Une belle rencontre

I didn't like it, but I can't get it out of my head. So now I'm thinking it was actually pretty great movie - as it still resonates with me. Initially, I didn't like that it was about something as upbeat as movies in the middle of a war - the contrast of the two made the plot seem a bit silly and unnecessary. However, I now understand that this movie is about the frailty of life, living in the moment and maybe even about opportunity/second chances.

(RATING: ☆☆☆☆ out of 5 )

GRADE: B

THIS FILM IS RECOMMENDED.

IN BRIEF: A well acted and thoroughly entertaining war story.

SYNOPSIS: During World War II, a secretary joins a movie crew to make a propaganda film about Dunkirk.

JIM'S REVIEW: Let's face it, with a film entitled Their Finest, the bar is set mighty high. And while the film is not the finest film you will ever see, it is still a fine film worthy of one's attention. It boasts very good acting, a literate script, strong direction and period details, and an intriguing premise. Not all of these elements works as a whole, but the parts are genuinely compelling.

A movie production crew wants to tell "a story that will inspire the world". These are desperate times, in 1940 war-town London. Public spirits is low and the government wants the entertainment industry to provide a more positive uplift to the doom and glory that is an everyday occurrence for the English folk by creating a propaganda film to unite the country. Thrown into the mix of creative souls is Catrin Cole (Gemma Arterton), a former secretary hired as a screenwriter to bring a more authentic woman's point of view. It is there she meets Tom Buckley (Sam Clafin), a cynical talented writer, although she is involved with Ellis Cole (Jack Huston) an egotistical artist. But duty calls and Catrin has found her calling, both professionally and personally.

Also on the set is Phyl Moore (Rachael Stirling), a tough-as-nails Rosalind Russell type, Carl Lundbeck (Jake Lacy), an American war hero turned actor ala Audie Murphy (with even less talent), and a washed-up matinée idol, Ambrose Hilliard (the reliable Bill Nighy). Adding more prestige to this movie-within-a-movie are such steadfast British stars as Richard E. Grant, Jeremy Irons, and Eddie Marsan, although their contributions are mere cameo walk-ons. All of the actors are superb, even if some of their roles are underwritten.

The film, when always entertaining, is in need of a few rewrites. Some scenes seems out of place and supporting characters lack depth. It feels as if there are two films vying for the moviegoer's attention: the down-on-his-luck aging actor in search of a hit, and a tender love story about two writers who find each other. While both are interesting and acted to maximum effect, the plot rarely gels, especially with some contrivances toward the third act. The overall mood varies from comedic moments to pure melodrama and then serious wartime drama. Lone Scherfig solidly directs but she doesn't find the right tone and Gaby Chaippe's screenplay needs to show more realism and edginess rather than seeing the story through rose-colored glasses.

Still, the chemistry between the ill-matched lovers is palpable and Ms. Arterton and Mr. Clafin make a charming duo. Add the self-effacing subtlety of Mr. Nighy to add a taste of the bittersweet and Their Finest is a refreshing change of pace, especially from the usual dregs of the pre-summer movie season.

"Their Finest" is a clever, charming and funny movie from Danish director Lone Scherfig. Adding to her most well-known films to date, "An Education" and "The Riot Club", it is clear that Scherfig is a true Anglophile at heart, as this is as British as it comes. The film tells the story of Catrin Cole (Gemma Arterton), a Welsh secretary in London at the height of the Blitz who finds herself on the writing staff of a propaganda film about the Dunkirk evacuation. Though married to a struggling artist (Jack Huston), feelings grow between Catrin and fellow writer Buckley (Sam Claflin) as they struggle to make "The Nancy Starling" a film worthy of raising the nation's spirits.

One of the strengths of "Their Finest" is its glorious sense of place and time. The locations and production design provide a real asset. The daily threat of the Blitz is rightly given sufficient screen time to feel like an ever-present menace, while wartime London and an idyllic Cornish coast are well realised.

"Their Finest" is at its best when the the lines between the movie we are watching and the movie being produced on screen are blurred. We see the characters and plot of "The Nancy Starling" evolve within Catrin's mind in a series of comic scenes which give Bill Nighy's character, ageing actor Ambrose Hilliard, some of his best moments. In one particularly inspired moment, the continuation of a real conversation between the romantic pair is imagined in the same visual style of the on-screen movie. The writers and director clearly had a lot of fun with these ideas and their execution is spot on. The creators' love of cinema is realised in a way only possible in a film about film-making and film-watching. The emotions of an audience watching "The Nancy Starling" in the film clearly capture the joy the writers and director take from cinema in general, and it's very infectious!

Arterton plays the lead role very capably, creating a likable protagonist. Among the most memorable performances, Bill Nighy plays himself very well (it's difficult to imagine who could have played him better), and Rachael Stirling shines but is sadly underused. Jake Lacy is also entertaining as the square-jawed American who turns out to be a terrible actor. The film possibly suffers from the distracting addition of star cameos (Jeremy Irons popping up here for a single scene), a fault I find particularly noticeable in British films of this style.

