Steve Harris

When I saw who the director was I should known better but thought I’d watch it in the hope that, on this 80th anniversary of VE Day, an accurate portrayal of how things really were in the blitz would be timely and fitting. Instead it was a totally one-sided portrayal of race that was as unconvincing as it was offensive. A terrible film.

Prior to watching the film I knew a bit about Bernstein himself and seen some clips of his performances which I felt helped in my appreciation of the film. The film itself shows how he came to prominence,his tangled relationships and how those that came into “his orbit” were often totally overcome by his force of personality. I’m not sure it dealt with all his character flaws that I’ve read about but I found the film hugely entertaining. Bradley Coopers performance is stunning and Carey Mulligan’s is not far behind. The film is surely destined for Oscars.