trixster
loyalfromlondon
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 6:31 pm Posts: 19697 Location: ville-marie
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Glorious 39
Glorious 39Quote: Glorious 39 is a British thriller film written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff and starring Romola Garai, Bill Nighy, Julie Christie, Jeremy Northam, Christopher Lee, David Tennant and Jenny Agutter. Filming began in late October 2008 and concluded in December 2008. Much of the filming took place in Norfolk where the film is set. It was released on November 20, 2009.
On the eve of World War II, as the formidable Keyes family tries to uphold its traditional way of life, daughter Anne (Garai) sees her life dramatically unravel when she stumbles upon secret recordings of the pro-appeasement movement.
_________________Magic Mike wrote: zwackerm wrote: If John Wick 2 even makes 30 million I will eat 1,000 shoes. Same. Algren wrote: I don't think. I predict.
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David
Pure Phase
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am Posts: 34865 Location: Maryland
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Re: Glorious 39
In Glorious 39, writer/director Stephen Poliakoff (a rather well-known figure in British television, theatre, and film) tells a tale of WWII era political suspense with Merchant Ivory-esque elegance and a dose of Hitchcockian flair. The beautiful and talented Romola Garai (I Capture the Castle, Atonement) stars as Anne, the adopted eldest daughter of a Tory politician (Bill Nighy). The film is set in the year before England joined the war and centers on the conflict between those who felt war was inevitable, represented here by an outspoken MP (David Tennant), and those desperate for Nazi appeasement, represented by a sinister figure played by Jeremy Northam. When Tennant's character is found dead (a "suicide"), Anne decides to investigate.
The looming war lends the film's events a certain grit and terror, but Glorious 39 is first and foremost an entertaining suspense film, full of alarming revelations and colorful characters both noble and menacing. More North by Northwest than Schindler's List. Garai delivers a captivating and graceful performance (why isn't she an international star?), and the tony supporting cast, which also includes Julie Christie and Hugh Bonneville, is, of course, superb. If there is a flaw, it is a rather extraneous framing device: in present-day London, a teenager (Toby Regbo) visits two old relatives (one played by Christopher Lee) to conduct an interview regarding family history. Lee provides a minute or two of narration at the beginning, lending early scenes a melancholy "once upon a time, before the war changed everything" feel, but then his distinctive voice is gone and the immediacy of Anne's story grabs hold of the viewer. It is rather jarring when the film returns to the contemporary characters very late in the third act.
Spare this unfortunate flourish, however, Glorious 39 delivers. It is a tasteful, enthralling, and at times thought-provoking yarn well worth seeing. It is a pity the film was not given a theatrical release in America. It deserves an audience.
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_________________1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game
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