The Man Who Lost His Head

I've said it before, I'll say it again, ITV were making some incredible dramas around this time, nice that they were generally one offs, we opposed to long serials.

Along the same lines as Heartless with Angus Deayton, it's very funny, incredibly moving and one of those stories of escapism that you will lose yourself in.

I genuinely loved it, Martin Clunes truly is at his absolute best here, charismatic, funny, somewhat lovable.

Deserves a repeat. Fabulous, 10/10.

My review of "The Man Who Lost His Head" is no doubt heavily influenced by the time I've spent in New Zealand. Although I was only there about a month total, I great to love the country, the Maori culture and the people. So, for me, this movie is a natural...for me it's an 8 or 9. But, for the average person who's never been to the country, it's still an enjoyable film despite often being formulaic and predictable.

Martin Clunes stars as Ian Bennett, a man from the British Imperial Museum* who has been sent to New Zealand to investigate whether or not to repatriate a Maori carving which some think really does belong back with its people. And, since the carving is from a Maori chief who came from a rural area outside Auckland, he goes to this part of the country and ends up living with the Maori locals. Much of what happens next is predictable (particularly the romance) but there are still some nice surprises and a nice glimpse into Maori culture. All in all, a nice slice of life movie which can be appreciated by anyone...but particularly by anyone who has seen the Maori and their land.



*The British Imperial Museum is a fictitious organization...obviously based on the British Museum. In recent years, this great museum has been under a lot of pressure to return items they essentially looted from other lands...the most famous of which are the Elgin Marbles, taken to the Uk for 'safe keeping' and never returned to Athens from where they originated.

In the tradition of comedy-dramas, where the big city boy is transformed by the charm and depth of connection experienced in a small town, this movie is delightfully and deceptively clever entertainment, that emulates Local Hero (Local Hero being a film that remains the most outstanding example the genre, but that is also one of the best movies ever made).

Character driven, strongly acted, intelligently directed and well edited, there is nothing heavy handed or over done. The humour is disarming (esp that of the Ma'ori characters similar tot hat seen more recently in Boy), and the plot unfolds easily, assuming the audience's perception.

Martin Clunies, oddly, is perfectly cast as the misfit romantic hero, delivering his lines with suitable dryness. However, the standout is the Ma-ori characters of the movie: the film is grounded in its good script and the Ma'ori cast. Just lovely.

Having moved to New Zealand from the UK a couple of decades ago, it was interesting to see what a joint production between the two countries would turn out like. I had heard great things of this and when it was repeated, I taped it to watch later. Having now settled back and enjoyed it I can recommend it whole-heartedly to people who like a good story, a happy ending and maybe just learn a little in the process. True, there were stereotypes, yes maybe it was corny and Martin Clunes is highly visibly with his doctor in Cornwall series, but it was good fun, it did show the world a little bit of NZ, and it was a very enjoyable way to pass a couple of hours. Let's be sensible about this - there's not much on TV now that's worth watching but this is. Loved the scenery, loved the people and loved the story. Good quality stuff doesn't have to be heavy and unpleasant. This is entertainment, not about saving the world and it could have been a lot, lot worse. I don't think it could have been much better.

It was the fact that Doc Martin (Martin Clunes) was in this movie that made us want to see it. He is such a quirky, delightful character actor. Interesting seeing him not so stuffy & dressed up! Not an academy award movie, but well worth watching as the cinematography is beautiful and it's such a feel good movie which you don't see much of these days.