George Wallace (Two-Disc Special Edition) (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)The fighting little judge from Alabama was known as the most liberal judge in Alabama and probably in the South. But one gubernational defeat makes him turn to racism in order to capture the governorship.
Gary Sinise turns in an incredible performance as the governor, he has become one of my favorite actors ever since his equally brilliant performance in "Truman".
I like the way that this movie doesn't judge Wallace as good or bad, it leaves that to the viewer. In one scene you can see Wallace commenting on the beating of Civil Rights activists at the Edmund Pettus Bridge saying "This is a victory for US! We turned them back" and you actually think that Sinise as Wallace believes what he's saying.
The movie presents some historical footage here and there, you can see president Lyndon Johnson and Martin Luther King's famous "how long?" speech.
It does have a number of flaws though, I'd have liked to see more about election 1968, the way Nixon tried to prevent Wallace from becoming governor in 1970 by sponsoring Wallace's opponent, the infamous General Curtis Lemay pressconference. And the fictional character Archie isn't quite pulled off by the director, it strikes me as an anomaly in the movie.
Also it shows Wallace meeting Cornelia, his future second wife at governor Folsom's inaugural in 1955, this would have made Cornelia about 23 years old in 1972 when in fact she was 31. The reason for that is that George and Lurleen met Cornelia at Folsom's FIRST inaugural in 1947 and not 1955
The most moving scene is where Wallace is wheeled into the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church (Dr. King's former church) where he, in front of a stunned black congegation apologizes for his role in black suffering. The authenticity of this scene I found questionable until I read about it in Stephan Lesher's book "George Wallace American populist".
But in the end George Wallace the movie is a masterpiece capturing the sentiments of the 50's, 60's and 70's. The late governor's children are said to have been content with the portrayal.

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Based on the book by Marshall Frady, this epic bio directed by the legendary John Frankenheimer, stars Academy® Award nominated actor Gary Sinise as the infamous politician and segregationist George Wallace. Many have portrayed Wallace as a racist but Frankenheimer\'s film suggests that it was his lust for power and status that made him bedfellows with racists and one of the most destructive and most hated American politicians of his time. Sinise – who won an Emmy® Award for this performance – brilliantly captures both the corruption and the belated search for redemption. Mare Winningham plays his first wife and Angelina Jolie – in her first major role - his adoring second. Winningham also won an Emmy for her work and the film won the Golden Globe for Best Mini-Series (1997).

