be even though her teenage daughter hates her for killing her father.

The series took place over five consecutive nights and we had to wait until Friday before we were given any answers. Juliet had taken a knife with her to bed but had not apparently wanted to kill her husband but was going to harm herself. When she realised she was pregnant with her doctor's child she stabbed her husband who had been regularly raping her. A rather evil villain of a judge (played by Michael Cochrane) sentenced her to five years in prison for manslaughter and despite Peake's powerful acting I didn't really care. That was one of the problems with the program the characters never felt that convincing and were certainly not likeable.

The even bigger problem was that did we really need five episodes of Moffat's slow and turgid script and the stylistic direction which seemed very overblown for a TV drama. I can't really blame the acting although there was some rather strange characterisation particularly in the case of the silly husband and wife detective team (the husband was played by a sinister Steven MacIntosh) and Sophie Okonedo's daft solicitor. So only Matthew Macfadyen, as the murder victim and Peake come out of this with much credit.

1066 Films, A Battle between History and Hollywood?

2009-09-11T04:52:00.000-07:00

Arguably the most famous date in British history, October 14th 1066 has finally got the attention it deserves from the film industry. Back in 2007 I was made aware of at least four productions that were either based around the Battle of Hastings or its leading men, Harold Godwinson and William the Conqueror. Of theses four productions, 2 have big name backers, one is a an independent and the other has since become a TV docu-drama.

One of the Hollywood financed films is likely to see Daniel Craig star in a biopic of William the Conqueror while the other is being propelled by a screenplay from Gladiator writer, William Nicholson and is to be produced partly by the film production arm of Shine. Nicholson has suggested that his film will focus primarily on the relationship of Harold and William rather than the Battle Of Hastings.

Nicholson recently wrote the script for 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age' which was not exactly a huge critical or box-office success. (Not to mention that there has been far too much on Tudor history in film and TV of late and its about time the Middle Ages got more of a showing). As well as this, Nicholson wrote the unfortunate 'First Knight' which tried and I think failed to get to grips with the Arthurian love triangle between Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot. Shine have also tried to bring Arthurian legend alive with their series 'Merlin' which like Nicholson's work has little to do with either history or traditional legend.

Those of us more enclined to be looking for historical realism may be more interested in the thoroughly researched 1066 film by Robin Jacob. This film is much further along in development than the Hollywood movies and to my delight auther Helen Hollick has joined Jacob in writing the script. As well as her enjoyable Arthurian trilogy, Hollick wrote the historical novel 'Harold The King' which features many of the events and characters likely to be focused on in the film. However, there is no suggestion that '1066' is an adaptation of Helen's book, but I am sure that her bold characterization will find it's way into the film.

Jacob's production has already gained interest thanks in part to the casting of Oliver! star Mark Lester who will portray Harold Godwinson is his first screen acting role since 1977. The film will also feature 'Rome' actor Ronan Vibert and Sean Lawlor, best known for roles in 'Braveheart' and 'The Name Of The Father.' Despite a good budget and the recognisable actors attached several national newspapers have published articles about 1066 films and somehow failed to notice Mr Jacob's production. This is perhaps a sad indication of the lack support shown to British independent cinema.

The current interest in the Battle Of Hastings will have also grown thanks to a 2 part TV program that played out as a sort of teaser to the future movies. '1066: The Battle For Middle-Earth' was a docu-drama, which probably means the program makers did not have the budget for a drama or the knowledge base to make an insightful documentary. However, the production for Channel 4 had on the most part a desire to show historical accuracy. For example, it hid away from the idea of Harold meeting his end thanks to an arrow in the eye, a probable 1000 year myth that has been pushed forward by the failure to fully understand the depiction of his death in the Bayeax Tapestry. (The general consensus is that while Harold may have been felled by an arrow he was actually killed by a Norman Knight). Like many docu-dramas the program was let down by the poor production values but I am sure it got more people interested in the subject matter.

Whether or not Hollywood manages to ruin a fascinating period of English history it is good to see such films being made. Many other key battles in English history such as Agincourt, Waterloo, Trafalgar, the Spanish Armada and of course, the many struggles of the 20th century have all featured on the big screen and I for one am pleased that Hastings is finally no longer being ignored.

