Elizabeth the Golden Years (2007) - John Grant

Elizabeth the Golden Age

This film focuses on the historical events associated with the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1st of England. This is the age of Sir Francis Drake, Sir Walter Raleigh and the Spanish Armada. In order to fully appreciate the content of the film you would have to have some background knowledge of the era. Elizabeth has come to the throne after the death of her half sister Mary who was the daughter of Katherine of Aragon King Henry the Eight’s first wife and a former Spanish princess.

Spain has significant difficulty with England because under Elizabeth, the split with the Roman Catholic Church been formalised with the formation of a Church of England. Dissident Catholics abound at this time in Elizabethan England. Philip of Spain sees it as his God given mission to return England to the Catholic Church and builds a large fleet “The Spanish Armada” with which he plans to invade. Under Sir Francis Drake the Armada is engaged in battle. At the same time a severe storm drives back the Armada and the Spanish are defeated. Spain pays dearly for this defeat and faces economic ruin. England continues on into a Golden era.

Excellent photography and costumes.


If you like history you will enjoy Elizabeth the Golden Age, 7 out of 10

Mr Bean’s Holiday (2007) – John Grant

This film follows the typical Rowan Atkins style of humour where he couples brilliant timing with bizarre actions. Some of the humour is unspoken but is nevertheless uproariously funny.

The film is in some sense a send up of French society with comment on their food, transport, holidays and entertainment. The script meanders from grey looking London to Paris, the French countryside and the French Riviera. There are stopovers to comment on French cooking with a visit to a Paris restaurant, French railways with an interrupted trip on the SNCF and life in a French provincial town. There are even scenes from the making a commercial involving WW2 German soldiers, maybe he was having a go at German culture as well!

The final scenes are on the Riviera at the Cannes Film Festival where wry comment is made about the style of the entries. The film ends with the popular French song “La mer” sung by Mr Bean and a crowd of people at the beach at Cannes.

If you like zany humour you will enjoy Mr Bean’s Holiday.

Rating: 9/10

Music and Lyrics - John Grant

I must admit that some of Hugh Grant’s movies haven’t quite hit the spot for me but Music and Lyrics had the audience and myself laughing all the way through. The lines were quick witted so you’ll need to be on your toes to get the full effect.
Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant) is a washed up pop star from a well known group of the 1980's which were renowned for their hip gyrating dancing. He is performing around the club scene and at special events with a following of women in their 30's. Alex's enterprising manager lands him a chance to write a hit single for current pop diva Cora (new comer Haley Bennett) because she thinks he has retro appeal. The only catch in the arrangement with Cora is he only has until the end of the week to come up with something that has alluded him for a long time (a hit song!). Alex makes the logical choice and hires a songwriter to write the lyrics while he does what he is good at and adds a pleasing melody. They are in the middle of putting it together when Sophie Fisher (Drew Barrymore) enters the scene as the plant maintenance lady. While going about her duties she suddenly pipes up with a catchy phrase to the lyrics that are being composed. Alex ditches the hired songwriter and teams up with Sophie to tap into her natural talent. Together they work out the hit song and at the same time meet the real challenges that lie within their lives. For Alex the challenge was to work from his heart and not be so consumed with achieving success that the result was mediocre. For Sophie the challenge was to overcome and refute the negative statements that were spoken over her by a previous boyfriend who said she had no orginal talent and merely drew on the work of others. Both personal challenges are overcome in this "happy ever after" movie.

A good romantic comedy send up of the ageing pop star. Entertainment value 7 out of 10 (the critics gave favourable if cautious approval) and $38,673,388 from the US box office alone is not too bad a result.

Rating: 7 / 10

The Good German - John Grant

This movie is set in Berlin just prior to the Potsdam Peace Conference immediately after World War 2. The genre of the film is that of the American private detective action drama. The makers of the film used the techniques of 40 years ago to give the look and feel of the time. Filmed in black and white with a square screen presentation, you really could imagine yourself in an old cinema with the tobacco smoke rising up from the audience (perish the thought these days). The set is the ruins of old Berlin, overflowing with lost innocence and without hope.
The story centres around the work done by German scientists to produce missiles and the race to take these scientists to the United States at all costs. The issue is seen as of monumental significance to the security of the West especially when set against the news of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Contrasting the issue of national security is a moral dilemma, one of the scientists needed by the West was a war criminal, in fact a mass murderer. Predictably officials in high places are persuaded to relinquish moral obligation for national priorities and a conspiracy is formed which aims at eliminating those who would make public the real character of the scientist sought by the West. The scientists former aide an SS officer is in hiding shielded by his wife. Their intent is to regain some of the integrity of the German people by disclosing what they know. Personally the wife, Lena Brandt (played by Cate Blanchett), also seeks to somehow absolve herself from betraying twelve Jews to the Gestapo.

The storyline follows the activities of a US Army correspondent Jake Geismer, played by George Clooney, who coincidently (or is it) has previously been Lena Brandt's lover. Jake is manipulated along the way by his driver Tully until Tully is murdered. The film closes as Lena's husband is discovered and killed by the US army and she is able herself to emigrate to America. In a final dramatic scene Lena confesses to Jake her complicity in betraying the twelve Jews.
An excellent portrayal of the time and as usual a first rate performances by Cate Blanchett (Lena Brandt), George Clooney(Jake Geismer) and Tobey Maguire (Tully, Jake's driver). Not everybody's taste (the critics gave it a panning) and certainly you have to appreciate the black and white presentation, for me an 8 out of 10 - well worth watching but unnecessarily explicit in parts.

Rating: 8/10

Miss Potter - John Grant

Set in post Victorian England, this film portrays the life of illustrator and writer Beatrice Potter. The film starts off with numerous flashbacks to a talented young girl who paints animals in an outstanding way but then the switches focus to the social environment of the times.

Beatrice’s family were products of the wealth of the industrial revolution of the nineteenth century and had ambitions for social advancement. Beatrice however resisted family pressure to marry a person of ‘standing’ in society and finds herself at 32, a spinster with a very limited future. Taking hold of her circumstance she determines to make the most of her life by taking her portfolio to a publisher in order to launch herself as an author and make her contribution to society. The publishing house run by two brothers at first (through one brother) rejects her ideas as being unmarketable, however the other brother sees an opportunity to solve a family requirement to encourage their younger brother (Norman) to enter the business. This is a pivotal point in the film since, providentially, Beatrice is both given the opportunity to enter the market with her illustrated books and meet the man whom she will fall in love with. Her books become best sellers and she achieves significant wealth and recognition.

Beatrice’s parents at first resist a marriage to Norman but eventually relent stipulating a period of waiting. Tragically Norman dies during the waiting period and Beatrice suffers a long period of grief. There is a stark contrast between elation at the coming marriage and the untimely death of Norman.

In the closing phase of the film, Beatrice moves to the Lake District of England where her family spent their holidays each summer and there she meets a childhood friend (William). They share a common purpose to preserve the national heritage of the Lake District, initially by purchasing the now famous ‘Hill Top’ farm. The film closes as she marries William at the age of forty.

This film illustrates some of the social biases, often irrational, in an age that birthed movements such as the Suffragettes, as a nation moved out of Victorian conservatism into truth and reality. The photography in the film is on occasion quite spectacular and the character portrayal excellent, especially from Renee Zellweger. Well worth viewing, Nine out of ten.

Rating: 9/10