Lost Empires
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Movie Reviews of Lost Empires
Movie Review: Colin Firth is wonderful!
Summary: 5 Stars
I so enjoyed Lost Empires that I watched all three DVD's in two days! It was wonderful -- entertaining, marvelous. I cannot say enough. Colin Firth was outstanding! Do yourself a favor and get Lost Empires. It is something to watch over and over again.Movie Review: Lost Empires 3volume boxed DVD
Summary: 5 Stars
Item of good quality and sent to me securely and promptly.Movie Review: Superb recreation of the end of an era
Summary: 4 Stars
This mini series taken from the book by J.B. Priestly is a superb recreation of the end of an era - the music hall way of life and the British Empire. Not since Topsy Turvy have I enjoyed a film about the theatre so much.
It is hard for those who were not around before television and the cinema to understand what a major business and way of life the music hall was. The entertainers, booking agents, theatre staff and others who made their living from the travelling performers who moved from town to dreary town bringing a little cheer and entertainment to the lives of workers in hard dull occupations.
The series shows how some entertainers spent their entire careers on the circuit singing maudlin songs, or performing in unchanging comedy or acrobatic routines - the animal acts, the knockabout comics. As there was no social security or unemployment pay, losing, or not getting a booking, could mean devastating poverty (read Charlie Chaplin's autobiography - his mother losing her voice and with it her singing career ended in the workhouse for the whole family). There was also a hierarchy in the circuits, London being the prize, and the northern and working class districts inferior. A performers status could be judged by where he or she was booked to play.
Although the era of the music hall as a primary form of entertainment ended after WWI, it staggered on until the 1950's as I can remember being taken to the Palace in Halifax, Yorkshire to see variety shows every week, and it lasted even longer in seaside towns headlined by popular TV entertainers.
The only reason for not rating this five stars is the quality of the picture - grainy and by disc 3, blurred. The color is uneven. I don't know whether this is due to the transfer from the British system, or whether TV quality 19 years ago was worse than we realise, but it is distracting. The lack of subtitles or close captions was also disappointing as it was hard to make out what they were saying at times, but as the miniseries was so faithful to the book, it was possible to read the book to find out what the characters had said.
Other than the gripes, the location shooting and recreating of grimy working class towns, the seaside holiday resorts and the music hall is one glorious feast for the eyes. The statuesque contralto bellowing out patriotic songs while draped in the flag - the peppy recruiting songs by the chorus dressed as soldiers - the holidaymakers oblivious of the war to come, are worth the price of the DVD. I would recommend this to anyone interested not just in theatre, but in the way of life pre WWI.
Movie Review: Colin Firth's Big Television Break
Summary: 4 Stars
Colin Firth's first memorable TV role - and doesn't he look young! This series links the beginning of the decline of the British Empire with beginning of the decline of the British Music Hall - the former with the First World war and the latter with the advent of cinema. The script is superb and Colin Firth and John Castle's performances are excellant. There is a cameo role in the first episode from Sir Laurence Olivier but it is obvious that his skill is in decline.
The main story is Colin's (Richard Herncastle's) coming of age - as he certainly learns about life in the music halls before he is shipped out to the horrors of the War. He loses his love but miraculously regains it in the trenches when fate decrees that she turns up to entertain the troops, Colin gets wounded and she saves him.
It is a wonderful story to get lost in on a cold winter's night and I greatly recommend it.
Movie Review: Produced by a Tobacco company?...
Summary: 4 Stars
It must have been... Characters are CONSTANTLY smoking SOMETHING. Cigars, cigarettes, even a hookah at one point. It seems at times there's barely a moment when there isn't someone smoking in the scene.
However, that's my only complaint-- I thought the plot was unique, it was pretty well executed, and most of the acting is pretty good. I saw the whole thing in two days, 1/2 at a time and was quite engrossed. All in all quite good, but I felt I had to say something about the incessant and unnecessary infusion of tobacco in just about every scene...