Page 93 - All About History - Issue 12-14

Review Roundup

BRITISH ICONS

NOWHERE BOY

Year: 2009
Directed by: Sam Taylor-Wood
John Lennon was an international superstar,
with the Beatles and then with his solo
material. This film focuses on five years of
his early life, from the death of his uncle in
1955 to his departure for Hamburg, aged 19,
with the nucleus of the Beatles. Although
the film shows his first meeting with Paul
McCartney and George Harrison, it’s more of
a coming of age story than a music biopic,
but is wonderfully shot and lead Aaron
Taylor-Johnson is superb.

TELEVISION AND FILMS

DIANA CROMWELL HENRY V EDITOR’S PICK

Year: 2013 Year: 1970 Year: 1989 In issue ten, we ran an article on the race to the Antarctic
Directed by: Directed by: Directed by: between Captain Scott and the Norwegian explorer Amundsen.
Oliver Ken Hughes Kenneth In the feature, Earnest Shackleton featured briefly, as he and
Hirschbiegel The story of the Branagh Scott had once explored together only for a rift to develop
Widely panned devout Puritan Based on between them. The two-part TV movie Shackleton focuses on
on its release, who ended up William when the English explorer’s 1914 expedition to the South Pole
this film as his country’s Shakespeare’s ran into serious problems and he led his 28 men crew to safety.
focuses on the last two years lord protector after defeating play rather than historical fact, Parts of the story are so outlandish that if it was a work of
of the life of the Princess of King Charles I’s army in the film is well made but has fiction then you would say it was going over the top but it is,
Wales and on her secret love battle deserves a stellar cast more literary credentials than for the most part, historically accurate. The filmmakers used
affair with Hasnat Khan. There and, with Richard Harris as historical ones. The climactic the diaries of the men involved, among other sources, for
are one or two nice touches Cromwell and Alec Guinness Battle of Agincourt is well their research and the film wonderfully captures the difficult
– such as her manipulation as King Charles I, this film done, though, and puts the conditions and the determination of Shackleton and his men to
of and relationship with has that in abundance. The viewer right into the conflict. ensure they would return home.
the media – but these are story makes a decent stab
outweighed by clunky at historical accuracy and “ Boyd paints a picture of a king who
dialogue and a film that seems although it looks dated now, it actually hated his own country” © Alamy
unsure of itself. all romps along nicely.
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