Register  |  Sign In
View unanswered posts | View active topics It is currently Sat Apr 27, 2024 1:38 pm



Reply to topic  [ 2 posts ] 
 The Special Relationship 

What grade would you give this film?
A 100%  100%  [ 2 ]
B 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
C 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
D 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
F 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
Total votes : 2

 The Special Relationship 
Author Message
loyalfromlondon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 6:31 pm
Posts: 19697
Location: ville-marie
Post The Special Relationship
The Special Relationship

Image

Quote:
The Special Relationship is a 2010 American-British political film directed by Richard Loncraine from a screenplay by Peter Morgan. It is the third film in Morgan's informal "Blair trilogy", which dramatizes the political career of British Prime Minister Tony Blair (1997–2007), following The Deal (2003) and The Queen (2006), both directed by Stephen Frears.

The first drafts of The Special Relationship dealt with Blair's special relationships with U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. However, Morgan excluded the Bush scenes from subsequent drafts (thus ending the narrative on January 20, 2001) because he found the Blair/Clinton dynamic more interesting. Morgan intended to make his directorial debut with the film but backed out a month before filming began and was replaced by Loncraine. The film was produced by Rainmark Films and backed by HBO Films and BBC Films.

The film stars Michael Sheen as Blair, Dennis Quaid as Clinton, Hope Davis as Hillary Clinton, and Helen McCrory as Cherie Blair. Principal photography on locations in and around London, England ran from July 20 to September 4, 2009. The film was broadcast on HBO in the United States and Canada on May 29, 2010, and was broadcast on BBC Two and BBC HD in the United Kingdom on September 18, 2010.

_________________
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. ;)


Sun May 30, 2010 4:02 pm
Profile
Pure Phase
User avatar

Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am
Posts: 34865
Location: Maryland
Post Re: The Special Relationship
This is a good film. Michael Sheen delivers another impressive performance as Tony Blair. And Dennis Quaid and Hope Davis are convincing as the Clintons. This is one of Quaid's most interesting turns ever.

The storyline never feels as organic or poignant as The Queen's, which is perhaps why this did not receive a theatrical release in the U.S. Peter Morgan's teleplay follows a very strict structure:

Chapter 1 - Blair turns to Clinton for aid during a push for Northern Ireland peace
Chapter 2 - Clinton turns to Blair for support during the Monica Lewinsky scandal
Chapter 3 - Blair and Clinton butt heads over Kosovo

Each "chapter," if you will, is heavy on archived news footage and exposition. So at times it is more of a modern history lesson than a rousing drama, but a fascinating and well-acted lesson. And there are wonderful character moments laced throughout, and the last ten minutes (set in England on the night Bush won the White House) are haunting and spot-on. It's well worth seeing.

_________________
ImageImageImage

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


Mon Sep 06, 2010 12:06 pm
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Reply to topic   [ 2 posts ] 

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 216 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group.
Designed by STSoftware for PTF.