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Lord Mountbatten - The Last Viceroy (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a splendid 6 part mini-series centering around the end of British rule in India and Lord Mountbatten's role in it. It's a superb production which successfully evokes the splendour of the last days of the British Raj followed by the turmoil and bloodbath of post-independence India. The splendour was deliberate. Mountbatten was adamant that the British would not just slink away. He saw what a monumental occasion this was. As he summed up in a private toast with his wife, this was about "the birth of India and the death of the British Empire."
The series covers the year immediately preceeding Independence and the year after, effectively Mountbatten's tenure on the sub-continent, as the last Viceroy and then the first Governor-General of India (1946-1948). There is an excellent all-round cast, even with non-Indians playing the major roles - Ian Richardson painted brown as Nehru and a similarly tanned Vladek Sheybal, a Pole by birth, as his arch nemesis Jinnah. History is decidedly seen from the British, or more precisely Mountbatten's, perspective. He and Nehru were close, his wife and Nehru closer still. That intimacy is alluded to very pointedly here. The villain of the piece, as the Amazon reviewer has stated, is clearly Muhammad Ali Jinnah, head of the Muslim League and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah was someone Mountbatten couldn't get close to and didn't trust and he is portrayed here as a slithery snake who schemed and slimed his way towards the painful partition of India and the forced migration of some 14 million people, plus the deaths of up to a million Hindus and Muslims who had to flee to "their" side of the border - ethnic cleansing the likes of which dwarf that seen during the more recent Balkans conflict.
Such was their friendship that Nehru extended a personal invitation for Mountbatten to stay on as the First Governor-General of independant India. Jinnah on his part immediately installed himself as Governor-General of Pakistan. The series paints Jinnah as the instigator and behind-the-scenes manipulator of the Kashmir conflict which sparked off 2 full scale wars and remains unresolved to this day.
The series devotes equal time to both pre and post Independence India, the first 3 episodes revolving around the negotiations with the various factions (Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and the Princely States) preceeding Independence, and the last 3 episodes chronicling the bloodbath that followed partition and the short-lived Dominion of India with Mountbatten as Governor-General before it achieved full republic status in 1950. The series ends with Mountbatten's farewell to India in 1948, including Nehru's touching farewell speech in which he makes plain his love for Lady Mountbatten and his final toast, "We will remember you... forever." As a reward for the successful transition to Indian independence, Mountbatten was finally granted an Earldom. He was made 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, a title that was passed on to his eldest daughter upon his death in 1979. This was also in recompense for his having renounced his royal titles (he was the grandson of Queen Victoria and he was born Prince Louis of Battenberg) at the request of the Royal Family during the anti-German hysteria of the First World War.
Mention should also be made of the score written by John Scott, especially of the stirring opening theme which is very reminiscent of Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance Marches (the Fourth March in particular), which capture in music the splendour that was once the British Empire.
What a shame that this series has been released by Acorn Media. Acorn has a checkered history with regards to DVD quality, their transfers of newer productions looking pretty good but with older series fairing rather poorly. Unfortunately Mountbatten falls into the latter category. Your heart sinks at the opening credits, as the blurry looking Union Jack flutters under the orange glow of the setting sun. It looks like a mediocre VHS tape recording. The picture is soft and blurry, the colours which should have been resplendent (the brilliant crimsons of the Imperial troops, the lush greenery of the countryside) all look drab, dingy and lifeless. Quality improves slightly as the film progresses but not by much. Thankfully the later episodes do improve quite a bit especially at the end. By and large it's a disappointing transfer. It's hard to believe that this production actually dates from 1985. There are 1960s sitcoms that look in better shape than this. One can only hope that another company buys the rights to this series and gives it the proper restoration and remastering that it deserves.

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A great grandson of Queen Victoria, nephew of the Tsar, and cousin of the Prince of Wales, Lord Louis Mountbatten had proven his mettle as Supreme Allied Commander in Southeast Asia during World War II. But his toughest mission came after the war, when British Prime Minister Attlee tapped Mountbatten to oversee India’s transition to self-rule. This Emmy®-winning Masterpiece Theatre classic portrays the human drama behind the history. As blood runs in the streets, Mountbatten (Nicol Williamson) becomes the go-between for the charismatic leaders at the heart of the struggle: the Congress Party’s Pandit Nehru (Ian Richardson) and Sardar Patel (A.K. Hangal), the Muslim League’s Ali Jinnah (Vladek Sheybal), and the father of independent India, Mahatma Gandhi (Sam Dastor). The task is daunting, but the blue-blooded Englishman and his compassionate wife (Janet Suzman) soldier on, ending 200 years of British rule in India.

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Pompeii - The Last Day/Colosseum - A Gladiator's Story (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)A realistic docu-drama, this is a telling of the building of Rome's Colosseum which started under the rule of Emperor Vespasian and was completed by his son and heir Titus in 80 AD. It also shows the training of the gladiators, many who were slaves, but a few who would trade their liberty for a period of time for money, and sometimes fame.
The decadence and brutality of the Roman games, as well the brave and desperate men who were the entertainment, make for a riveting story;
The central figure is a historical gladiator by the name of Verus, who was a slave working in a quarry when chosen for the arena. Robert Shannon is good in the part, exhibiting much physical prowess, grace and style.
Filmed in Tunisia, it boasts the latest technological wizardry to duplicate the Colosseum and the audience, using matte paintings and crowd replication among other techniques.
Produced and directed by Tilman Remme, the dialog is in Latin, and the narration by Liev Schreiber, whose modulated voice is always a pleasure to listen to.
Having seen the empty shell of what is left of this extraordinary structure as it stands today, I found this recreation fascinating and informative, with enough drama and action to make it interesting for repeated viewings.

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POMPEII:LAST DAY - DVD Movie

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