Film Reviews by LR

Excellent film-making. The historical setting is beautifully recreated and the drama which unfolds is as gripping as a thriller. Denmark in the 18th century was still an old-fashioned monarchy. King Christian was psychologically disturbed and unfit to rule, but the system was not designed to cope with such cases. The result was a struggle between the aristocrats who wanted to exploit the king's weakness for their own purposes and some representatives of the Enlightenment who coax the king along the path of democracy and concern for his subjects. The acting is first class, creating truly believable characters, and the script is intelligently written to produce a wide variety of moods and scenarios - the pathos of the young queen, the drama of court scheming, the beginnings of an illicit romance, the optimism of Enlightenment ideas, etc. The film is in the same category as Ridicule (by Patrice Leconte?) which, by my standards, is very high praise indeed.

This is an outstanding film for its time (1937) and it is deeply engaging and effective even today. The subject matter is old age, with its concomitant frailty, vulnerability and the feeling of being a burden on one's off-spring. The subject is handled very well indeed, with acute social observation and flashes of wit which lift the mood. However, the seriousness of the subject is never lost - we feel for the old couple who are losing their physical competence and turn to their sons and daughter for help. Anyone who visits an elderly relative in a care home or nursing home, will recognise the truth of the basic scenario and will appreciate the emotional currents which swirl around all the family members - feelings of deep-seated love, guilt, resentment, selfishness, helplessness, etc. The strength of the film is that it faces up to all the complexity of the situation and stirs our emotions as we struggle to find a resolution to the problem.

This film is often described as a 'neglected masterpiece'. I agree. It deserves to be as well-known as "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Citizen Kane". It might even be said to be better than either of those films because its humanity is so firmly grounded and so effectively expressed.

Made in 1941, Sullivan's Travels is amazingly fresh and amusing even 74 years later. It is a classic Hollywood comedy, full of snappy dialogue and with an incident-packed plot. The casting is excellent, especially Joel McCrea as the idealistic star who knows little of the real world, but also in terms of all the commercially-minded Hollywood executives that Sullivan/McCrea is up against. He wants to engage the film industry in a campaign against poverty. The execs only agree when they begin to see PR opportunities in the research expeditions that he embarks on. Hence the ludicrous scenes when he tries to go out and meet the poor with an army of execs and the studio catering van on his heels.

There is a timeless quality to the story. Literature has many idealistic young men whose intentions are admirable but who lack the worldly wisdom that is needed to realise them. Fortunately the idealist meets a young woman who has slightly more of a clue (Veronica Lake) and they start to make progress together, both in terms of his quest and in terms of romance, of course. It is to the great credit of the film-makers that this delightful comedy also has the decency to show some scenes of real Depression-era poverty - homeless people sleeping in communal shelters and relying on the soup kitchens to survive. Acknowledging that reality gives the film an extra dimension and shows that great comedy can have a sense of moral commitment and still be deliriously funny. The idealistic young reformer may be shown to be laughably naive, but he is right about the existence of poverty and the need for political action to remedy it. We may laugh at his mistakes, but we recognise his worth as a decent, compassionate person. Likewise we recognise the film as a hilarious comedy, but we feel also the decency and compassion which give it substance.

The Grand Budapest Hotel fully delivers on its promise of a colourful, racy, old-fashioned tale set in Middle Europe. There is a kaleidoscope of characters and among them strides the wonderful, imperious Gustav H, manager of the hotel. Gustav H (played with real zest and delight by Ralph Fiennes) is introducing the new bell-boy to the ways of the hotel and so we the audience are also initiated into the little cosmos of the place - the rooms, the guests, the staff, the routines, the secrets and everything that goes to create the Grand Budapest Hotel. The narrative pace is brisk and the characters are varied and engaging. The story tends towards hyperbole and exaggeration, but the director and the actors ensure that the result is comedy and we accept the excesses as part of the fun. A great entertainment.

This is classic Hitchcock. An ordinary guy wanders into a far-from-ordinary situation, starts investigating some odd incidents and finds himself in over his head with some powerful, ruthless characters. The suspense is skilfully handled by Polanski and the obvious comparison with Tony Blair (ex-PM wants to write memoirs but needs to excise compromising episodes) gives the story some bite. The casting is spot-on and the moments of humour provide contrast and help to emphasise the menace of other scenes. Ewan McGregor makes a good everyman lead, with his mix of cocky charm and naive bravado. Pierce Brosnan is slick and vain, like a politician, but is also anxious and petulant when events slip from his control. An entertaining story with political edge. Well worth seeing.

The sexual abuse of children by paedophile priests in the Catholic church has been the subject of several documentaries, but Alex Gibney proves his mastery of documentary by returning to the issue and making a compelling and moving narrative from it. From the first interviews with the victims of a predator priest, through to the desperate efforts of the Vatican to hide the extent and the history of the problem, Gibney holds our attention and engages our compassion and our anger. Former Cardinal and Pope, Joseph Ratzinger, features prominently as the person in charge of the cover-up. It seems only fitting that he should have retired shortly after this documentary was released. I hope many people see it and give some thought to the religious practices which led to these crimes. Fundamental changes are required, not just apologies.