Ruth

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

On the 10th April 1955, Ruth Ellis (Lucy Boynton) fatally shot her former lover, racing car driver David Blakely (Laurie Davidson.) She freely admitted her crime, and seemed resigned to her punishment. Her lawyer, John Bickford (Toby Jones) desperately tried to get her to work the system, and evidence emerged of physical and psychological abuse at the hands of Blakely. There was also the involvement of her partner on the side, Desmond Cusson (Mark Stanley), who may have supplied her with the gun, but it all emerged to naught, and she became the last woman to be hanged in the UK on 13th July 1955.

The story of Ruth Ellis has been well documented, but on the seventieth anniversary of her crime and subsequent conviction and execution, ITV have delivered this four part dramatisation of her grim fate. It seems relevant on this anniversary, given how much more is understood about abusive relationships, and how power and control can exert their influence over actions, and as such, Ellis's case spearheaded public movement towards abolishing capital punishment.

Despite the case being well captured in the public domain, a TV drama still had the potential to deliver something worthwhile, but A Cruel Love fails to develop into anything with much depth and substance in regards the story. It unwisely plays in a reverse plotting style, beginning with Ruth's arrest, and then backtracking to her relationship with Blakely and Cusson. It's a shame, as the performances are decent, namely Boynton in the lead role, capturing Ruth's stubbornly determined acceptance of her actions, before the gravity of her fate dawns on her, with strong support from Jones as the lawyer who desperately tries to save her, but understands that the system is determined to crush her for being a free and independent young woman. Stanley is impassioned and intense as the man she loved on the side, while Nigel Havers makes a grimly pertinent appearance as the judge who sentences Ruth to death, given it was his grandfather who actually did the deed.

It plays out as it does, in its disjointed and clunky manner, but the tale still keeps your attention over its four part course, before drawing to its desperately sad conclusion. A story still worth telling, but it doesn't completely hit the mark here. ***

Lucy Boynton deserves more than a rating of 7 for her brave portrayal of Ruth Ellis, but "A Cruel Love" suffers from a shallow screenplay by Kelly Jones. The same few facts are told over and over: that she loved David Blakely (Laurie Davidson) to a fault, that she holds herself guilty and responsible for his murder. We learn little about Ruth's early life, or her marriage, and her children are reduced to props. She got solid help from the actors Toby Stephens and Toby Jones, though why Jones chose to whisper every single line of dialog was beyond me. As for Mark Stanley playing Desmond Cusson, the man devoted to her, he barely makes an impression.

The production design by Stephen Campbell is particularly commendable for its bold, dark colors and period sets. I didn't understand how Ruth could afford the array of dresses in her wardrobe, given that she wasn't even able to afford rent, but I took it for eye candy. The series could easily have been three episodes instead of four, except for one thing: when Boynton is on the screen, all you want is more.

I'm old enough to remember capital punishment and well remember the Christie case of 10 Rillington Place because it was so horrific. I can't remember the Ruth Ellis case though but may have just forgotten it. Christie deserved to be executed but Ellis probably not. What bothered me watching this mini series, starring Lucy Boynton as Ellis, highlighted for me how little discrimination there was between the two killers I've mentioned. If found guilty, they were hanged, regardless of the obvious differences in their motives. Ellis' was a crime of passion and caused her to lose control, whereas Christie was just evil. The Ellis case helped to end our barbaric sentencing procedure and blanket death sentences.

To the series, Lucy does a fair job of portraying Ruth although I thought she was a bit posh. Ellis was Welsh and the accent seemed wrong. Toby Jones I love to watch in anything as his mastery of the camera is always a joy. Nigel Havers pops up playing his own grandfather, Cecil, who had to sentence Ruth. Nigel has said that his grandfather was upset with this case and tried unsuccessfully to have it overturned.

Ruth murdered her lover David, by shooting him at close range four times as he came out of a pub. The series shows their relationship and subsequent turn of events. I do wish that current casting didn't distort history as we know Ruth's prison warden was not as shown in the series.

It kept me watching in spite of knowing the outcome, mainly because I like the leading actors and the directing was good.

My father a WW2 veteran, he volunteered from Jamaica to serve in the RAF aged 18. After he was demobbed he returned to the UK in 1947. He was here when a great number of the notorious capital cases were tried & gross miscarriages of justice took place. I asked him about Ruth Ellis when an earlier series was made, he said that whilst she did not help herself by appearing more sympathetic, she should not have been hanged. He told me that he was vehemently against capital punishment. I watched the series and I could not fail to be moved by her situation especially knowing the effect that her execution had on her family as it cast a long shadow. Truly shocking & I am glad that capital punishment has been eradicated from the UK justice system.

I have always liked Lucy Boynton & to be fair she is perhaps a little too pretty to play Ruth Ellis, who was not very attractive. However, with the superb make up & her terrific acting skills she pulls off the role effortlessly. There have been a fair few biopics on Ruth Ellis as her story is a fascinating one. My favourite so far is Miranda Richardson in Dance with a Stranger, but Miss Boyntons portrayal is very close to being just as great. She shows her dedication to her craft which is admirable. For instance she is a non smoker, yet here & in other roles she is shown smoking (although not properly) which fits the character. Other things I enjoyed about this production was the 1950's sets which are superbly done, yet occasionally it is let down by slow screen play & a rather bland script, making parts of this difficult to watch. Also as normal with productions today there is a fair bit of emphasis on the theme of feminism which is not really a problem, only for the fact Ruth Ellis was not a feminist. She admitted her guilt & was certainly not a victim. This does come across in the excellent court room scenes, which I also enjoyed.

All in all this is a good drama, with excellent acting from Lucy Boynton, but I am only giving this a 6 as I feel it was let down by a weak script & occasionally dragging screen play. As well as glaring gaps in the Ellis story in which her son is almost invisible. This was a missed opportunity to show Ellis as a mother which would have perhaps garnered more sympathy for her character. So to enjoy this you should also have an appreciation & understanding of the real Ruth Ellis story. Ruth made her mark on history with a violent crime of passion which resulted in her execution as the very last women to be hanged in Britain.