Miskatonic01

A More Perfect Union examines the creation of the US Constitution from the perspective of chief author, James Madison. Beginning with trade war problems between states and Shay's Rebellion in Massachusetts, the film follows Federalist Madison's desperate attempts to enlist the aid and involvement of George Washington, the battles with states rights (anti-Federalist) advocates such as Roger Sherman and John Dickinson, his efforts to make both the Senate and the House elected by proportional representation, and his ultimate acceptance of the compromises which ultimately made the Constitution palatable to enough states to be ratified by 1788. For those unfamiliar with the history of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, this is an excellent way to be introduced to the politics and personalities that created the Constitution. Highly recommended for the classroom and the home.

Last Orders (referring to the British term for "last call") explores in retrospect the lives of several old, long-standing friends living in the London suburb of Bermondsey. The film begins with an assemblage of friends at a local pub to drink a round to one of their own who passed on. The deceased, Jack (played with appreciable understatement by Michael Caine), gives his friends a posthumous "last order" to scatter his ashes off the pier at the British seaside resort town of Margate. The film then proceeds to follow Jack's friends (accessibly played by Tom Courtnay, David Hemmings and the ever-delightful Bob Hoskins), his son (Ray Winstone in an appropriately sleazy and sympathetic role) and his widow (a reflective and heart-rending Helen Mirren) as they seek to carry out his "last orders" while remembering him and the times they shared. Director Fred Schepisi presents the story of their lives together, both the good and the less-than-stellar, in a series of present-day segments and recent and distant-past flashbacks. Given frequent horrible examples in too many recent films, a film relying heavily on flashbacks has the potential to easily become distracting, confusing, or both. Schepisi demonstrates his skill as he guides this technique with a light, deft touch that keeps the viewer connected with events and maintains a story flow that entices rather than confuses. The life-long camaraderie of the friends, the tensions between them in times of crisis, the father-son struggles between town butcher Jack and his financially ambitious son Vince all play out against the backdrop of a working class environment that many viewers will recognize and even identify with their own lives.

It is safe to say that this film is touching without being maudlin. The restraint shown by both cast and director coupled with the obvious comfort and pleasure of the cast in working with one another lends an air of authenticity to the characters and to the story as a whole that will make all but the most detached viewer think about the course of their own lives. It is this inspiration of reflection on one's life as compared to those shown on the screen that ultimately makes this one of the better films offered to the public in recent years. Anyone who wants to understand what true friendship can mean should see this film and be inspired by it. It is too bad that films of this superior calibre are rapidly becoming the exception rather than the rule in film making.