Gideon's Daughter

I just saw Gideon's Daughter and absolutely loved it! People are probably tired of hearing me go on and on about how much I love Stephen Poliakoff as both a writer and director, so suffice it to say that he definitely did not disappoint (here is a link to my reviews for other Poliakoff films).

The film tackles many issues including the idea of family, grief and celebrity and takes place in the tumultuous summer of the New Labour election victory and Princess Diana's death.

As usual, Poliakoff delivered an excellent screenplay, but this particular film was really a character piece. The more important moment were the ones when nothing was being said at all. There were three key performances that made this film so wonderful and managed to make everything come together and work. No particular performance stood out. Bill Nighy, Miranda Richardson and Emily Blunt were all fantastic (though at this point, I believe that I would be much more surprised if one of them gave a performance that was anything less than absolutely fantastic).

I would definitely recommend this film. It is definitely a must-see!

Glorious 39

I just saw another excellent film by Stephen Poliakoff (see my other reviews of Poliakoff films). It is called Glorious 39 and takes place in England, in the summer of '39. The film follows the Keyes family. The eldest sibling's name is Anne and her life begins to unravel as she stumbles upon a secret involving a movement in favor of making a deal with Hitler.

As with all Poliakoff films, it was very character driven, but this film was more than simply characters. In addition to wonderful performances, the film itself was absolutely stunning. Jeremy Northam, Eddie Redmayne, Juno Temple, David Tennant, and Julie Christie all gave really good performances, but I was extemely impressed with Bill Nighy and especially Romola Garai. This was probably my absolute favorite performance of Garai's.

This film is DEFINITELY a must-see! I have already added it to my amazon wishlist, posted the trailer to facebook and recommended it to nearly everyone the I know!

The Lost Prince

I just finished watching the Lost Prince by Stephen Poliakoff (click here to see my past Stephen Poliakoff posts).  It came out in 2003 and originally aired in England. The film centers on the true story of Prince John (son of King George V and Queen Mary). Many forget about Prince John. He suffered from epilepsy and autism. He was locked away and isolated starting at a young age and kept out of the sight of the general public.

The film takes place during a very important time in history. It intertwines several stories that all take place at the very start of the first World War. At the time, most of the European houses were connected in some way. Below is a family tree (click to enlarge) that I created. It shows the connections between some of the very powerful figures of the time.

This film was very interesting to watch. These real stories were truly compelling, but it was the ensemble cast that truly made it worth watching. Miranda Richardson did a wonderful job as Queen Mary (it is funny since as just saw her in the Young Victoria as this character's Great-Grandmother-In-Law). Michael Gambon played Edward VII. Tom Hollander played King George V. Two of my favorite characters in the film were also played by two of my favorite actors. Bill Nighy played Stamfordham and Gina McKee played Lalla. They were both wonderful in the film.

I was probably most impresses by the young actors in the film. Daniel Williams and Matthew James Thomas both played Prince John. Brock Everitt-Elwick and Rollo Weeks both played Prince George. I was very impressed by Rollo Weeks. I have seen him in several roles (my favorite is Berkeley Square), but this was the first time when he was really able to grow as an actor and to show this to the audience.






I would definitely recommend this film to anyone. It is definitely a must-see!

Shooting the Past and A Real Summer

I recently saw two more Stephen Poliakoff films (click here to see my Poliakoff post). A Real Summer is the third in a series that includes Joe's Palace and Capturing Mary. It is a short film with two characters. Ruth Wilson reprises her role as Mary Gilbert, but also plays Geraldine. She was magnificent. She really is a wonderful actress. I found myself forgetting that she was not two different people. She really did become each character.

Shooting that Past came out in 1999 (eight years before A Real Summer). Many of Poliakoff's films deal with family secrets and general themes dealing with the past. This film focuses on an enormous collection of photographs. These photographs and the people in charge of them hold their own secrets. It has a wonderful ensemble cast that includes Lindsay Duncan, Timothy Spall, Liam Cunningham, and Emilia Fox.

These two films are definitely must-sees. I would suggest first watching Capturing Mary, then Joe's Palace, and finally A Real Summer. I am not sure how the companion pieces were originally supposed to be watched, but that is the order in which I watched them. I hope you enjoy!

Joe's Palace and Capturing Mary

I recently saw two films written by and directed by Stephen Poliakoff. I have enjoyed other films that I have seen by him in the past (especially Perfect Strangers). I had pretty high expectations for these films and am very happy to report that I was not disappointed.

The first film that I saw is called Joe's Palace. It came out in 2007. It is a drama that centers on the relationships between Joe and Elliott and Joe, Richard and Charlotte. Elliott is the rich, eccentric owner of a grand mansion. Joe is the young man hired to care for the empty house. Richard is in government. He and Charlotte are both married to other people. They come to the house for privacy.

The cast was amazing. One thing that I have come to expect from Poliakoff films is the amazing casts. Elliott Graham is played by Michael Gambon. Joe Dix is played by Danny Lee Wynter. Richard Reece is played by Rupert Penry-Jones. Charlotte is played by Kelly Reilly. Michael Gambon and Kelly Reilly were especially phenomenal. I kind of expected a wonderful performance from Gambon, but was absolutely blown away by Reilly.

The companion piece to Joe's Palace is Capturing Mary. This film came out later in 2007. This film also involves Joe, but revolves around Mary Gilbert (a older woman trying to come to grips with her past and the part the Greville White plays). The setting for this film is once again in Mr. Graham's magnificent mansion.

Joe is once again played by Danny Lee Wynter. Mary Gilbert is played by Maggie Smith and Ruth Wilson. Greville White is played by David Walliams. This cast was also magnificent (as expected). The one surprise was David Walliams. I have always seen him in comedic roles. This was the first realy dramatic role that I had seen him in. He was amazing!

These films are definitely a must-see. I would suggest seeing Perfect Strangers first. Poliakoff does an absolutely magnificent job of bringing realistic dramas about family secrets and the past. They are always a real treat.