Florence Nightingale

I found the whole presentation to have the subtle influence of a Merchant/Ivory effort. Norman Stone's direction has taken a glossier feel with this production.

Whether or not through intention, Stone has created a tacit contrast and balance between today's perceptions of modern medicine and the historic resonance of its bitter foundations. Through this, the film breathes with a certain relevance without feeling preachy or overly dry.

Laura Fraser plays the part of Florence with a sort of volcanic fragility while staying true to the linguistic delivery style of the period. Other noteworthy efforts are delivered by Michael Pennington. Pennington conveys a realistic father void of the typical Victorian film noir caricatures that have all too often plagued period films. Editor Colin Goudie keeps the patent BBC presentation while allowing the film to feel at times like a larger screen effort. Composer Jeremy Soule delivers what may be the best opening theme in recent history for the BBC.

If there is anything of fault with the film is that some important elements were implied rather than filmed. This may have been symptomatic of budgeting considerations with a production of this nature. It would have been nice to see more of Florence's life in this script, as an hour made the whole production feel slightly compressed

In conclusion, this film is a very worthy way to spend an hour for those that know nothing about the legendary Florence Nightingale. This may be the finest effort thus far to bring this story to the screen.

It was good to see a biography of Florence Nightingale interspersed with scenes from a contemporaneous musical hall revue, which made this a serious drama but with light relief in the musical interludes (e.g. 'What we got was a miracle, a bloomin' human miracle' and a song about limbs dropping off in military field hospitals). It might not be quite worth a 10 but I feel the need to redress the balance as this memorable programme deserves more than a 5.

As a full-time professor of business and personal development, I have rarely had t time to watch films for pleasure. Most films I watch are to select as lessons which will tell the story of famous figures in history (especially those which are outside of my academic purview) who have made a difference. I hope my students learn through identifying specific attributes of the subject of the film which drove them to making a difference in the lives of others. Teaching online at home during the quarantine of 2020, I have gotten a chance to catch up on films I never watched before to learn more about amazing people who lives long ago continue to make a difference event today.

This film on the life of Florence Nightingale has been one of the best films I have watched recently. It stirs both the heart and mind of all those who appreciate the dedication of nurses on the frontline during the pandemic, by learning about their historical "mentor," Florence Nightingale. The film is beautiful to watch. The spirtiual component is not offensive, it actually shows that in every dedicated "nurse" their is indeed a higher calling (vocation) to serve others to the point of the loss of their own life.

The script was terrible. It was full of modern colloquialisms (e.g. the nation wants to 'move on') and people calling each other by their first names inappropriately for the period. Laura Fraser acted the part with a modern Sloane Ranger accent and entirely lacked the gravitas that Florence Nightingale clearly had. Her experience of nursing before going out to Scutari was omitted. Michael Pennington was terrible as her father, weak and totally un-Victorian.

The time line of the piece was confusing and the music hall interludes were entertaining but out of place.

The later parts, with Florence agonising over her mistakes, were overdone. It is true she made mistakes, but unless I am much mistaken, she did not agonise over them very much, but rather tended to remain very confident of her abilities and fixed in her opinions.

To me, this is only half of Florence Nightingale story worthy putting into the art form of movie.

This first half is a great attempt, especially the "spirit" as manifested in the script such as "if you can't find it (the broom), make it (the context: when finally in the battlefield so called hospital, the man's world, when opportunity patiently waited to help out, with her team of female "amateur nurses", as the nursing profession yet to be born, the room they stay was dirty, and needs cleaning by brooms).

The other half of the yet to be made movie should describe the "Rose chart", that today even Excel spreadsheet could create yet, Nightingale made in around 1856. What a real pioneer in data visualisation among many innovations she made. Any brave director and investor to make the second half of the movie?