chrissoda100

The Officer's Ward is compelling insight into the horrors of The Great War which will have you rivetted to the screen.

Eric Caravaca is the engineer in the French army who's face is badly disfigured by a bomb blast at the outset of the First World War.

Destined to spend the rest of the war in a Paris hospital where doctors attempt to reconstruct his face, the film focuses on his thoughts, experiences, relationships with other patients in a similar situation, and his struggle for acceptance by his family and society.

Where in the wrong hands the film could have ended up a soppy and sentimental mess, Francois Dupeyron handles proceedings with sensitivity, dignity, and not does not rely on the initial extent of his injuries for shock value. We don't see his face for nearly an hour into the film, so the only indication as to the extent of his injuries is from the reactions of the hospital staff.

Good performances all round, and a stirring condemnation of warfare, and salute to the power of the human spirit

8 out of 10

This is the kind of thing you find on the bottom shelf of your local video store.

The daft plot involves medieval monks inventing a time machine so they can send weird looking long haired blokes into the future to try and cause armageddon (or something equally ridiculous), where an intrepid cop must try and stop them.

The dodgy special effects, and TV movie feel don't help, but if you are really stuck for something to watch for 90 mins or so ....Find a book to read!

A good effort by John Huston at adapting Herman Melville's classic tale of obsessed whaler captain Ahab. Certainly entertaining enough,some excellent scenes, plenty of action, and a great climax.

Leo Genn stands out as Starbuck, while Gregory Peck is just adequate as Ahab. I'm still not convinced he was the man for the job. In fact its said that Peck thought Huston himself should have played the role.

Considering when the movie was made the whale actually looks pretty effective.(although they apparently had quite a few problems with it during filming). But its certainly on a par with the shark in 'Jaws', and no body complained about that.

Moby Dick is one film I think would be really great for a big budget remake (Though I've not seen the recent TV movie). Make a good job of it with the right cast it could be a real blockbuster, especially with todays digital technology. CGI whale anyone?

So if there are any bigwig movie execs reading this, go to it chaps.

Who would you get to play Ahab though! I've thought about that too! Sean Connery, or Robert De Niro would be my choice. (with Guy Pearce as Ishmael)

In fact give me the money and I'll do it!!