The key fault for me was that the film seemed unsure which of its two main plot-lines, the making of "The Nancy Starling" and the romance between Catrin and Buckley, should take centre-stage. Developing both meant that the beginning and the end of the film suffered. Initially the film needed to introduce lots of only partially related themes and concepts, which made the opening scenes feel artificially and dissatisfyingly forced together. The need to conclude both threads produced more than a few false endings which certainly made the film feel its length. The competition between story-lines also meant that some of the supporting characters, particularly Jack Huston's suffering artist, did not receive the attention they needed to give enough weight to their plot contributions. Even Buckley, one of the key players, didn't seem quite fleshed out enough, though this is not helped by the poor chemistry between Sam Claflin and Gemma Arterton.

At its best though, "Their Finest" is a wonderful send-up of propaganda movie-making of the 1940s and a worthy war film in its own right.

It's a movie within a movie. I feel in general, a movie about movies is a good topic for a movie. People love to hear stories about how the movies works. I know personally I'm a sucker for this type of drama.

Based on a book called Their Finest Hour and a Half, which I think is a better title, Their Finest stars Gemma Arterton in a movie that takes place during World War 2 in England, when women join the workforce in order keep the world going that was coming to a halt do to the Blitzkrieg. In this case Arterton's character Catrin Cole, a woman working for a newspaper that leads to an opportunity to write a screenplay for a movie.

What I like about the movie is that it's a funny story about how a screenplay is created. They basically hired Catrin Cole to tell the story of the war from a women's perspective, namely the true story of a pair of twins who attempted to use their boat to help rescue soldiers in France, but the true story is not good enough propaganda to get the citizens of Britain into the cause, so she has to embellish what happen.

As the writing progressed, they keep getting stopped by someone, weather it was the producer or The Secretary of War to add new things so that they can appeal to the masses, a very interesting process made hilarious by the movie.

The whole film is a satire on the film industry of 1940s Great Britain that's still true today. Their Finest also has some romance in it, as Cartin becomes attracted to her fellow writer on the screenplay, Tom Buckley. The film is also a good example about how female roles in society started to shift during World War II.

Bill Nighy was as fun to watch as I was told. He plays an aging actor finding his popularity is stuck on something he did years ago, and like Catin finds an opportunity within the war.

Overall, I really enjoined the movie. Gemma Arterton made a really good lead actress and the movie altogether was a great story.

http://cinemagardens.com

Their Finest (2016) is one of several recent films that remediate women's conspicuous absence from war history. It stands tall in the war film genre, as well as in period drama and feminist film. With beautiful cinematography, it nostalgically evokes the tensions and deprivations of London in 1940. At the same time, it provides an instructive insight into the making of a war propaganda movie in the early days of film history.

The two-part plot line is based on the experiences of young Welshwoman Catrin Cole (Gemma Arterton) who unexpectedly lands a movie scriptwriting job in the British Ministry of Information. The first half of Their Finest is about the planning of a movie for boosting morale and support for the war; the second is its actual filming. The thread of continuity is Catrin's relationships; first with her war-damaged artist lover Ellis Cole (Jack Huston) and then her senior scriptwriter Tom Buckley (Sam Claflin). Catrin has been hired to write "the slops", a term used to describe women's interests and views. In wartime, things change unexpectedly and the movie shifts from an emphasis on women, to a general rallying call to the nation, and then to an appeal to America to join the war. The casting of stars shifts from heroines to a past-his-prime actor Ambrose Hilliard (Bill Nighy) to an American fighter pilot who turns out to have appalling acting skills. By the end of Their Finest, we are watching the finished movie being screened in public having witnessed how it was made and the effect it has on the people involved.

The making of a war movie within a war film is an original and clever cinematic construction. The storyboarding, casting, and filming of the movie provide self-reflexive insights into movie-making itself. This is a multi-genre film, combining war and filmmaking history, period drama and romance, but it's inaccurate to call it a comedy. Most of the humour comes from Bill Nighy's portrayal of the pompous British artistic classes and his fading light as an actor. In an otherwise well-directed film, Nighy often overshadows its star, Gemma Arterton, who is the film's beating heart and champion for women. Nighy has that rare ability to fill any space into which he walks, but this means that the film's excellent cast shine only when he is off screen.

There are many reasons for liking this film, including its originality, acting and filming. It poignantly captures the fragility of life in the London Blitz with detailed attention to nostalgic sets, costumes, and mannerisms of an era. The colour palette's de-saturated tonality reflects the sombre mood of the nation and the narrative covers a lot of ground. It is ironic, however, that a film dedicated to recognising the role of women in history should be so under the comedic influence of a veteran male actor. Despite its efforts to be otherwise, this will be remembered as a Bill Nighy film. For many, that's not a bad thing.