Geoffrey Colquhoun

To relive the magic 56 years later, was a sheer Joy. The remastered print on the giant screen encaptured musical filmmaking at its best. From the opening overture with the flowers of Convent Garden I knew I was for a treat. Maturity had enhanced in me the true value that they don't make movie musicals like that anymore. A classic of its time and still is today. The staging, the lighting, the sets. Visually accurate in every way. As for the costumes WOW. Cecil Beaton was a true master of his craft. Rex Harrison's Professor Higgins phonetically could not be faltered. His Academy Award proves that. Audrey Hepburn, although no Julie Andrews was beauty personified. Enhanced by learner and loewe's magnificent score along with George Cukors impeccable Direction, it was a recipe for success. At 3 hours long I was held transfixed. To me age has not diminished this true classic.

Leonard Bernstein what a fascinating man. Multi-talented both in his artistic pursuits along with his versatile sex life. The components of a riveting adventure. A recipe to entertain. Watching this film I felt Bradley sacrificed a lot of the main ingredients. I realized movie time constraints.Courtesy towards Lenny's family so gracious in giving him a free rein, could have played a big part. Leonard Bernstein the conductor. Mahler's Resurrection Symphony a treat, the essence of the real man. Bernstein the composer. West Side Story, in my eyes his crowning composition we are given only the opening bars as a background to a troubled scenario. If his intention was to leave them wanting more well he succeeded on that score. However in just over two hours of screen time his musical talents were given a reasonably good airing. Bernstein his personal life sadly this is where the film fell short. We are treated to a love story, a heterosexual love story with a hint of bisexuality thrown in. To anybody who is Au Fait with the man he came first. His exploits into the Domain of what in those days was considered deviant sex was a big part of his life. Closeted then but out in the open now. As he was truthfully quoted by a close friend as a Gay man who got married. Separated from his wife to be with one of his male lovers he only came back to her when she was diagnosed with lung cancer. An aspect of his life which in today's market makes for good screen time. Chocolate coated. Times have changed. Bradleys portrayal the voice, the procetics even the cigarette smoking. Great.Carey Mulligan. Oscar worthy. My main complaint. The Art of movie making may have taken over from the true reality of the real man.

As the saying goes All That Glitters Is Not Gold. Greed, drugs booze & loneliness Judy's life had it in spades.Focusing on her Talk Of The Town days.For those of you that know little or nothing of the life of this megastar of yesteryear don't worry this film fills in enough of her life to make Renee Zellweger portrait of Garland real in so many ways. A talent that made her nothing less than than a cash cow for the MGM Studios we see her warts & all Her strengths & weaknesses along with her addictions trying desperately to make a financial comeback. Renees interpretations of her public & stage persona along with her exaggerated guestulations would take many of todays older generation back to the Judy they once knew. The fact that her singing voice was not dubbed is not a misplacement when you consider the hardship here vocal cords must have suffered over the years.We could not expect it to be as nauced as it was in her good old days.Its incredible to think with Renee Zellweger playing the part she had suffered similar stresses & strains but was lucky enough to step off the hollywood treadmill for a short time where as poor Judy could not.Great acting & direction a film with a nice balance of highs & lows along with a wonderful interpretation of what was once a hollywood legend makes for good viewing.

The jokes circulating around of a feline nature surely underline the movie of Cats as the Cat-astraphy that it really is. A surprisingly good stage show with a special appeal to cat lovers around the world helped make Cats the the financial success that it was. Having been weaned on vaudeville & Musical Theatre from a very young age a movie adeptation of a stage musical to me is a very hard act to follow. For Uiversal to employ a Director that to my knowledge has no background & experiance in musical theatre is not a good start.(except for Les Mis) then to engage principals for their marquee name draw not so much for their singing & dancing ability does not auger well for the end result.Take Russell Crowe singing in Tom Hoopers Les Mis he couldn't commit suicide soon enough to get me & I'm sure many other movie goers out of their misery. Creating Canivore creatures that look so grotesque makes it hard for an audience to feel any empathy towards them with the exception of Judi Dench. Andrew Lloyd Webber score in many places was slowed down so much that it lost it's wonderful uplifting pace that it made some of the depressing situations on screen even more depressing. Magical Mr Mistoffelees never really got off the ground it was so slow.Jennifer Hudson's rendition of Memories after the Elaine Page magical stage show arangment ( Oh Please ) Sadly Cats is another of the many examples of transferring wonderful stage musicals & losing the magic that only the proscenium stage can bring. Tom Hopoper please no more musicals.

An invitation to observe the mind of this downtrodden mental case is not an easy watch.From Mr Cellophane to a semi idolized hero we are asked to feel compassion for this discombobulated disturbed sole. Director Todd Phillips has done exactly that in casting Joaquin Phoenix in what I think is the role of his career.His grotesque characterisation within a city that is as crumbling as many of the people that inhabit it draws us in to empathize with him. However dark his life may be makes for a thought provoking 2 hours.Bleak atmospheric scenes strong acting & directing along with some well placed original music should make this an award contending movie in more than one category.

To young & to far away to fully understand the Christine Keeler, Profumo case of the 60s.To sit through the series was an enlighting watch. Although I suspect fictitious theatrical license has been taken to spice up the true narrative of the scandal. It brings home a very clear message. Youth nievity & sexual promiscuity verses power, greed & sexual lust, spells out one word,Trouble. Even though more for some than others.Dr Stephen Ward a good example. Young girls can be prey to older Gentleman. Even those in high places. Both actresses playing the parts of Christine Keeler & Mandy Rice Davies, portraying their adolescence of fun frivolity & immaturity very well.Sophie cookson so well that at times I felt like I wanted to knock some sense into her.Overall a very strong ensemble of lead characters. Ben Miles Profumo those glancing eyes.The evil manipulating, all for fun Dr Stephen Ward. James Norton. Left me with a tear in my eyes after he died of an overdose. The sign of good acting. The racial tensions & trauma throughout Christine's youth was a powerful message. I often looked at tv as being the poor cousin to the power of movies. To see a program like this consolidated together with strong acting direction & cinematography along with all the other elements that make for a riveting experiance. It goes to show that with the right formula tv is right up there.The Trial Of Christine Keeler is a good example.