Longford

A TV film about the later life of the Lord Longford and his association with one of the countries most notorious murderesses: Myra Hindley.

I really like these (UK) 90 minute "factions" based on recent events: The Government Inspector, A Very Social Secretary and now this. Three great productions and just as good and as well made as anything shown in the cinema proper. This is what we (the British) are good at - quality acting and serious subjects. Not sure what the HBO viewers across the pond are going to make it though. Will they catch on like we do? Without the background social history?

This Jim Broadbent's (as Lord Longford) finest hour - he'll never get a part that suits him as much as this one. Hits the mark totally as the crusty old ostrich whose politics, religion and beliefs remained fluid throughout his life.

Myra Hindley was the most hated person in British history. The worst kind of killer and psychopath, someone who was played the system her whole life and told people what they wanted to hear. I am sure without partner in crime Ian Brady she would not have killed - but she showed little remorse when an audio tape was played of the pair of them murdering and abusing a little girl in court. For her everything was a joke or a game. A self server of the first rank.

Longford was putty in her hands. The classic upper-class silver spooner (from Eton to Oxford - the old public shool cliché) who knows nothing about working class life, no matter the evil minds that can torture little children for kicks and then bury them on moorland. She even did the driving given Brady hadn't a license.

Longford believed in change and reform. Even for Hindley. Few did and certainly not the government who would have been stoned had they not kept her behind barbed wire. The public might even have lynched her if she got out. In the end she had a kind of semi-independence behind bars - not that this is demonstrated well here.

The former leader of the House of Lords was not a bad man. Let us not forget that. Forgiveness is part of the scriptures and he carried that belief in his heart throughout his later life. He was not mad - but misguided and perhaps even curious about the people that lived on the dark side of life. As we all are. Who knows if he was in love with Hindley (he might have been) or got a sexual kick out of her. Sexuality is a strange thing and works in strange ways.

Two of the main characters (of this production) are dead and the other (Brady) is certified mad and will never be released. Nor does he want to be. So there is nothing more to tell. Just a long fade out.

What this production tells me is that is easier to be fair when you are an occasional tourist. When you can retreat to your large house and your big garden and contemplate evil at a safe distance. The people he wanted to help deserved their fate of being locked up with a bowl for a toilet - but beyond that they deserved to shown that society has standards that are not there's. Longford did that at least.

The Myra Hindley/Ian Brady Moors murders of 1963, one of the most heinous crimes in England since Jack the Ripper, has been beautifully transcribed to the screen by writer Peter Morgan and Director Tom Hooper. And though the story is basically about Longford's relationship with the incarcerated Myra Hindley, the film paints a rather complete portrait of a strange man who vacillated during his lifetime among religious beliefs and spoke out strongly for the rights of prisoners and 'unfortunates' who fall out of line with the law all the while riling against pornography and other vices.

Jim Broadbent creates a wholly credible Lord Longford in this amazing performance. Transformed physically to resemble Longford's bizarre appearance, Broadbent manages to convey the spectrum of trust, self-doubt, pity, outrage, compassion and blind religious belief in a manner few actors could match. The remainder of the cast is equally excellent: Samantha Morton finds every nook and cranny of the enigmatic murderess Myra while Andy Serkis gives a chilling depiction of Ian Brady, her accomplice who knew how to manipulate the government and people as well as the infamously wily Myra.

The story is in many ways grounded by the strong forces of Lady Longford (beautifully realized by Lindsay Duncan) and the Lady Tree of Sarah Crowden and Harold Wilson of Robert Pugh. Hooper knows how to magnify the class differences between the gentry and the working class and his choices of locations and pacing of confrontations both in the prison and in the home and in the court are spot on.

This is one of those films for television that teaches us what really fine films can still be. It is a tremendously moving piece of work and Jim Broadbent will long be remember for this classic role. Highly recommended for repeated viewing. Grady Harp

We should, it is said, forgive but not forget. But some deeds are so monstrous that we can only forgive by forgetting. In some senses, no murderer deserves to ever be let out of jail. But we, as civilised humans, achieve nothing but our own degradation by keeping old people who offer no further threat to society imprisoned; and forgetting may be the only we way can square this circle. But Myra Hindley's crimes were never forgotten, partly because they were peculiarly horrible, but also because she became a hate figure for the popular press. Logically, Hindely has the same rights to be at least considered for parole as any other prisoner; but no politician was ever going to end their careers by demanding it. None, except for Lord Longford, an elderly, egotistical do-gooder with a spectacular capacity for making bad calls. The common belief, supported at least in part by this film, is that manipulative Hindley played Longford for all he was worth. And yet the principles that hard cases make bad law and that justice is not vengeance are surely important and right. But a more pragmatic (or less messianic) figure might have chosen an easier terrain on which to fight this battle.

In this biopic of Longford, Jim Broadbent captures the man's physical characteristics perfectly, although the voice is still his own. Samantha Morton, always a brave actress, keeps her cards close to her chest as Hindley. Though generally following received wisdom, it's overall effect is cautiously sympathetic to Longford, and encourages one to think again about the meaning of justice, maybe more effectively than Longford himself did.

I was only a boy at the time of the Moors Murders, so remember very little about them. However, this film has made me want to find out more, especially about Myra Hindley, who was portrayed in this film almost like a brunette Marylin Monroe. She captivated everybody and made them fall in love with her, possibly even Lord Longford.

The performances by all the main characters were first class, especially Jim Broadbent as Lord Longford, and Samantha Morton as Myra. Compared to Charlize Theron who, almost literally, turned herself into a monster for "Monster", Samantha Morton played Myra as a very attractive woman, but equally evil. The way the film was made, even at the end I didn't know who was "really guilty" Brady or Myra. Andy Serkis as Brady made a compelling psychopath, whereas Myra's part was far more ambiguous. Linsday Duncan was brilliant, as ever, as Lady Longford

I thought this was one of the most powerful pieces of television drama I have seen for a long time. It rates up there both in content, production and fantastic casting and acting with the wonderful Conspiracy (Ken Branagh and others a few years back). I wonder if Longford may come to be seen as Jim Broadbent's finest portrayal. It bears many more than one viewings and I think (as I did of an earlier drama programme this year about the Moors Murders) that it is brave and correct for skilled directors/writers etc to tackle this incredibly difficult subject. Well done to all involved and I look forward to the next project coming from this talented team.