Alan Campbell

John Boorman

2009-09-11T04:49:00.000-07:00

There is much excitement at the moment among our society members at the many interesting historical film projects that are set for release over the next 3-4 years. From the Roman conquest of Britain to the Battle of Hastings there are a number of films either at the development stage or in post production, which promise to breed new life into the sword and sandal genre. It's almost a decade since Ridley Scott and a whole lot of CGI re-invented the Roman epic and now John Boorman, director of Hope And Glory, Deliverance and of course, Excalibur, will try his hand at bringing to life one of history's most famed Emperors.

Boorman is in the process of making 'Memoirs of Hadrian' which has the potential to be as daring a production as Excalibur or Deliverance. The film is an adaptation of Marguerite Yourcenar's bestseller, which recounts the story of Emperor Hadrian's early political career in the second century A.D. Daniel Craig was the most recent big name star to be linked with the part of Hadrian, while Antonio Banderas had previously been in talks to take the role.

The book was first published in France to critical acclaim and takes the form of an autobiographical letter that Hadrian sends to his cousin and eventual successor, Marcus Aurelius (Played by Richard Harris in Gladiator). The film's script will be written by Ron Base, Excalibur collaborator Rospo Pallenburg and Valerio Manfredi, best known for his novel The Last Legion which was rather poorly adapted for the big screen in 2007. The film will have a budget of £25 million, which is more than enough for someone as resourceful as Boorman.

In some ways John Boorman has always been a director on the verge of greatness who has never quite got the respect he deserved. He's had five Oscar nominations and lost out on each occaison, perhaps because his best films were arguably ahead of their time. That can certainly be said about his fascinating 'Excalibur' as there seemed to be something quite maverick about it, which was only appreciated by many film critics years after the movie's initial release. The film is audacious in its visuals, narrative and perhaps as the production grew out of Boorman's failed attempt to make 'Lord Of The Rings.' At the age of 76, Boorman may not have too many more opportunities to be at the helm of productions such as this, but if he puts his same individual vision into the 'Memoirs Of Hadrian' that he used to such effect in his previous films it is bound to be at the very least noteworthy.

Alan Campbell

Whether or not it's fact or fiction it's certainly entertaining!

2009-09-11T04:40:00.000-07:00

Review Of 'The Damned United'

I went to see this film with a certain trepidation as I don't always understand the true workings of the so-called beautiful game. I'm often rather lost by the offside rule, not too sure what actually constitutes handball and can't quite understand why a good friend can kiss a poster of George Weah and refer to the Liberian as a God. However, I can recognise what a worldwide phenomenon football has become and the massive status that the late Brian Clough held within in the sport.

Clough was one heck of a character and very much of his time and this is where 'The Damned United' really succeeds. You feel like you are truly watching the 70s when men were men and modern players like constant diver Cristiano Ronaldo would have been laughed (or even kicked) off the pitch. Sheen gives an excellent performance and Clough is portrayed as a complex individual with the sort of charisma and wit, which may endear him to cinema-goers who have little knowledge of football or the man himself.

However, I saw this film with a friend who is a huge soccer fan and who confessed afterwards to having certain problems with the accuracy of the story. The film is after all based on a book by David Peace, which merges the facts with his own fiction to show what he thought might being going on behind the scenes during Clough's reign as manager of Derby County and his infamous 44 days in charge at Leeds United. Having recently watched some TV dramatisations of Peace's other novels involving the real life Yorkshire Ripper murders it is easy to see why some people find his particular way of merging fact with fiction lacking in credibility. I personally didn't have such a problem with this film as I felt it really got to grips with who Clough was as a football manager and his probable motives for how he went about the job at Leeds.

While the film's narrative sometimes veers confusingly back and forth between Clough's time at Derby and his short spell at Leeds, 'The Damned United' is a really enjoyable piece of entertainment full of great actors bringing to life intriguing characters. The ultimate strength of the film is that the story manages to become more about friendship (the relationship between Brian and Peter Taylor) and the destructiveness of vanity rather than how many football matches Clough won.

Richard Whittaker