funzie

Positively awful - the fact that I sat through 3 hours of this is a testament to hype. What is more amazing is that claims were made through the press that this was the most realistic version yet made. This proves that special effects and realism are not one and the same thing in historical drama.

The fictional characters (and some non-fictional ones) were nicely cliched, the romantic subplot having no bearing on any historical accuracy in relation to the period depicted, let alone the specific events. For example, any woman running through a boiler room of a ship of the period would be probably regarded as insane, and apprehended. She would also come out of it rather black. The fictional suicide of Officer Murdoch is in bad taste, considering he survived the sinking and rendered valuable assistance to survivors - this is, after all, a movie which purported to be strong on historical accuracy.

The lead characters are wooden; perhaps if the subplot had been real, they would have made excellent life rafts? The characters which say least are probably the most memorable. Examples would be Captain Smith (Bernard Hill) and Thomas Andrews (Victor Garber), not to mention the ship itself (or the iceberg).

So, for all the millions spent on special effects, you still have a "made for TV" disaster movie which, in my personal view, is of lesser status than the Poseidon Adventure.

My advice would be to watch "A Night to Remember" rather than this - that IS a valid account of an awful event.

The English comedy as it should be; parody of manners, lifestyle and attitudes, without being too overt. An adaptation of Stella Gibbons' book, and a very good one. Eileen Atkins as the eccentric and obsessive Judith and Kate Beckinsale as the headstrong Flora really make the contrasts work. Set in the southern English county of Sussex of the 1920s, and filmed there in the 1990s - and yes, there are still characters like the Starkadders out there! If you can find it, DO see it.

A truly English escapist romantic comedy, in which a disillusioned civil servant finds love, tranquillity and the return of his sense of self, whilst on a special assignment to a small government "research" establishment at a country estate in the rural East Anglia (part of eastern England) of the 1950s. The fascination of a part of the English psyche then and now with the past (especially railways and agricultural machinery) is well caught, as is the need for the "rural idyll".

This version of Arcadia is a marvellous adaptation of a book by John Hadfield, with the entire cast being accurate in the portrayal of the atmosphere required. A genuine delight.