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.

'Longford' is the coming of age masterpiece of television and film director Tom Hooper. In it a transformed Jim Broadbent becomes walking-self-caricature Lord Longford, the famous, perhaps infamous, campaigner for civil rights and early release for prisoners - most notably Myra Hindley, the female murderer of five schoolchildren in Yorkshire, England in the 1960s.

Samantha Morton is Hindley, tightrope walking above potential seduction and deception of Longford as well as possibly very real repentance. Longford himself is viewed as a man perhaps blinded by Hindley's charms who may be equally as guilty of manipulating her plight in a hobbyist fashion.

Andy Serkis encapsulates the mythical monster and the man that is Ian Brady, yet still the film as a whole carries with it the seed of forgiveness as the way forward in the judiciary and paints the heart of mob rule as blackly as perhaps the hearts of the Moors murderers in fact were.

A compelling film, with no easy answers, and the showcase of some of the most magnetic acting performances ever lensed.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

A TV drama exploring the relationship between notorious 'Moors Murderer' Myra Hindley (Samantha Morton) and Lord Longford (Jim Broadbent) who campaigned for her early release, only to put her on the backburner for a few years in which he went on a crusade against pornography and for her to cruelly throw his efforts back in his face after admitting to two other murders in 1987.

Being the 40th anniversary of Myra Hindley and Ian Brady's conviction for the 'Moors Murders', fresh interest has arisen in the case and TV producers want to re-create the events to fit in with the anniversary. We've already had ITV's See No Evil, which explored Myra Hindley's relationship with Ian Brady and how they ended up being brought to trial, and this is actually something of a follow-up to that film because it sort of continues the story where Hindley's been in jail for a few years and she begins using Longford to help win her early parole, right up to her and Brady's confession to the two other murders in the late 80s.

It's never easy viewing, but it's always interesting and compelling and keeps you riveted right up to the end. And the impressive performances do it no harm. Samantha Morton creates a cold but strangely vulnerable and mildly sympathetic Hindley. She might come out as a bit outspoken in real life but she's played her role well here. Broadbent is well into his role too, as the gullible but well intentioned man with the courage of his convictions. I know a lot of people will disagree with me but I actually thought Andy Serkis as Ian Brady was the one off note with the film. He makes him come off like a corny Hollywood kind of villain and compared with Johnathan Harris's quietly haunting portrayal of him in See No Evil, he just seems rather hammy. The film isn't about him anyway, and luckily he's only really a supporting role.

Not an easy view then, but a well made one, with strong performances and compelling characters. ****

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.

HBO has done it again and produced a film of superior quality. The films generally produced by HBO fall into the category of excellent independent movies except with much larger budgets that give them notable stars and superior production values. The DVD's that come from this cable channel are gifts to anyone who enjoys quality motion pictures.

Longford spans about forty years in the life of Frank Pakenham who was the 7th Earl of Longford. Pakenham was a very colorful character. He was basically conservative although one of his causes was examination of the treatment and sentences of criminals. He became notorious in England during the 1960's and 70's by calling for the release of Myra Hindley who - with her sadistic boyfriend - tortured and murdered five children during the years 1963-65.

Pakenham became convinced that Hindley was a basically innocent girl who came under the evil influence of her boyfriend Ian Brady. Pakenham visited Hindley numerous times in prison and convinced her to return to her religion. She totally convinced him that she was regretful of her part in the murders, and he vigorously campaigned for her parole.

All the while, Hindley was communicating with Brady and it soon came to light that she was basically pulling the wool over the eyes of a gullible man - Pakenham.

Disillusioned, Pakenham began to direct his efforts to the Nationwide Festival of Light which was a program of protest against commercial exploitation of sex and violence in Britain. Even though disillusioned, Pakenham stayed in contact with Hindley until his death in 2001.

Giving full credit to the superior production values, it is the acting in Longford that makes it an extreme pleasure.

Jim Broadbent is Lord Longford. I use "is" rather than "plays" because it appears that - from what I can determine - Broadbent so captured the personality and appearance of Longford that he even astounded those connected with the production who knew the real man. Broadbent shows us a man who is definitely a "kook" but one to be admired. He is a man who is so compassionate of his convictions that you cannot not like him even if his opinions are totally counter to your own.

Samantha Morton (nominated for an Emmy for this part) is outstanding as Myra Hindley, a woman who shows a surface of innocence above layers and layers of neurosis and evil. Viewing her interpretation of Hindley is fascinating.

Andy Serkis chills you to the bone as Ian Brady. It appears that Brady has been pretty much of a bad seed his entire life, and Serkis shows us that seed in full bloom. His is a performance not easily forgotten.

Longford is an enthralling character study of an equally enthralling real-life character. It is grand entertainment.