raymond-andre

This filmed Canadian stage production from Stratford Ontario sacrifices some of the beauty of Shakespeare's meter and rhythm for the sincerity of the new world. Colm Feore proves himself once again a national treasure as Lear and Stephen Ouimet is lovely as his fool. Another standout is Jonathan Goad as Kent who brings an unflagging energy to the part. As a fan of the bard and his many film and television adaptations I found this to be a pretty fair mounting of the play.

This film is in the same vein as Gagarin First In Space and Salyut 7. Russian movies that celebrate Soviet era achievements in the space race. And why not?

The Soviet Union had a great many 'firsts'. First satellite (sputnik) First man in orbit (Gagarin) First space walk (Leonov) first woman in space (Terskova) first space station in orbit (Salyut).

Here we finally get Leonov's very dramatic story. It is noteworthy that Leonov himself acted as advisor for the production, though it should probably be taken with a huge grain of salt. You have only to see interviews with him in various documentaries to see his larger than life personality. I was glad to see general Kaminin getting his due alongside Korolov (the chief designer) as the fathers of the Soviet program. Some would criticize the movie for a lack of historical accuracy. But its compensates by being entertaining. Besides, they did get quite a bit of it right, including some of the stuff that defies belief.

The special effects are top notch, the cinematography is beautiful, the acting is perfect and the pacing of the story is at times fast moving and at times marvelously poetic. The score can sometimes be overbearing however. But well worth watching for people (like me) who are interested in the space race.