stan fernando

A lovely drama series from a time when The BBC made great drama. Patricia Routledge is wonderful in the title role. Easy to watch, uncomplicated, unpretentious plots, Dominic Monaghan is equally great as is Derek Benfield. All likeable. No sarcasm, no clever quips, no quick uneasy, uneven editing nor plot holes. It just passes the time over an hour with ease. Then there's spotting how different life was back in the 1990s - no smartphones, no onus on the internet, none of the nonsense that has dehumanised life as it is today...A wonderful drama series from a more simpler in hindsight time...such a shame The BBC axed it and such a shame neither BBC, ITV nor any other channel bothers to make a quality drama series such as this anymore.

I recall this film used to be shown fairly often on either Channel 4 or Film4 in the UK over 20 years ago - when both channels broadcast great old films rather than the badly made modern dross or foreign films that masquerade as 'clever'; sadly, I never really bothered watching 'Cross of Iron' until now. I used to either channel hop or have it on in the background whilst doing something else. Having finally watched this film I can safely say Peckinpah captures the futility of War, the cost towards the Human spirt, the fact lesser men are always the pawns in the machinations of those in power and how utterly pathetic War can be. It is a great Anti War film. Frankly, whilst it is a pity that the film ran out of money to film its original ending, the ending Peckinpah gave views is a poetic signpost to the film as a whole - the polemic being that War is a dirty, needless business - but that it goes on and on and on...and all one can do, like Steiner, is laugh at the Devil.

I first caught this film late one night way back in around 2002 when the BBC used to show great old films after 10pm or so. I used to own a VHS copy having seen it. It has not been since 18 years ago or more that I finally re-watched it last night and watched it again this evening. I've even brought a dvd copy. Soldier Blue is a brilliant film with a brilliant soundtrack by Roy Budd. both woefully forgotten as a film, unfairly forgotten as a brilliant film composer whenever Classic FM continually plug John Williams I grow in my hatred of that man's overrated tripe when compared to the likes of Budd, Michael J Lewis or John Barry. Soldier Blue's climax isn't exploitation, nor is it horrific. Candice Bergen shines and Peter Strauss perfectly captures a misguided, Puritanical man who really should not be a Soldier. What Soldier Blue truly conveys is the fact this was based on an extremely shameful, extremely bloody event that actually occurred in American history. To my mind, that is the real horror - that this was true. Soldier Blue was a perfect allegory for the Vietnam War, at its height in 1970 when this film was originally released in cinemas. The film was made in 1969 and the ending likens itself to the My Lai Massacre in 1968 in Vietnam. Some say this film is a load of tripe - however, even though it was not a successful film in America, due to the Vietnam War still ongoing, it was a great success in both the UK and Europe - becoming the third most popular film in the UK when it was released in 1971. Both Soldier Blue, the My Lai or Songmy Massacre of 1968 quite correctly present the dark side of American History - and explains why America is such a painful, divided place today. However, much could be said of Britain's Colonial Past too. Essentially, films like these are no longer made, which is a shame. However, Soldier Blue being a true story, is the truly crying shame and certainly worth watching - the gentle romance, sweeping landscapes, the humour, the wonderful soundtrack all lull the viewer into as false sense of optimism only for this to be brutally jarred out of you when the film reaches its shameful climax. 10/10.